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From: moreilly@nifa.usda.gov<BR>Reply-to:
specialtycrops@lyris.nifa.usda.gov<BR>To: lda@pollinator.org<BR>Sent: 10/14/2011
11:59:57 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time<BR>Subj: [specialtycrops] announcement of
2011 awards<BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid">
<DIV> </DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>USDA Invests in America's Specialty Crops with Research
and Extension Activities in 19 States<BR>Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202)
720-8188<BR><BR>WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2011–Agriculture Deputy Secretary
Kathleen Merrigan today announced 29 grants across 19 states to develop and
share science-based tools to address the needs of America’s specialty crop
industry. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is awarding
the grants, totaling $46 million, through its Specialty Crop Research
Initiative (SCRI). <BR><BR>“Over the last 60 years, agriculture, including
horticulture, has become increasingly reliant on science and technology to
maintain profitable production,” Merrigan said. “Specialty crop producers in
the United States—as with all of American agriculture—are seeing sales surge
both domestically and abroad as consumers search for high quality, ‘Grown in
America’ fruits, vegetables and tree nuts. These projects will help provide
specialty crop producers with the information and tools they need to
successfully grow, process and market safe and high quality products,
supporting jobs and opportunities for Americans working in specialty crops.
From herbs to apples, from walnuts to grapes, specialty crops are central to
the richness of American agriculture.”<BR><BR>SCRI supports the specialty crop
industry by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address the
needs of specific crops. Specialty crops are defined in law as “fruits and
vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops,
including floriculture.” Funded projects address five focus areas: 1) improve
crop characteristics through plant breeding, genetics and genomics; 2) address
threats from pests and diseases; 3) improve production efficiency,
productivity and profitability; 4) develop new innovations and technologies
and 5) develop methods to improve food safety. <BR><BR>SCRI gives priority to
projects that are multistate, multi-institutional or trans-disciplinary; and
include explicit mechanisms to communicate results to producers and the
public. Each of the focus areas received at least 10 percent of the available
funds. The majority of funded projects addresses two or more focus areas, and
includes many collaborating institutions in addition to the
awardee.<BR><BR>The projects funded address research and extension needs for
crops that span the entire spectrum of specialty crops production, from
researching plant genetics to improving crop characteristics; identifying and
addressing threats from pests and diseases; improving production and
profitability; developing new production innovations and technologies; and
developing methods to respond to food safety hazards.<BR><BR>Projects were
funded in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington and
Wisconsin. Most of the grant recipients are universities and colleges. Grant
highlights include:<BR><BR>The University of Massachusetts Amherst will study
pollination security for fruit and vegetable crops. <BR>Michigan State
University will develop a system to deliver resource-efficient, ecologically
sustainable fruit production systems for apple and cherry producers. <BR>The
University of Wisconsin system will study improved breeding and variety
evaluation methods to increase quality in processed potato products. <BR>The
University of Georgia Research Foundation will help to improve the long-term
competitiveness of U.S. pecans based on their nutritional and health-promoting
components. <BR>Washington State University will help U.S. raspberry producers
find new tools for breeding and reaching markets. <BR><BR><BR>A full list of
awardees can be found online
at:www.nifa.usda.gov<BR>/newsroom/news/2011news/scri_awards.html.<BR><BR>Through
federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs,
NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting
people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit
www.nifa.usda.gov.<BR><BR><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>