[Pollinator] Fwd: [specialtycrops] announcement of 2011 awards

[Ladadams at aol.com]

____________________________________
 From: moreilly at nifa.usda.gov
Reply-to:  specialtycrops at lyris.nifa.usda.gov
To: lda at pollinator.org
Sent: 10/14/2011  11:59:57 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: [specialtycrops] announcement of  2011 awards



USDA Invests in America's Specialty Crops with Research  and Extension 
Activities in 19 States
Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202)  720-8188

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). 

“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.”

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. 

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.

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.

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:

The University of Massachusetts Amherst will study  pollination security 
for fruit and vegetable crops. 
Michigan State  University will develop a system to deliver 
resource-efficient, ecologically  sustainable fruit production systems for apple and cherry 
producers. 
The  University of Wisconsin system will study improved breeding and 
variety  evaluation methods to increase quality in processed potato products. 
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. 
Washington State University will help U.S. raspberry producers  find new 
tools for breeding and reaching markets. 


A full list of  awardees can be found online  at:www.nifa.usda.gov
/newsroom/news/2011news/scri_awards.html.

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.



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