Science Policy Report

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04 May 2016

In This Issue:

Policy News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Science News

Policy News

Despite early movement, the appropriations process has ground to a halt in the Senate on Thursday when Democrats filibustered the energy and water spending bill to prevent a potential vote on a Republican amendment related to Iran. Democrats moved to block Sen. Tom Cotton, (R-Ark.) from offering an amendment that would ban U.S. tax dollars from being used in the future to buy heavy water from Iran, calling the amendment a "poison pill." Republicans defended Cotton's right to offer the amendment and accused Democrats of purposely derailing the bill to prevent the GOP-led Senate from getting another in a series of recent bipartisan accomplishments passed on the floor. Democrats blocked the bill from moving forward again on Friday leading to a round of recriminations from both sides. The Senate is out on recess this week and it remains unclear how and if the appropriations process will proceed when they return. Read the full article.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) suffered the first political fallout from its oversight of the troubled National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) under construction. The science committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved by voice vote a measure that would set new rules on how NSF builds and operates large new scientific facilities like NEON. Republican legislators who are championing the bill (HR 5049) say it’s needed to curb abuses in a system that led to an $80 million projected cost overrun for NEON and forced NSF to fire the contractor on the $433 million project. But NSF officials say the legislation would limit the agency’s ability to hire the best managers and impose additional requirements that it says are unnecessary given new practices it adopted in the wake of NEON’s problems. Read the full article.

The Senate passed by an overwhelming vote of 85-12 a bipartisan comprehensive energy bill, that touches on many aspects of federal energy policy—from efficiency standards and programs to natural gas export authority—and includes provisions that reauthorize the Department of Energy Office of Science and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The bill authorizes increased funding targets for DOE-Science and ARPA-E for the next five years. A companion bill passed by the House late last year started on the same bipartisan track, but the final bill is considered decidedly more partisan than the newly passed Senate bill. The House bill also does not contain research related provisions due to the differing jurisdictions of the relevant House and Senate committees. Energy research provisions are included in the separate House-passed version of COMPETES and differ from the Senate comprehensive bill.  Hence, the House and Senate bills will now need to be reconciled, which legislators plan to do via a conference committee to get to a final compromise bill to send to the President for signature. Read the full article.

Turn on the TV and you can barely escape it: presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle deriding free trade agreements, like the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP is a bum deal that will hurt the U.S. economy and especially low-wage workers, according to pols from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton. But if you venture into the Midwest and ask a farmer about the TPP, you’re likely to get a different answer. Mike John, a cattle rancher in Huntsville, Mo, along with many Midwest farmers and ranchers are bucking the political trend to dog the TPP. A coalition of more than 200 hundred agriculture groups recently drafted an open letter urging congressional leaders to approve the deal, saying the trade deal will help U.S. farmers stay competitive in an increasingly crowded world market. Read the full article.

The Farm Bill of 2014 provided that research institutions and state departments of agriculture can grow industrial hemp, as part of an agricultural pilot program, if the program is allowed under state laws where the institutions are located.  The past legal status of hemp and difficulties in obtaining certified seed have resulted in a knowledge gap on agricultural production practices. Research on industrial hemp production was the subject of a congressional seminar last week featuring Purdue University faculty, and SSSA and ASA member, Ronald Turco. Read the full article.

International Corner

After years of fierce debate in China about whether to allow widespread growing of GMO food crops, a strong signal emerged in 2013 when President Jinping discussed guaranteeing China’s food security. GMO concerns rested on the safety of GMO foods and becoming too reliant on foreign GMO technology. However, those concerns may ease if the $43 billion deal reached between ChemChina and Syngenta goes ahead. Read the full article.

The past few years, many postdocs at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have obtained a permanent position in an unusual way: by suing their employer. The researchers, along with many technicians and administrative staff, have successfully asked the courts to make CSIC comply with Spanish labor law and turn their short-term contracts into indefinite employment. But now, CSIC is pushing back with a series of controversial measures that many say punish the institutes and research groups where such cases have occurred. The new measures, detailed in an internal memo that was recently leaked to national newspaper El País, have drawn criticism from the scientific community and angered trade unions. Read the full article.

The nine acres in southern Vietnam that double as rice paddy and shrimp pond for farmer Nguyen Thi Tam have become a wasteland. After the worst drought in 90 years, almost nothing grows. The dry spell in the once-fertile Mekong Delta is devastating food supplies in southern Vietnam and threatening to reduce global exports of rice, seafood and coffee. It is also compounding a Southeast Asia water shortage along a 3,000-mile river that runs from Tibet to Thailand to the South China Sea, as climate change and too many dams erode livelihoods for millions of farmers. Read the full article.

A years-long drought in India is starting to take a toll on 330 million of the country’s residents as people suffer from water shortages and poor farmers are helpless to save their dying crops. During Supreme Court testimony, one of the Indian government’s top lawyers said that a quarter of the country’s population across nearly 256 districts have been affected by the drought after two consecutive years of poor monsoon rains. Already, the drought has forced the government to release funds to those areas hardest hit, where the lack of rainfall has led to the rationing of drinking water. Read the full article.

After months of uncertainty, scientists at Australia’s premier research agency today learned their fate. More than 275 jobs will be cut, with climate science taking the biggest hit. Up to 75 jobs will be lopped from the Oceans and Atmosphere division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Technological Organization (CSIRO) as part of a restructuring first announced in February by CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall. In what is widely viewed as a fig leaf, Marshall told staff that 40 climate research positions would be retained "for the next decade" at a new Climate Science Center to be established in Hobart, Australia. Read the full article.

South Africa may lower its estimate for corn production this season for a third time to the lowest since 2006 because of damage from the worst drought in more than a century, a survey showed. Local growers will probably produce 7 million metric tons this year, according to a median estimate of nine analysts in a Bloomberg survey. That’s 0.9 percent less than last month’s forecast of 7.07 million tons by the Crop Estimates Committee and would also be 30 percent less than the 9.96 million tons produced in 2015. The range was 6.5 million tons and 7.07 million tons. The committee will release its forecast on April 26. South Africa, the continent’s top producer of corn and a net exporter of agricultural products, may need to import 3.8 million tons of the grain this year to supplement domestic supplies, according to Grain SA, the biggest lobby group for grain and oilseed farmers. Read the full article.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Industrial hemp has been attracting a significant amount of interest from diverse groups interested in this sustainable crop. Join us for this science-focused conference to define the industrial hemp agenda. The Science of Industrial Hemp Conference is positioned to be at the forefront of the scientific information for this emerging industry. Attendees will gain knowledge and information from a wide spectrum of scientific areas pertaining to industrial hemp as well as the production issues and challenges in starting up research in this legally challenging area. Denver, CO on July 28 & 29, with optional tour is offered July 27. Learn more and register here.

If you haven't submitted a white paper yet, it isn't too late to share your ideas!  As part of our second Request for Information (RFI #2), we are soliciting white papers on how to best address important questions in Earth System Science. These white papers will help the survey's study panels and steering committee identify and propose observing priorities for monitoring the Earth while taking into account the full range of applications. Further instructions, FAQs, and white paper submission here.

The North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) combines soybean check-off funds from its 12 member states in order to sponsor basic and applied research to increase soybean profitability and enhance yield, while maintaining or improving soybean composition, through genetic improvement and biotic and abiotic stress mitigation for soybean maturity groups 0 – IV. The NCSRP is seeking soybean research project renewal requests and new proposals that will address their goals to increase soybean grower productivity and profitability while improving environmental stewardship. The NCSRP will fund both applied and basic research, and the communication of research results, to provide short and long-term practical benefit to Midwestern soybean producers. Projects must logically fit into one of these key research areas: yield enhancement, pest and disease control, weed control, nutrient management, and production practices. Deadline, May 20. Read the full announcement.

These grants involve scientists, producers, and others using interdisciplinary approaches to address issues related to sustaining agriculture in the Western SARE region. Agricultural producers must be partners in the project from start to finish. Projects can be up to three years in duration. Funding generally does not exceed $250,000. Projects must incorporate both research and education. Deadline, June 1. Read the full announcement.

NIFA requests grant applications for the Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program for fiscal year 2016. Awardees will develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. These are audiences affected by new food safety guidelines established under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Approximately $4.7 million in grant funding is available. Cooperative Extension, organizations representing farmers and with public health and food safety expertise, state and local governments, and institutions of higher education may apply. Deadline, June 2. Read the full announcement.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world — the Great Lakes. As one of the initiative’s 16 task force members, the Forest Service uses GLRI resources to strategically target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and accelerate progress toward long-term restoration goals for this important ecosystem. Program Areas: 1) Mitigate Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Impacts, 2) Reduce Runoff from Degraded Sites through Green Infrastructure, and 3) Enhance Wetland Filtration. Deadline, June 21. Read the full announcement.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Proposals will be accepted from the following several states. See the links for full announcement details and deadlines.

South Carolina – Deadline May 31

Iowa – Deadline June 3

Virginia – Deadline June 24

The AFRI Food Security Challenge Area focuses on the societal challenge to keep American agriculture competitive and end world hunger by ensuring the availability and accessibility of safe and nutritious food. The long-term goal of the AFRI Food Security Challenge Area is to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and the availability and accessibility of safe and nutritious food. Project types supported within this Challenge Area will propose multi-function Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects, Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants, and conferences and/or workshop. Deadline, July 7. Read the full announcement.

This AFRI Challenge Area promotes and enhances the scientific discipline of food safety, with an overall aim of protecting consumers from microbial and chemical contaminants that may occur during all stages of the food chain, from production to consumption. This requires an understanding of the interdependencies of human, animal, and ecosystem health as it pertains to foodborne pathogens. The long-term outcome for this program is to reduce foodborne illnesses and deaths by improving the safety of the food supply, which will result in reduced impacts on public health and on our economy. In order to achieve this outcome, this program will support single-function Research Projects and multi-function Integrated Research, Education, and/or Extension Projects, and Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants that address one of the Program Area Priorities (see Food Safety RFA for details). Deadline, August 3. Read the full announcement.

Science News

Soil organic matter (SOM) is a primary determinant of soil quality, regulating many important characteristics and processes. It is exceedingly diverse and inextricably related to the myriad life forms in healthy soil. Studies of SOM typically employ a series of chemical extractions to remove operationally defined categories of SOM and then determine their properties by various means. A study in the latest issue of Vadose Zone Journal examined the potential for a sophisticated optical technique to characterize SOM in bulk mineral soil and extracts to probe long-term changes related to different fertilization practices. Specifically, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to assess long-term changes in SOM in soils that had been systematically subjected to different fertilization schemes. Read the full article.

Harvard scientists have developed molecules that may help to solve one of the most pressing problems in modern agriculture: the rise of insects that are resistant to traits that were engineered to help crops withstand pests. Using phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE) technology developed by Harvard’s David Liu, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and his co-workers, a team of researchers evolved new forms of a natural insecticidal protein called “Bt toxin.” The proteins can be used to assist in controlling Bt toxin resistance in insects. Read the full article.

Dannon says it will start transitioning its three flagship brands - Dannon, Oikos greek yogurt and Danimals - to make yogurt with milk from only non-GMO-fed dairy cows starting in July. By December 2017, it will label brands that still have GMO products. However, since GMO crops are used in virtually all feed for milk cows, Dannon will have to find new sources that don't exist yet, or rely on the extremely limited sources of non-GMO-fed milk. No doubt the pressure will fall on the 13 dairy farms owned by seven families that produce 40 percent of the milk Dannon uses. The farmers are part of an arrangement called a Cost Performance Model in which Dannon guarantees their profit margins, insulating them from increased costs. The other 60 percent of milk comes from the traditional market. Read the full article.

Here’s the scientific dirt: Soil can help reduce global warming. While farm soil grows the world’s food and fiber, scientists are examining ways to use it to sequester carbon and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, sequestering carbon and using prudent agricultural management practices that tighten the soil-nitrogen cycle can yield enhanced soil fertility, bolster crop productivity, improve soil biodiversity, and reduce erosion, runoff and water pollution. These practices also buffer crop and pasture systems against the impacts of climate change. Read the full article.

The EPA has made a preliminary finding that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans - but the agency isn't ready to go public yet. The EPA briefly posted to the regulatory docket Monday and then pulled down an October 2015 final report from its Cancer Assessment Review Committee, which is made of up of staff, that concluded glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans." The committee said evidence from existing epidemiological studies and tests of lab animals doesn't meet the bar for classifying the chemical as a carcinogen. Read the full article.

Nitrogen: one of the many elements with which humans seem to have a love–hate relationship. We need it in our agricultural soils—it’s literally what makes our crops grow—but when it percolates into our waterways, nitrogen becomes hazardous to wildlife and public health. The risk of too much nitrogen in the form of nitrates entering our water system is not a new one. Scientists and farmers have long known about the risks associated with agricultural nitrogen runoff: high nitrate levels in water contribute to large algae blooms that negatively impact aquatic wildlife; too much nitrate can also pose health risks to humans. The problem has gotten so serious in some areas that it’s pitting urban communities against their agricultural neighbors. Read the full article.

Three papers reporting the isolation of novel disease resistance genes, and their successful transfer into wheat, soybean and potato were published Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology. The reports focus on three diseases: wheat stem rust, Asian soybean rust, and potato late blight. Each disease is difficult to control and each is capable of causing yield losses of over 80 percent. The 2Blades Foundation supported the development of these efforts as part of its mission to discover, advance, and deliver genetic improvements in crop disease resistance. 2Blades tackles the increasing demands on world-wide agricultural production by targeting the control of crop diseases. Read the full article.

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) announces that the prestigious 2016 Borlaug CAST Communication Award goes to Dr. Kevin Folta, Chair of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). A teacher, mentor, researcher, and organizer, Folta focuses on clear, credible information. He knows how to communicate science to non-scientific audiences—and how to train scientists, farmers, physicians, and students to perform public outreach in scientific or controversial topics. Communicating about science is a driving force for Folta. His blog (Illumination) covers recent events at the interface between society and science, and his weekly podcast (Talking Biotech) discusses genetic improvements in agriculture and medicine. Read the full article.
 

The Urban Agriculture Toolkit, a new resource released by the USDA, is intended to help entrepreneurs and community leaders successfully create jobs and increase access to healthy food through urban agriculture. The Toolkit is an electronic document that helps urban and small farms navigate more than 70 helpful resources, including technical assistance and financing opportunities. It focuses on some of the most pressing challenges confronting urban producers such as land access, soil quality, water resources, capital and financing, infrastructure, market development, production strategies, and applying for federal, state or private foundation grants. Read the full article.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) invites you to attend the 2016 AAAS Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture: The Role of U.S. Research Universities in meeting the Global Food Security Challenge presented by Randy Woodson, Chancellor of North Carolina State University. The 2016 AAAS Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture will focus on the technologies, interdisciplinary research opportunities, international partnerships and educational programs universities will need to develop in an effort to contribute to this global challenge. The lecture will be held at AAAS headquarters, 1200 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC on May 23. Learn more and register here.

Sources: USDA; Woodard Currant Foundation; ScienceInsider; CNN; Politico; The Hill; Morning Consult; Harvest Public Media; Harvard News; Dannon; Cornell News; Reuters; EurekaAlert; Bloomberg; VOA News; The Economist;

Vision: The Societies Washington, DC Science Policy Office (SPO) will advocate the importance and value of the agronomic, crop and soil sciences in developing national science policy and ensuring the necessary public-sector investment in the continued health of the environment for the well being of humanity. The SPO will assimilate, interpret, and disseminate in a timely manner to Society members information about relevant agricultural, natural resources and environmental legislation, rules and regulations under consideration by Congress and the Administration.

This page of the ASA-CSSA-SSSA web site will highlight current news items relevant to Science Policy. It is not an endorsement of any position.