Science Policy Report

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07 September 2016

In This Issue:

Policy News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Science News

Policy News

Congress returns today from a 7-week summer break with a lengthy list of unfinished business, some of great interest to the U.S. research community—and just a few weeks to tackle it. Lawmakers aren’t likely to pare that list by much before they return to the campaign trail for a final push before Election Day on 8 November. But they will have a second shot when they return for a lame-duck session after voters have chosen a successor to President Barack Obama and a new Congress. The one big responsibility Congress can’t shirk is passing some kind of spending bill to keep the government running for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October. Legislators this month are expected to put off a decision by temporarily extending 2016 spending levels into 2017 with a so-called continuing resolution (CR). Its duration is uncertain, but the most likely scenario is one that funds the government through late December. Read the full article.

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research announced the formation of six Advisory Councils, composed of leading experts across the food and agriculture industry. Council members will advise Foundation staff and board members on program development and implementation, potential partnerships, and other avenues for advancing the organization’s mission to support innovative science addressing today’s food and agriculture challenges. The six Advisory Councils cover the following topics: Food System Innovation, Nutrition and Healthy Food Choices, Plant Efficiency, Soil Health, Sustainable Farm Animal Productivity, Resilience, and Health and Water Use. Read the full article.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump announced a new Agricultural Advisory Committee on Tuesday, which will help the campaign pioneer new ideas to strengthen America’s agricultural industry as well as providing more opportunities for rural communities. The team includes elected officials, business owners and agricultural experts — including former presidential candidate Rick Perry. Trump said in a campaign email that the agricultural community plays a huge role in feeding the country and the world, and understands how critical they are for the country’s infrastructure. Read the full article.

The plan of soil health experts from across North America is to integrate more research projects to provide agricultural producers and policy makers with economically relevant, science-based recommendations for improving drought resilience as well as reducing nutrient losses. The Soil Health Institute (SHI), an organization consisting of a broad collaboration of agricultural leaders, held its first annual meeting July 27-29 in Louisville, KY.  Approximately 130 soil health experts, including growers, land grant university specialists, USDA scientists, conservation leaders, soil laboratory scientists, and foundation/non-governmental organization leaders identified key soil processes influencing productivity, resilience and environmental quality during the meeting. Members’ goals include conducting a national assessment of soil health and producing a digital decision support tool that enables growers to anticipate which soil amendments and crop rotations will have the greatest impact on a field’s annual return. The Institute also will curate soil health research reports and information. Read the full article.

From online shopping delivery to farm surveillance, drone technology has been a new frontier for companies looking to advance their business through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology. However, getting permission to operate these drones was almost impossible without a private pilot’s license or a waiver – until now. The drone operation approval process got easier as of Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced in late June the first operation rules for commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones. With the new rules, approval to fly drones will be like getting a driver’s license. Read the full article.

International Corner

China, the world’s largest consumer of human and animal antibiotics, has pledged to step up research and development into new antimicrobials and to rein in overuse of existing medicines to counter growing global antimicrobial resistance. As part of a national action plan unveiled on 26 August, the Chinese central government said that it would mobilize the efforts of 14 ministries and departments including health, food and drugs, and agriculture. By 2020, the government aims to develop new antimicrobials, make sales of the drugs by prescription only, ramp up surveillance of human and veterinary usage, and increase training and education for both medical professionals and consumers on their proper use. No details were available on funding or new drug development. Read the full article.

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Aug. 5 said it has found no unapproved bioengineered wheat from the U.S. state of Washington. The ministry said it tested imports of wheat and flour after receiving a G.M. wheat testing method from the United States on Aug. 1. South Korea and Japan temporarily suspended new purchases of Western white wheat following news on July 29 that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating 22 bioengineered wheat plants found in a field in the U.S. state of Washington. Read the full article.

In a move welcomed by scientists, the U.K. government has announced it will guarantee funding for research grants awarded by the European Union between now and an eventual Brexit. The decision could boost confidence for international collaborations that apply to Horizon 2020, the European Union’s main competitive grants program. The decision provides “much-needed reassurance to researchers in the UK and across Europe that the UK is still in the game as a reliable player in research funding bids,” Sarah Main of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, an advocacy group based in London, said in a statement. “This is a great first step." Other research advocates said the move fell short of the full assurances that scientists need. Read the full article.

The government wants to make agriculture “cool” in a bid to encourage Kenyan youths to engage through modern technology. Agriculture cabinet secretary Willy Bett said on Monday during an Agricultural summit at State House that this was meant to make agriculture more attractive to the younger people who see it as a reserve for the old and those in rural areas. He said that the government is especially concentrating on mechanization and automation explaining that reports indicate most Kenyans are still using outdated technology. Read the full article.

New Zealand scientists have reviewed the evidence on the weed killer glyphosate and announced it is "unlikely" to be carcinogenic and should not be classified as a mutagen or carcinogen under the HSNO Act. Poisons expert Dr Wayne Temple and his colleague from the National Poisons Centre, Michael Beasley, carried out the review, which was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Glyphosate is the active ingredient in chemical company Monsanto's Roundup and underpins much of New Zealand's - and the world's - food production. It is also widely used in parks and gardens. Read the full article.

Two Australian academics serving on a government climate panel have publicly criticized their own committee's latest report as "untrue and dangerous," stoking a long-running debate over the country's carbon emissions reduction strategies. Australia's Climate Change Authority is a panel created in 2012 to provide expert advice on mitigation initiatives. On 31 August, the authority, chaired by Wendy Craik, a deputy chancellor at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, released a review of what actions Australia should take “to deliver on its international commitments" under the Paris Agreement of December 2015, according to the authority’s website. Read the full article.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

The National Institutes of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is convening a summit to identify the frontiers and future of data in agriculture and build on existing U.S. government wide-efforts and investments in Big Data. Save the date for an opportunity to help shape the agenda driving innovation in our agricultural enterprise. Join us via livestream as leaders in agriculture and data science fields converge to synthesize the future of data-driven agriculture. This October 10, 2016 event will include an address from NIFA Director Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, a set of visionary talks from leaders in the fields of data science and agriculture, and discussion. This event will be streamed live in tandem with the October 10-12, 2016 NSF Midwest Big Data Hub All Hands Meeting. Learn more here.

The fall 2016 National Science Foundation Grants Conference will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 14-15, 2016 hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. This two-day conference is a must, especially for new faculty, researchers, educators, and administrators who want to gain key insight into a wide range of issues at NSF including the state of current funding; new and current policies and procedures; and pertinent administrative issues. NSF Program Officers representing each NSF directorate will be on hand to provide up-to-date information about specific funding opportunities and answer your questions. Registration opens September 8. Learn more and register here.

BARD projects, conducted cooperatively by American and Israeli scientists, cover all phases of agricultural research and development, including integrated projects and strategic or applied research. Cooperative research entails active collaboration between Israeli and American scientists. BARD is accepting applications for its Research Programs, Postdocs, Senior Researchers and Graduate Students. Research progragms deadline, September 12. Read the full announcement.

This grant program supports: (1) training students for Master's and doctoral degrees in food, agricultural and natural resource sciences, and; (2) Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) for eligible USDA NNF beneficiaries. Awards are specifically intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in USDA mission areas. Applicants provide clarity about the philosophy of their graduate training, and relevance to USDA mission sciences, NIFA priorities and national science education policies and statistics. Applications are being solicited from institutions that confer a graduate degree in at least one of the following Targeted Expertise Shortage Areas: 1) animal and plant production; 2) forest resources; 3) agricultural educators and communicators; 4) agricultural management and economics; 5) food science and human nutrition; 6) sciences for agricultural biosecurity; and 7) training in integrative biosciences for sustainable food and agricultural systems. Deadline, October 10. Read the full announcement.

The goal of the Energy for Sustainability program is to support fundamental engineering research that will enable innovative processes and solutions for the sustainable production of electricity and fuels, and energy storage. Processes for sustainable energy production must be environmentally benign, reduce greenhouse gas production, and utilize renewable resources. Current topics of interest include: 1) Biomass Conversion, Biofuels & Bioenergy; 2) Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Energy; and 3) Advanced Batteries for Transportation and Renewable Energy Storage. Innovative proposals outside of these specific interest areas can be considered. However, prior to submission, it is recommended that the PI contact the Program Director to avoid the possibility of the proposal being returned without review or transferred to another program. Deadline, October 22. Read the full announcement.

The National Clean Plant Network provides asexually propagated plant material free of targeted plant pathogens and pests to protect the environment and ensure the global competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers. Program priorities include: 1) establishing and supporting governance and related administrative activities; 2) promoting the introduction, diagnosis, treatment, establishment (in foundation blocks) and release of clean plant materials, both from foreign and domestic sources, for commercial development; 3) conducting methods development to accurately advance and test therapies, as well as establish guidelines and standards for certification maintenance; 4) developing partnerships with extension and outreach services (e.g. university and state departments of agriculture) to interact with commercial nurseries, industry associations and producers; and 5) developing and implementing best practices and quality control protocols. Deadline, October 26. Read the full announcement.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology.  The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations regardless of the availability of funding for the Fellows at that site. The fellowships are also designed to provide active mentoring of the Fellows by the sponsoring scientists who will benefit from having these talented young scientists in their research groups. The research and training plan of each fellowship must address important scientific questions within the scope of the BIO Directorate and the specific guidelines in this fellowship program solicitation. Deadline, November 1. Read the full announcement.

The Organic Crop Improvement Association Research & Education (OCIA R&E) is calling for micro grant proposals pertaining to organic research and/or education. Micro grant awards range up to $1,500. Projects must pertain to organic research and/or education and be of benefit to OCIA certified members. Deadline, November 15. Read the full announcement.

The goal of the Integrated Earth Systems (IES) program is to investigate the interplay among the continental, terrestrial, and interior systems of the planet. The program provides an opportunity for collaborative, multidisciplinary research into the operation, dynamics, and complexity of Earth systems that encompass the core of the Earth through the surface. Innovative projects that explore new research directions beyond those typically considered by core programs of the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) are encouraged. Investigations may include all or part of the continental, terrestrial and deep Earth at all temporal and spatial scales. IES will support topics that include (but are not limited to) continental systems; terrestrial or surficial Earth systems including physical, chemical, and biotic dimensions; linkages among tectonics, climate, and landscape evolution; the coupling of the Earth's climate, depositional and biotic systems; and global cycles that involve core and mantle processes. Deadline, November 20. Read the full announcement.

Science News

Limited water resources and low N use efficiency have restrained crop production, especially in arid and semiarid regions in northwestern China. Improving water and N use efficiency is essential to the sustainable intensification of irrigated agriculture, providing both crop production and environmental benefits. Partial rootzone irrigation has emerged as a high-efficiency technology for saving water and increasing N use efficiency. However, there was still potential for greater agronomic and environmental benefits. In a recent article in Agronomy Journal, researchers report that compared with conventional irrigation and fertilizer management, separation of nitrogen and water with alternating furrow irrigation, as an optimized partial rootzone irrigation, increased maize yield, improved water and N use efficiency, effectively reduces soil N leaching, decreases N2O emission, and curtailed soil NH3 loss with appropriate irrigation and N rates. Read the full article.

A new collaboration will harness the collective power of six new and beginning farmer and rancher apprenticeship programs to create a national farm and ranch learning network. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is providing a three-year $600,000 grant to the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University to work with five other groups in creating and coordinating the new network. The need for a network was identified by the AGree Initiative – an eight-year effort to elevate food and agriculture as a national priority. AGree’s Advisors and Co-Chairs convened leaders from across food and agriculture who collectively called for a national network to help diverse farmer and rancher apprenticeship programs develop a more coordinated approach. Read the full article.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an enhanced funding partnership with Israel to better leverage new agricultural research for mutual scientific benefit. The updated agreement is administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD). This new opportunity builds on an existing 2013 NIFA-BARD agreement to promote joint research, which has already resulted in the development of a model wastewater reuse program and analysis of hydrophobic soil in dry climates. Through this agreement, U.S. scientists have two ways to collaborate with Israeli researchers either through new joint research projects or by coupling Israeli scientists' new projects to NIFA projects on the same topic. Read the full article.

Monsanto Co's Climate Corporation is building a network of in-field sensors to expand the scope of soil, weather and other data flowing into its digital agriculture tools that help farmers increase crop yields and reduce costs, the company said on Wednesday. San Francisco-based Climate also said it will open up its software infrastructure to third-party developers, enabling them to create new applications that enhance the data-fueled services it currently offers. Climate announced a deal with a Kansas-based soil sensor company on Wednesday but did not disclose terms. The goal is to build an Amazon.com-like network of agriculture products and services that the company says will speed innovation and bolster the capabilities of its Climate FieldView platform. Read the full article.

Urbanization, agriculture, and clear-cutting of forests can have major negative impacts on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles but reforestation can replenish these nutrients over time. This relationship has been well documented for tropical habitats, but effects on C and N pools remains relatively understudied in deciduous forests. In a recent article in the Soil Science Society of America Journal, researchers selected forested sites in southern Ohio to investigate whether soil organic carbon (SOC) and N pools were affected by land-use history and forest community structure. Aerial images dating back to 1932 were used to reconstruct the history of reforestation with land-use determined from a geographic information system, and tree community structure and soil nutrient levels at different depths were measured in the field. Read the full article.

In the next five years, nearly 58,000 jobs involving food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment will open across the United States annually, according to an employment outlook led by Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many of these jobs won’t find enough graduates to fill the openings. According to the report from Purdue, graduates with degrees in the agriculture industry are expected to fill just about 60 percent of these jobs openings. Employers are expected to fill the remaining jobs with graduates of other areas such as biology or business administration. Read the full article.

In 1996, farmers planted the first commercial biotech crop. The global uptake of plant biotechnology by farmers since has made it the fastest-adopted technology in the history of agriculture. Farmers who have the choice to use the technology have chosen it on an unprecedented level because of its benefits. However, today those farmers are no longer being provided the choice to utilize a broader suite of technologies on more crops in more places from a diverse set of technology providers. The regulatory hurdle is too high and completely disproportional to any risk presented by plant biotechnology. This needs to change if the world’s innovation is to be used by our farming communities for society’s greater good. Read the full article.

Sources: USDA; NSF; FFAR News; AGree News; ScienceInsider; JP Updates; Growing Produce; ABC News Bakersfield; Reuters; The Red & Black; Forbes; Food Business News; The Daily Nation; Stuff

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.

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