Science Policy Report

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05 October 2016

In This Issue:

Policy News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Science News

Policy News

Congress averted a government shutdown Wednesday as the Senate and then the House approved a short-term spending bill, allowing lawmakers to avoid a crisis and return home to campaign. The stopgap spending bill, will fund the government at the current level through Dec. 9. The bill also provides $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus, without the restrictions on Planned Parenthood clinics that foiled earlier negotiations. It also includes funding for military infrastructure, housing and other services. House and Senate leaders from both parties are expressing optimism that Congress will finish up this year's appropriations work in the lame-duck session, and not leave it for the next administration to handle. But whether that's through an omnibus bill or several smaller "mini-bus" packages is less clear. Read the full article.

U.S. Congress this week made a historic move and passed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture — something the seed industry has been advocating for more than a decade. Under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the treaty first entered into force June 29, 2004, with the guidance of a governing body that is comprised of representatives from all contracting parties. It was first signed by President George W. Bush and saw movement a few times through the years, but the treaty never made it through. With its passage, the United States became the 140th county to ratify the treaty. Read the full article.

President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that sets a policy for climate change to be considered "in the development of national security doctrine, policies, and plans."  In addition, it announced the creation of a Climate and National Security Working Group to be led by staff from the White House National Security Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). After the announcement, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) sent a letter to National Security Advisor Susan Rice requesting a briefing on the memorandum directing federal agencies to consider climate change impacts in national security policy. Read the full article.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, rolled out legislation on Monday that would increase assistance for urban farmers. Stabenow said the bill, the Urban Agriculture Act of 2016, would open a number of USDA programs to those involved in urban production agriculture. Specifically, the legislation allows for the development of urban farming cooperatives, increased research funding, and more access to USDA loan and risk management programs for urban farmers. The bill is unlikely to be pushed as standalone legislation, but rather as a potential component to the upcoming farm bill. Read the full article.

In an advertisement that ran in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, 39 CEOs and top executives of American companies argued that federally supported scientific research is, “an investment in our prosperity, security, and well-being.” The ad points out that without federally supported research, we would not have such things as smart phones, the internet, or microprocessors, to name but a few of the examples cited. Some of the companies whose leaders signed the advertisement are members of the Task Force on American Innovation. The Task Force is a coalition of science organizations, American colleges and universities, and high-tech companies, which supports federally-funded scientific research and promote its benefits to America’s economy, security, and quality of life. Read the full article.

The National Institute 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. Interested individuals may register to attend in person or watch a livestream. Read the full announcement.

International Corner

A comprehensive digital map charting soil fertility in Ethiopia is proving an important tool in tackling the country’s low farm productivity, a challenge made more acute by climate change. The nationwide mapping effort was launched by the Ethiopian Soil Information System (EthioSIS) in 2012, and is due to be finished this year. The project in the Horn of Africa nation is already achieving results, with new fertilizer combinations boosting wheat yields from around 1 tonne to 3 tonnes per hectare on more than 40 percent of its agricultural land last year. Read the full article.

Partners of a new UN-led platform to mobilize and accelerate action on climate resilience agreed today to move ahead with plans that will help meet the needs of a growing global population that is being impacted by climate change. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Initiative on Climate Resilience, known as A2R (Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape), was launched by world leaders during the Paris Climate Conference last year. The A2R Leadership Group is charged with implementing the transformational vision embedded in the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals through an unprecedented global multistakeholder partnership. Read the full article.

The latest food safety scandal in China might be its most damaging. Earlier this week, a former doctoral student at one of the country's national testing centers for genetically modified organisms went public with allegations of scientific fraud, including claims that records were doctored extensively, that unqualified personnel were employed under illegal contracts and -- most seriously -- that authorities refused to take action when his concerns were aired privately. On Wednesday, China's Ministry of Agriculture responded to a social media storm by suspending operations at the center. Read the full article.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 ASA, CSSA and SSSA Congressional Science Fellowship. Use your scientific knowledge working for a member of Congress in this year-long Fellowship in Washington, DC. Applicants must have exceptional competence in their field of study, be cognizant of a broad range of matters outside the Fellow’s particular area, and have a strong interest in working on a range of public policy issues. Must be a member of ASA, CSSA and/or SSSA and have completed or are approaching completion of their PhD in agronomy, crop science, soil science or related field. The 2018 Fellowship can begin anytime from September 2017 to January 2018; the exact date is flexible and open to negotiation. Application deadline, January 13, 2017. Learn more and apply here.

The Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) supports genome-scale research in plant genomics that addresses challenging questions of biological importance and of relevance to society. The Program encourages the development of innovative tools, technologies and resources that push the boundaries of research capabilities and permit the community to answer seemingly intractable and pressing questions on a genome-wide scale. Emphasis is placed on the creativity of the approach and the scale and depth of the question being addressed. Data produced by plant genomics should be usable, accessible, integrated across scales and of high impact across biology. Training and career advancement in plant genomics is featured as an essential element of scientific progress. The PGRP continues to focus on plants of economic importance and biological processes and interactions that will have broad impact on the scientific research community and society in general. Four funding opportunities are currently available: 1) Genome-scale plant research and/or tool development to address fundamental biological questions in plants of economic importance on a genome-wide scale; 2) Plant Transformation Challenge Grants to overcome constraints in plant transformation through breakthrough discoveries; 3) Data Mining Challenge Grants to mine, reuse and unleash new information from available large-scale datasets; and 4) Career Advancement to build new careers in plant genomics as early career awards (ECA-PGR) or mid-career awards. Proposals accepted anytime. Read the full announcement.

The mission of the New York Farm Viability Institute is to help New York’s farmers become more profitable and improve the long-term economic viability and sustainability of the state’s farms and food system, and the communities they serve. To that end, NYFVI has issued a Request for Proposals that aims to create knowledge that will quickly and directly benefit farmers through work in one of the organization’s five priority areas: improve operational practices, foster industry-wide innovation, incubate new ideas, improve route to market and market practices, and develop people. Deadline, November 10. Read the full announcement.

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) is pleased to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) for 2018-2019 to support research directed at improving our understanding of the effects of oil on the environment and people of the Gulf of Mexico region. The 2018-2019 GoMRI RFP will focus on the five GoMRI Research Themes as well as a call for scientific synthesis. Proposals may address multiple themes. In addition, this RFP calls for submissions that may include: 1) Continuation of previously designated research themes and topics that have emerged; 2) Data integration from various sources; 3) Scientific synthesis across themes and consortia; and/or 4) Other overarching scientific and technological products exploiting the GoMRI scientific legacy. Letter of intent deadline, November 14. Read the full announcement.

The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas: Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics; Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators; Efforts to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing) New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; and Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production efficiency, handling and processing of specialty crops. Deadline, November 15. Read the full announcement.

Four regional Extension Risk Management Education (RME) centers – North Central, Northeast, Western, and Southern – announced the opening of the application process for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)-backed Risk Management Education project grants. Projects grants are available for any non-profit or extension organization engaged in risk management education and training projects. This competitive grant program in particular emphasizes projects that focus on risk management for beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers, or retiring farmers who are transitioning their farms. All RME Centers have the same application deadline: November 17. Read the full announcement.

Beginning farmer education for adult and young audiences in the United States can be generally traced back to the advent of the 1862 and the 1890 Morrill Land Grant Acts. But for the first time, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, appropriated $75 million for FY 2009 to FY 2012 to develop and offer education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers. The Agriculture Act of 2014 provided an additional $20 million per year for 2014 through 2018. The reasons for the renewed interest in beginning farmer and rancher programs are: the rising average age of U.S. farmers, the 8% projected decrease in the number of farmers and ranchers between 2008 and 2018, and the growing recognition that new programs are needed to address the needs of the next generation of beginning farmers and ranchers. Deadline, December 8. Read the full announcement.

This application is for the Cooperative Weed Management Areas Program Area. The goal of this program area is to detect, prevent, eradicate, and/or control invasive plant species to promote resiliency, watershed stability, and biological diversity on Federal, State, or private land. Deadline, January 6. Read the full announcement.

Science News

Rural areas are net exporters of food, energy, and water. Exported rural products (e.g. livestock, grain, and fuel) from the northern Great Plains are essential, foundational components of countless supply chains. However, rural sustainability thresholds are rife with knowledge gaps. In a recent article published in Agricultural & Environmental Letters, researchers report on regional perspectives from a National Science Foundation workshop on rural food-energy-water nexus and a framework to achieve sustainability. Workshop participants identified critical vulnerabilities and opportunities for sustainability in the northern Great Plains. Read the full article.

DuPont Pioneer and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) have entered into a Master Alliance Agreement to jointly develop improved crops using CRISPR-Cas advanced plant breeding technology for characteristics that address the needs of smallholder farmers around the world. CRISPR-Cas is an efficient and targeted plant breeding method to develop healthy seeds by using the best native characteristics available within a crop. A range of potential product targets are under consideration by the newly formed Pioneer-CIMMYT Steering Committee. The first project will apply CRISPR-Cas to address maize lethal necrosis disease in Sub-Saharan Africa. Read the full article.

In order to supply the food needed for the growing world population in the next decades without additional impact on natural resources, cropping systems must be redesigned. It is well known that uniform within-row plant spacing is a key crop management strategy to obtain high corn (Zea Mays L.) yields. However, at the field scale, uniform plant spacing is not frequently achieved. A new concept of precision planting is emerging based on the use of modern devices on planters that can overcome uneven plant space distribution across the field. In the September–October issue of Agronomy Journal, researchers show that in order to achieve a high level of corn yields, a new high standard of uniform-row plant spacing is required. Read the full article.

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) opened the Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program, making available up to $150,000 in matching funds per one-year grant to combat new or emerging pest and pathogen outbreaks that threaten the U.S. food and agriculture systems. FFAR designed the ROAR program to accelerate initial research and outreach response to potential emergencies by pre-establishing teams of experts, agreements, and funding sources. Research funded through ROAR will enhance the nation’s capacity to mitigate, contain and prevent outbreaks by reviewing and responding to emergency grant proposals within one week of submission, and rapidly issuing research and outreach funds to serve as a bridge to traditional funding sources. ROAR is structured around commodity consortia. Participating groups will enter into an agreement with FFAR to facilitate rapid proposal review and response in the event of a pest or pathogen outbreak affecting the commodities of interest to the particular consortium. Read the full article.

For all the international furor over genetically modified food, or GMOs, the biotech industry has really only managed to put a few foreign genes into food crops. The first of these genes — actually, a small family of similar genes — came from a kind of bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Those genes make plants poisonous to certain insect pests. These genes are a pillar of the entire industry. But that pillar is wobbling. Three of the four Bt genes that are supposed to fend off one particularly important pest, the corn rootworm, are showing signs of failure. Corn rootworms have evolved resistance to them. But the biotech companies say not to worry. More genes are on the way. This week, a team of scientists from DuPont Pioneer announced in the journal Science that they'd discovered a new rootworm-killing gene. Read the full article.

Although the Obama administration recently announced it will officially sign the climate change agreement forged in Paris nearly a year ago, making good on the deal’s promise to stem greenhouse gases could be a stretch, a new study concludes. Even if the United States implements all current and proposed policies, it would miss its 2025 target by as much as 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year—roughly 20% of the nation’s total emissions, according to the analysis published today in Nature Climate Change. The 2025 target is to cut greenhouse gases 26% to 28% below 2005 levels—down to between 4.5 billion and 5.5 billion metric tons. Read the full article.

Wetlands are recognized as an important source of biodiversity, recreation, and ecosystem services. The protection and delineation of wetlands, which encompass hydric soils, wetland hydrology, and hydrophytic vegetation, is not only ecologically important, but is also mandated by federal law. Requirements for the identification of hydric soils mainly involve observable features generated a result of oxidation-reduction reactions. In a recent issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal, researchers demonstrated the observation of SO42– reduction as black staining of FeS on Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS) panels is a viable method for determining hydric soil status and ultimately performing wetland identification and delineations. Read the full article.

A report examining the many ways climate change threatens coffee and coffee farmers has alarmed people who are now imagining what it would be like getting through the day without their caffeine fix. The report, released this month by the Climate Institute, a nonprofit organization in Australia, was commissioned by Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand, the regional hub of the global Fairtrade system. Though it contains little new research, it has made waves by collating an array of available literature indicating that climate change will have a stark effect on the world’s coffee supply. Read the full article.

Sources: USDA; NSF; FFAR; ScienceInsider; The New York Times; KTIC radio; Agri-Pulse; Scientific American; Annenberg Public Policy Center; CIMMYT; NPR; Reuters; FAO; Bloomberg; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Blog;

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.