Science Policy Report

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31 May 2017

In This Issue:

Policy News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Science News

Policy News

President Donald Trump sent his first full budget request to Congress on May 23. The $4.1 trillion package calls for an increase to defense spending of $22 billion and a $57 billion cut to nondefense spending, which includes most research funding programs, like those within the USDA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy - Office of Science. It is important to remember however, the President’s budget reflects the administration’s priorities, not necessarily the priorities of Congress. 150 scientific organizations, including ASA, CSSA and SSSA, sent to a letter to House and Senate leadership opposing the cuts to federal research programs and urging Congress to prioritize these programs during the FY 2018 appropriations process. See more budget details here.

ASA, CSSA and SSSA oppose cuts to vital federal research programs like those within the USDA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy - Office of Science. Cuts to these programs will dramatically undermine U.S. scientists and engineers’ ability to find solutions to our nation’s most pressing challenges. Over the next several months, members of Congress will work together to develop the appropriations bills that will set federal spending for the upcoming fiscal year 2018. During this time is it critical that Congress hears about the importance of federal research programs from constituents like you. Email your members of Congress and urge them to support federal research programs in the FY 2018 appropriations process. Click here to email your members of Congress.

With the 2014 Farm Bill set to expire next year, stakeholder groups, like ASA, CSSA and SSSA, are working to develop their recommendations to put forward to Congress. During this time, it is critical that our Societies engage in the Farm Bill discussion and make sure that Congress is aware of the effects Farm Bill programs have on the scientific community. We are calling on Society members to help develop policy and research recommendations. The survey will assess how our members currently use Farm Bill programs to advance their research goals. The results of the survey will be used by the Farm Bill Task Force and the Science Policy staff to shape our Farm Bill recommendations. Submission deadline, is May 31. Learn more and take the survey here.

More than 50 universities and higher education and scientific societies, including ASA, CSSA and SSSA, signed on to a letter to President Trump urging him to fill key roles in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The letter asks the Trump administration to nominate a Director and fill other top roles “quickly” and with “highly-qualified individuals.” Read the letter here.

Newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, announced a reorganization within USDA that includes the creation of an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. In the 2014 Farm Bill, Congress directed the USDA to restructure its approach to international trade and create this undersecretary position. Also as part of a reorganization of USDA, Perdue also announced the creation of a newly-named Farm Production and Conservation mission area to have a customer focus and meet USDA constituents in the field. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be moved into this new mission area. The reorganization does not appear to impact the Research, Education and Economics mission area. The changes are illustrated in this graphic from the USDA report to Congress on the reorganization. Read the full article.

President Trump is expected to nominate Sam Clovis as the USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, a position that in the recent past has also served as USDA Chief Scientist. The position of Chief Scientist was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, and the individual is to be chosen “from among distinguished scientists with specialized or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics.” Clovis, who reportedly holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration, currently serves as the senior White House advisor for USDA. If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Clovis would oversee four key research units of the USDA: the intramural Agricultural Research Service, the extramural National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Economic Research Service, and the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Read the full article.

Dozens of scientific and academic groups, including ASA, CSSA and SSSA, are raising concerns and urging the State Department to provide additional details about a proposed rule that would subject tens of thousands of visa applicants deemed to warrant more stringent scrutiny to additional vetting procedures. In a letter to the State Department and the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, the organizations cautioned that the rule would blunt scientific and academic collaborations, discourage foreign students from seeking to study and participate in research projects in the United States, prompt “existing and potential partners and students” to choose to engage with other countries and damage U.S. competitiveness. Scientific collaborations, including research and academic exchanges, conferences and meetings put on by professional academic and scientific societies are vital to the nation’s academic institutions, innovation and economic growth, the letter said. Read the full article.

Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) introduced a bill that would more than double federal funding for USDA's Organic Research and Extension Initiative, bumping the authorization from $20 million to $50 million annually. The Organic Agriculture Research Act comes amid concerns from the organic industry that more research is needed to better contend with pest control and soil-health issues — which, if addressed, could encourage more farmers to transition to organic production. Read the full article.

Conservatives are slowly coming around on climate change. Over the past few years, more than a half-dozen organizations have popped up pushing conservative climate-change and clean-energy policies, and the percentage of congressional Republicans going on the record acknowledging climate is a problem has gone from zero to 8%, as judged by a House caucus on the issue. Since 2010, climate change has been an issue unilaterally pushed by the Democratic Party, but for any climate and energy policy to pass Congress, it must also get support from within the GOP ranks. The changes among Republicans are small, but represent a sea change from a few years ago when under pressure from conservative interest groups and tea-party activism, most Republicans denied the scientific consensus that human activity is driving up the Earth's temperature. Read the full article.

Democratic leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee sent a letter to Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), raising concerns about the recent dismissal of nine members of the EPA's Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) and requesting additional information on the dismissal. The BOSC was established to provide the EPA with a panel of unbiased experts to evaluate the agency's R&D work, and whose members represented a balanced set of views and expertise. The letter communicates fears that the scientific credibility of the BOSC will be diluted by partisan motivations and issue-specific industry advocates. Read the full article.

International Corner

Amidst acrimonious debate over the safety of genetically modified (GM) food crops, India’s top biotechnology regulator last week declared a transgenic mustard plant “safe for consumption.” Moving the plant into farmers’ fields is now a political decision in the hands of India’s environment minister, who may wait until the Supreme Court of India resolves several long-pending related cases. The GM mustard has been under development for almost a decade. A report assessing the plant’s risks was released a year ago, drawing some 700 comments that were reviewed by the Ministry of Environment’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The report concluded the mustard was safe and nutritious. Read the full article.

Until recently, China and India have been cast as obstacles, at the very least reluctant conscripts, in the battle against climate change. That reputation looks very much out-of-date now that both countries have greatly accelerated their investments in cost-effective renewable energy sources — and reduced their reliance on fossil fuels. According to research released last week at a United Nations climate meeting in Germany, China and India should easily exceed the targets they set for themselves in the 2015 Paris Agreement signed by more than 190 countries. China’s emissions of carbon dioxide appear to have peaked more than 10 years sooner than its government had said they would. And India is now expected to obtain 40 percent of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2022, eight years ahead of schedule. Read the full article.

The French scientific community is breathing a deep sigh of relief after Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the national presidential election over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. But although most scientists felt that Le Pen’s National Front party represented a threat to tolerance, openness, and evidence, many remain unconvinced that Macron’s policies will benefit research. Neither Macron nor Le Pen offered detailed plans on science, but scientists were appalled by Le Pen’s proposals to curb immigration and take France out of the European Union. Read the full article.

It was designed as an impregnable deep-freeze to protect the world’s most precious seeds from any global disaster and ensure humanity’s food supply forever. But the Global Seed Vault, buried in a mountain deep inside the Arctic circle, has been breached after global warming produced extraordinary temperatures over the winter, sending meltwater gushing into the entrance tunnel. The vault is on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen and contains almost a million packets of seeds, each a variety of an important food crop. When it was opened in 2008, the deep permafrost through which the vault was sunk was expected to provide “failsafe” protection against “the challenge of natural or man-made disasters.” Read the full article.

Some academic fields in the United Kingdom will have major funding holes to fill once the country leaves the European Union, according to new research commissioned by four U.K. academies. The Academy of Medical Sciences, the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society commissioned the Technopolis Group, an independent policy research organization, to find out in detail just how reliant U.K. science is on European funding. The €1.1 billion per year that U.K. research now gets from Europe is, the report found, spread across all academic disciplines it analyzed but some fields will have a tougher time than others finding alternative sources. Read the full article.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

The Soil Heath Institute released a Call for Applications to fund up to five grants at a maximum of $8,000 each to support preparation of literature searches and summaries of soil health and its relationship to land management practices, ecosystem processes and services including agricultural production, human health, associated economic costs and benefits, and other relevant topics. Products expected from successful grantees include a list of publications and other sources (reliable reports, websites, databases, etc.) on the chosen topic; a brief summary of each source reviewed; and a review paper synthesizing this information. References, summaries, and the review paper will be deposited in the Landscape tool on-line library for free public access. Deadline, June 23. 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.

California – Deadline, June 7

Oregon Forest Stand Resiliency – Deadline, July 7

The purpose of the grant program is to provide funds for pilot projects that: (1) Address emerging forest and rangeland resource issues, (2) Have national or regional relevancy, or (3) Develop new and innovative projects that can be replicated at other institutions. Deadline, July 10. Read the full announcement.

In order to maintain, strengthen and grow a national innovation ecosystem, NSF has established the Innovation Corps - National Innovation Network Teams Program (I-Corps Teams). The NSF I-Corps Teams Program purpose is to identify NSF-funded researchers who will receive additional support in the form of entrepreneurial education, mentoring and funding to accelerate innovation that can attract subsequent third-party funding. The purpose of the NSF I-Corps Teams grant is to give the project team access to resources to help determine the readiness to transition technology developed by previously-funded or currently funded NSF projects. The outcomes of I-Corps Teams projects will be threefold: 1) a clear go /or no go decision regarding viability of products and services, 2) should the decision be to move the effort forward, a transition plan for those projects to move forward, and 3) a definition of a compelling technology demonstration for potential partners. Proposals accepted at any time. Read the full announcement.

Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) Institutions may use the funds: (a) to successfully compete for funds from Federal grants and other sources to carry out educational, research, and outreach activities that address priority concerns of national, regional, State, and local interest; (b) to disseminate information relating to priority concerns to interested members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities, the public, and any other interested entity; (c) to encourage members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities to participate in priority education, research, and outreach activities by providing matching funding to leverage grant funds; and (d) through: (1) the purchase or other acquisition of equipment and other infrastructure (not including alteration, repair, renovation, or construction of buildings); (2) the professional growth and development of the faculty of the NLGCA Institution; and (3) the development of graduate assistantships. Deadline, September 15. Read the full announcement.

The National Science Foundation is accepting grant funding applications for its Environmental Engineering program that support transformative research which applies scientific and engineering principles to avoid or minimize solid, liquid, and gaseous discharges, resulting from human activities on land, inland and coastal waters, and air, while promoting resource and energy conservation and recovery. The program also fosters cutting-edge scientific research for identifying, evaluating, and monitoring the waste assimilative capacity of the natural environment and for removing or reducing contaminants from polluted air, water, and soils. Any proposal investigating sensors, materials or devices that does not integrate these products with an environmental engineering activity or area of research may be returned without review. Deadline, September 18. Read the full announcement.

Science News

Deep space exploration will require collaboration from across many disciplines. Data from the Curiosity Rover showed that Martian soils at Gale Crater had poorly crystalline phases. The crystallinity of soils indicates structure, and some soils on Earth have similar properties. On Earth, soils with poorly crystalline phases are found in climates that have monsoon seasons, are above the snowline, or are at sites where glacial weathering is occurring. For soil scientists using Earth soils as an analog for Mars, studying processes on Earth today is a way to develop hypotheses for what conditions were like on Mars in the past. In this case, these poorly crystalline phases indicate not just the presence of water on Mars, but how that water was likely moving through the soil. Read the full article.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sought nominations for scientific leaders across various disciplines to be part of an activity that will develop a compelling strategy for food and agricultural research for the next decade and beyond. The study committee will offer a strategic and ambitious view of the opportunities for fundamental and applied interdisciplinary research that is both grounded by a deep scientific understanding of food and agricultural challenges and elevated by the breakthrough potential of insights and tools from newly converging disciplines in the food and agriculture setting. The committee members can be found here and include ASA, CSSA and SSSA member, Raj Khosla of Colorado State.

The Soil Health Institute (SHI) unveiled “Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life, An Action Plan for Soil Health.” The nationwide plan evolved after four years of stakeholder input, beginning with the Soil Renaissance in 2013. Agricultural industry thought leaders, farmers, ranchers, scientists, government agency leaders, and non-governmental organizations provided input into the plan, which will be used to drive advancements in soil health. The plan focuses on action-based priorities, including: drought mitigation, saving and improving soil, environmental protection, increased yields, enable field decisions and dissemination accurate, science-based information. Read the full article.

By 2050, we will need to feed 2 billion more people on less land. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide levels are predicted to hit 600 parts per million—a 150% increase over today's levels—and 2050 temperatures are expected to frequently match the top 5% hottest days from 1950-1979. In a three-year field study, researchers proved engineered soybeans yield more than conventional soybeans in 2050's predicted climatic conditions. Published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, this study found the modified crop yielded more when subjected to both increased temperature and carbon dioxide levels; however, they found little to no difference between the modified and unmodified crops grown in either increased temperature, increased carbon dioxide, or today's climate conditions. Read the full article.

When we think of climate change solutions, what typically comes to mind is the transportation we use, the lights in our home, the buildings we power and the food we eat. Rarely do we think about the ground beneath our feet. Researchers at UC Davis are advocating for greater awareness of soil’s ability to sequester carbon and act as a defense against climate change. Soil can potentially store between 1.5 and 5.5 billion tons of carbon a year globally. That’s equivalent to between 5 and 20 billion tons of carbon dioxide. While significant, it’s still just a fraction of the carbon emitted, making it just one of many solutions needed to confront climate change. Read the full article.

Because organic crop producers generally do not utilize herbicides, they have historically had limited access to conservation tillage practices that help retain soil organic carbon. Although no-till is possible in organic production when cover crop residue is used to provide weed control, this method is still in its infancy and has not been tested in many environments. In the March-April issue of Agronomy Journal, researchers report on a multi-year study testing organic no-till in the claypan soils of the central Midwest, which are characterized by very slow permeability, restricted root penetration, and low natural fertility. The team found that achieving cover crop biomass sufficient for weed suppression was a challenge if soil fertility levels do not support maximum cover crop growth. Read the full article.

While many important efforts are being undertaken to address the vast array of problems that comprise food and nutrition insecurity, a truly comprehensive, holistic approach that fully engages arguably the world’s greatest scientific and educational resource in food and nutrition security – public research universities – has been lacking until now. The Challenge of Change Commission, which the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities convened with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, began with the understanding that public research universities – with their broad academic, research, and community expertise and experience – were uniquely positioned to address the complex and diverse challenges of food and nutrition insecurity. In the report, APLU points to the 2018 farm bill as an "opportunity to expand the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitments to global food security and expand the department’s partnership with U.S. universities" in order to meet food security needs. Read the full article.

In San Joaquin Valley, California, researchers are investigating the benefits of using machines to manage growth and production of wine grape vines. Kaan Kurtural, a University of California Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist, reports mechanized practices account for about 45 percent of the pre-pruning and 17 percent of the precision pruning done in valley vineyards, while 45 percent of the leaf removal work and 7 percent of shoot thinning is done mechanically. The study identifies ways to reduce costs in wine grape production in a region that sees relatively small profit margins. The research trial, which ran from 2013 through 2015, was conducted in an 80-acre section of a commercial Zinfandel vineyard in Kern County. Read the full article.

The hope is that genetic alterations could help rice and other crops survive devastating droughts, preventing food shortages in some of the poorest parts of the world. Ronald, a trim scientist with short brown hair, smiles as she looks down at the early results. Pamela Ronald of the University of California, Davis, has spent the last three decades working to make rice, a food staple for more than half of the world's population, more resistant to environmental stress. Climate change ratchets up the frequency and intensity of droughts across large swaths of the Earth, threatening the food security and stability of entire nations. The number of extreme droughts could double by the end of the century, devastating fields and farmers across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Read the full article.

Understanding the fate of nitrogen applied to soil is vitally important if we are to improve its agronomic use efficiency and reduce its negative effects on the environment.  Very few studies have successfully used natural abundance isotope techniques to follow nitrogen transformations in agroecosystems. In the March-April issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, researchers report on a year-long study using stable isotope ratios to obtain a comprehensive nitrogen biogeochemical dataset before, during and after dairy manure application to soil, and combined this with continuous nitrous oxide emissions. Read the full article.

In the summer of 2010, Los Angeles lost about 100 gallons of water per person per day to the atmosphere through evaporation, mostly from overwatering of lawns and trees. Lawns accounted for 70 percent of the water loss, while trees accounted for 30 percent, according to a study published today in the journal Water Resources Research. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and conducted by Diane Pataki and Elizaveta Litvak of the University of Utah. The results, based on measurements taken before Los Angeles mandated watering restrictions in 2014, show a pattern of systemic overwatering of the city's lawns, and a surprising water efficiency of its tree cover. The researchers also found a correlation between water loss and household income. Read the full article.

The Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application is now accepting nominations.

This award will recognize exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under 40 who has clearly demonstrated intellectual courage, stamina, and determination in the fight to eliminate global hunger and poverty. Nominations are due June 30. To learn more about the nomination process or to nominate a deserving individual see here.

Sediment is the number one pollutant in U.S. waterways. Over grazing can increase soil erosion from pastures as well as sediment loading into aquatic systems. Grazing management and buffer strips may reduce erosion, however, few studies evaluating these practices have been reported. In the March- April issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, researchers report on the results of a 12 year study using 15 small watersheds near Booneville, Arkansas where the effects of five treatments were evaluated. The five treatments were hayed, continuously grazed, rotationally grazed, rotationally grazed with an unfertilized buffer strip, and rotationally grazed with a fenced riparian buffer. Read the full article.

Sources: USDA; NIFA; NSF; NAS; APLU; AAAS; ScienceInsider; ProPublica; Axios; New York Times; Physics.org; Soil Health Institute; Washington Post; Western Farm Progress; The World Food Prize; Technology Review; The Guardian;

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.