Biological research advances American agriculture

Industries large and small utilize research and technology to develop and provide goods and services to society. Now, the U.S. agriculture sector can reap more technological benefits resulting from biological research under the direction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Agriculture research has produced disease testing for livestock, specialty-crop varieties and GPS technology for farm equipment to name a few.

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), sponsored by USDA and created within the 2008 Farm Bill, established a competitive grant program to provide funding for fundamental and applied research, extension and education in food and agricultural sciences with a focus in six development areas. Grants that emphasize sustainable agriculture are preferred.

Priority Issues for Grant Applications

1. Plant health and production and plant products
2. Animal health and production and animal products
3. Food safety, nutrition and health
4. Renewable energy, natural resources and environment
5. Agriculture systems and technology
6. Agriculture economics and rural communities

"By focusing our resources on achievable and measurable outcomes, USDA's investment in science will help address some of America's – and the world's – intractable problems," said USDA chief scientist and director of USDA's Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Robert Beachy.

"Today's announcement demonstrates USDA's commitment to supporting research, education and extension to bring about true change in areas like climate change, obesity and bioenergy."

In addition to the six priority issues for grant funding, the 2008 Farm Bill added conventional (classical) plant breeding, conventional (classical) animal breeding, renewable energy, domestic-marketing strategies and rural entrepreneurship as grant focal points.

There are also five designated primary challenge areas around which AFRI is structuring the grant program.

Challenge Areas

1. Keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger
2. Improve nutrition and end child obesity
3. Improve food safety for all Americans
4. Secure America’s energy future
5. Mitigate and adapt to climate change

Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack allotted $262 million to this effort. State agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, university-research foundations, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, national laboratories, private organizations or corporations and individuals are eligible to apply for grants. Grants are awarded on a 10-year basis and some grants are eligible for renewal upon conclusion of the term.

The benefits of research and technology to society cannot be quantified. The USDA has stepped to the plate to motivate the sustainability, efficiency, profitability and development of one of the nation’s most economically providing sectors.

Do you agree that the selected issues and challenge areas should be addressed, or are there other issues? Should more or less money be awarded for research grants? Do you think the research will result in significant technological gains?

*Photo obtained from http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/anderson_john.jpg

Going green, it’s easier than it looks

Consumers and businesses now have an easier way to “go green." Thanks to the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills, the BioPreferred program was created, which helps to increase the purchase and use of environmentally friendly, biobased products.

Biobased products are commercial or industrial products that are composed mainly of biological resources including agriculturally derived, renewable resources such as corn or soybeans.

Managed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the BioPreferred program includes a preferred-procurement program for federal agencies and their contractors, as well as a voluntary labeling program for the broad-scale consumer marketing of biobased products.

This program designates biobased products that are required for purchase by federal agencies and their contractors. This allows companies to purchase biopreferred versions of the items that they already use. Soon, biobased products that meet the BioPreferred program requirements will be given a label to make it easily identifiable for businesses and consumers to select these items.

There is a software tool available to help federal procurement officers choose what products are both good for the environment and affordable, BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability). The BEES tool used by the USDA also helps biobased manufacturers learn about the impact that their products have on the environment and on their costs.

In an article by CM Magazine, Ron Buckhalt, program manager for BioPreferred discussed the labeling program. He stated that the labeling program would have green-eligible products stamped with an approved USDA label, much like the Energy Star system for electronics. The eligibility hasn’t been determined at this point. Buckhalt said that whatever the product’s bio-component level is it should be the industry standard.

“Companies don’t have the capability to go too high (regarding the product’s bio-component), but we could be looking at 30 percent,” he said.

Each month, BioPreferred features an item to promote. For March, the BioLink™ General Purpose Cleaner is highlighted for being “tough on grime, not the environment.” Working as effective as traditional cleaners, BioLink exchanges alcohol and petroleum-based solvents for non-toxic biobased materials.

There are numerous biobased products, from cleaning supplies to office supplies that consumers and businesses can use to better their environment. For the complete catalog, please visit: http://www.catalog.biopreferred.gov.

Ohio recently became the first and only state to initiate this program.

Recently, Gov. Ted Strickland signed Senate Bill 131, which establishes a bioproducts-preferred purchasing program. Modeled after the federal program, it will allow the state to use considerable purchasing power to support the growth of businesses that create bioproducts, as well as expand the market for other innovative products made from Ohio crops.

S.B. 131 will rely on the federal bioproducts list to determine what products should get preference in Ohio. Several Ohio companies are already developing plastics, paints, polymer foam and other innovative products from corn, soybeans and other renewable materials.

In a recent Marion Star article, Karen Gillmor, R-Tiffin, who sponsored S.B. 131, talked about how this bill would help stimulate investment and jobs, as well as enhance research opportunities at Ohio colleges and universities. This would help Ohio farmers and agriculture production in Ohio.

“Thanks to recent advances in research and technology, acres of soybeans, corn and other agriculture resources growing across Ohio have the tremendous potential to transform our state into a center for bioproducts development in this country, breathe much-needed life into our economy and create a market for good-paying jobs in our local communities,” said Gillmor, who is also a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

What are your thoughts about the BioPreferred program? Should more states be following in Ohio’s footsteps? How can the agriculture industry use this legislation to its advantage?







Double Cropping – Cropping Up This Planting Season

In an age of agricultural innovations, a traditional, tried-and-true farming method holds its own. Double cropping is a widely used polyculture practice among farmers to maximize profit and acreage.

Double cropping can mean double dividends for farmers. To leverage land, farmers practice double cropping – the consecutive production of commodities in the same field within the same year. A renewed interest in a conventional strategy is being witnessed because of America’s healthy commodity-crop market.

“If properly managed, double cropping can allow a grower to produce a second crop with a short turn-around time and minimal inputs compared to the first crop. Double cropping thus allows a grower to increase efficiency by making multiple uses of production inputs,” said George Hochmuth, associate dean for research at the University of Florida.

Planting one crop after directly harvesting another crop has multiple advantages:
• Increased yields: Profits are maximized when producers’ yield for one field is twofold.
• Land-use efficiency: Optimizing field-use demonstrates sustainable agriculture.
• Resistance to erosion: Occupied fields keep soil compact to reduce soil loss and runoff into water systems.
• Resistance to disease/pest cycles: Continually altering crops in a field promotes resistance to crop-specific ailments as lingering crops can develop immunity throughout time.

The name of the game is preparation and management. Many factors complicate the practice. Time management is essential. Growing seasons are limited and farmers need to be cognizant of crop-specific time and weather constraints. Secondly, crops need to be compatible with each other when subsequently planting.

“Double cropping soybeans after wheat becomes quite competitive economically with other cropping practices,” said Dr. Keith Smith, Ohio State University horticulture and crop-science professor, “In fields where soybean diseases are a major problem, double-cropping soybeans will make those problems worse and should not be attempted.”

Problems can also arise with fertilizer and pesticide residue, as well as crop residue such as wheat stubble. If these considerations aren’t accounted for, farmers can lose money and may experience reduced pest and disease management.

Corn, wheat and soybeans are the most common double crop choices in the U.S. The typical pattern is winter wheat following either soybeans or corn, though it is important to note that double cropping isn’t exclusive to grain. Emerging double crops include canola and cotton. Crop selection varies regarding a farm’s climate conditions.

Researchers are experimenting with new double-crop patterns to make the most of time, farmland and producer costs. Double cropping is appearing in new agricultural sectors such as the raspberry and sunflower seed industries. New seed varieties are also being developed that require shorter growing seasons to improve yield potential.

Double cropping is resourceful. It can be economical and ecological for both the agriculture industry and consumers. Farmers across the nation practice double cropping to make the most of their investments in a lean economy, while consumers can rely and feel good about an abundant, dependable, affordable food supply that is created without additional environmental effects.

With planting season on the horizon, farmers will be double cropping to capitalize their time and monetary investments. Double cropping will expand with equipment and biotechnology innovations and demand an even greater presence in the agriculture industry.

What other customary farming techniques are as widely implemented and as effective as double cropping? What crops should researchers experiment with? In what other ways can farmers optimize their land?