USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced more than $5 million in grants to cut agricultural atmospheric emissions and develop new mitigation strategies.
“Agricultural producers need the most effective practices and technologies to prevent or mitigate greenhouse gases or other contributors to climate change,” says Roger Beachy, USDA chief scientist and NIFA director. “This research will build effective mitigation strategies and help farmers and foresters learn and adopt best management practices that reduce agricultural emissions.”
Funding for the grants is provided through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Air Quality program, which supports research, education and extension projects to boost the effectiveness and productivity of U.S. air quality research. Goal of the projects is to provide research-based information on air quality issues to develop effective mitigation strategies and best management practices to preserve the nation’s natural resources and environment.
Among projects funded in fiscal year 2009 is one that will develop a novel method for greenhouse gas measurement from farms, and three projects that develop tools and models to better predict emissions and dispersion of particulate matter from animal production facilities and learn more about factors governing emissions to help identify points of mitigation.
Grants are being awarded to California State University at Fresno ($597,990), Colorado State University at Fort Collins ($400,000), Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge ($595,995), University of Minnesota at Minneapolis ($597,806), University of Minnesota at Minneapolis ($399,273), Clarkson University at Potsdam, NY ($400,000), Ohio State University at Columbus ($399,961), South Dakota State University at Brookings ($599,966), West Texas A&M University at Canyon ($113,724), Tech Texas University at Lubbock ($597,321) and Utah State University at Logan ($599,879).
For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.