Science Policy Report

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17 November 2020

In This Issue:

Policy News

Science and Society News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Policy News

Most U.S. researchers and environmental activists were ecstatic when Joe Biden emerged as the winner of the U.S. presidential election. They expect him to reverse a host of Trump administration policies they oppose and push for new steps to fight climate change. But when Biden is sworn in on 20 January 2021, his ability to advance an ambitious agenda will be constrained by his likely status as the first president in more than 30 years to take office without his party controlling both chambers of Congress. Republicans are favored to preserve their majority in the Senate by winning at least one of the two runoff contests in Georgia, and Democrats will have a narrower majority in the new House of Representatives than during the previous 2 years. Read the full article.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations released all twelve of its Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) funding measures and the FY21 subcommittee allocations anticipation of completing FY21 appropriations during the lame duck Congress. Overall, funding levels are in line with expectations with most agencies seeing incremental increases. A result of nearly flat top line nondefense spending for FY21 compared to FY20. House and Senate negotiators will now try and hammer out the differences. See the full funding details here.

As the Biden-Harris transition pushes forward, without cooperation from the defeated incumbent, speculation is swirling over future leadership of the US Department of Agriculture, which executes food and farm policy. Sonny Perdue, the USDA secretary under President Donald Trump, made headlines during his tenure for showering cash on large-scale commodity farmers—disproportionately in his home state of Georgia—to buffer them from his boss’ trade wars; and for publicly pining to cut wages for migrant farm workers. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for the next USDA chief will signal a lot about the kind of administration he seeks to run. Read the full article.

Progressives within agriculture are mounting an aggressive push to keep former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp from being selected to serve as Agriculture Secretary in a Biden administration. The tension is emerging right as Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) has begun publicly gunning for the top job at USDA, a sprawling $150 billion department that feeds millions of low-income households, oversees agriculture policy and supports the farm economy. Read the full article.

Millions of American students lack reliable internet access. Some are learning in parking lots connected to Wi-Fi buses or crashing with relatives to get online. Read the full article.

Public funding of agricultural research is widely accepted as a cornerstone of US agricultural abundance. Etched on this cornerstone is the objective, “Grow 2 blades of grass where 1 grew before.” Rarely is public policy so successful: corn yield has quintupled from 30 to 178 bushels per acre over the last 100 years.  Higher yields however have lost public policy favor.  Public funding of US agricultural research has declined in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2005, with actual dollar declines in recent years (Clancy, Fuglie, and Heisey).  Agriculture’s 21st Century research issue is use of farmland, not higher yields; with a reimagined objective of “Grow 2 crops per acre where 1 grew before.” Read the full article.

Science and Society News

The ASF-IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Agricultural Sciences) Fund seeks to collaborate and amplify funding with allied partners, with the purpose of maximizing the global impacts of  the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), and Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in agricultural and environmental science communities.  It will support additional programs and collaborations that promote and improve access to higher education and professional opportunities in agricultural and environmental sciences for under-represented communities. Read the full story.

As a benefit of ASA, CSSA, SSSA membership, connect by visiting the Member Directories found online. Search by name, scientific communities and divisions, location, and more. Search the directories.

A Soil Science Society of America webinar series produced in partnership with The Soil Health Institute and sponsored by The Walton Family Foundation. Measuring and assessing soil health are critical for understanding how changes in agronomic management practices affect the capability of soil to support cropping systems. In this presentation, the Soil Health Institute will focus on explaining measurements of the soil microbiome. Understanding the soil microbiome is a new frontier, yet critical to successful regenerative agriculture and sustainable crop production. Insights and examples from the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements will be shared to provide contextual understanding of each measurement. Free to all registrants. Register now!   

NASA has sent a lot of strange stuff into space. It sent gold-plated music albums and photos on the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes. It sent pieces of Kitty Hawk, the legendary Wright brothers’ airplane, on Apollo 11. It sent a cargo tag, dug up at the historic Jamestown Settlement, on a space shuttle. And last month, it used a rocket to send dirt. Well, soil actually. Read the full story.

Complementing the National Academies consensus study "Advancing a Systems Approach to Studying the Earth: A Strategy for the National Science Foundation," this workshop on Nov 20 at 11 am ET will bring together experts working at the intersection of engineering and earth systems science to share successful strategies and to identify important considerations for bridging these increasingly-connected fields. The study will develop a compelling vision for a systems approach to studying the Earth and identify facilities, infrastructure, coordinating mechanisms, computing, and workforce development needed to support that vision. All major components of the Earth system will be considered, as will their interactions and feedbacks through time. With input from virtual and in-person workshops and lessons learned from previous and current approaches to integrated research at NSF, the committee also will provide advice on how NSF can support the research community in meeting the vision and identifying overarching capabilities needed to support a systems approach to studying the Earth. Read more.

A free, new online tool called the Cover Crop Analyzer helps farmers across Illinois predict how much nitrogen loss they might prevent using a cover crop such as cereal rye—and also assess field conditions to manage covers alongside cash crops such as corn and soybeans. Read the full story.

International Corner

Coffee plants were supposed to be safe on this side of the Atlantic. But the fungus found them. In the southern corner of Guatemala, outside the tiny mountain town of San Pedro Yepocapa, Elmer Gabriel’s coffee plants ought to be leafed-out and gleaming. It is a week before Christmas, the heart of the coffee-harvesting season, and if his bushes were healthy, they would look like holiday trees hung with ornaments, studded with bright-red coffee cherries. But in a long row that stretches down the side of his steeply sloped field, the plants are twiggy and withered. Most of their leaves are gone, and the ones that remain are drab olive and curling at the edges. There are yellow spots, brown in the center, on the leaves’ upper surfaces. On the underside they are pebbly and coated with a fine orange dust. Read the full story.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

The Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Education Grant Program is designed to support the advancement of environmental literacy and ensure that every student in Maryland graduates with the knowledge, skills, and appreciation for nature needed to take responsible actions to protect and restore their local environment. The trust is inviting applications on two tracks: Track 1 Single-Year Requests — Grants will be awarded in support of single-year proposals for a grant period running from March 2021 through August 2022 in the areas of: a) environmental literacy programs (up to $40,000), b) environmental literacy planning (up to $40,000), or c) outdoor classrooms (up to $20,000). Track 2 Multi-Year Requests — Applicants may request up to $40,000 a year for three years (a maximum of $120,000 for 2021-24) for projects that focus on the establishment or enhancement of a systemic MWEE program that will be embedded into the curriculum of a targeted grade or course at all schools across a school district. Applicants can submit two- or three-year requests, but all applicants submitting a proposal for a multiyear request must talk with trust staff prior to formulating proposals. The trust has made $300,000 available for the program. Although a match is not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to leverage trust support with cash and an in-kind match. Deadline: December 10. Read the full announcement.

Established in 1997, the Temper of The Times Foundation was created to promote the use of standard marketing concepts for increasing awareness about wildland conservation and restoration initiatives. The foundation will award grants of between $5,000 and $15,000 to help underwrite the costs of advertising that will lead to measurable outcomes for wildland ecosystem conservation and restoration in the United States. Grants may be used to fund the production of print, radio, or television ads, to pay for advertising space or airtime, or to produce or distribute pamphlets, books, videos, or press packets. Because grants are for wildland ecosystem advertising campaigns, rather than general organizational support, they may not be used to cover costs associated with the production of organization newsletters, membership campaigns, or for staff salaries. In addition, the foundation cannot fund lobbying efforts or candidates for political office. Deadline: December 15. Read the full announcement.

The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is seeking to fund environmental research and development proposals. SERDP is DoD’s environmental science and technology program, planned and executed in partnership with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, with participation by numerous other Federal and non-Federal organizations. The Program invests across the broad spectrum of basic and applied research, as well as advanced development. Proposals responding to focused Statements of Need (SONs) in the following areas are requested: Environmental Restoration — Research and technologies for the characterization, risk assessment, remediation, and management of contaminants in soil, sediments, and water. Munitions Response — Technologies for the detection, classification, and remediation of military munitions on U.S. lands and waters. Resource Conservation and Resiliency — Supports the development of the science, technologies, and methods needed to manage DoD’s installation infrastructure in a sustainable way. Weapons Systems and Platforms — Research and technologies to reduce, control, and understand the sources of waste and emissions in the manufacturing, maintenance, and use of weapons systems and platforms. Pre-proposals due January 7, 2021. Read the full announcement.

The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high quality organic agricultural products. Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. The OREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information. Projects should plan to deliver applied production information to producers. Fieldwork must be done on certified organic land or on land in transition to organic certification, as appropriate to project goals and objectives. Deadline: January 14, 2021. Read the full announcement.

The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program focuses on the stewardship and restoration of coastal, wetland and riparian ecosystems across the country. Its goal is to meet the conservation needs of important species and habitats, providing measurable and meaningful conservation and educational outcomes. The program requires the establishment and/or enhancement of diverse partnerships and an education/outreach component that will help shape and sustain behavior to achieve conservation goals. Funding priorities for this program include: On-the-ground wetland, riparian, in-stream and/or coastal habitat restoration; Meaningful education and training activities, either through community outreach, participation and/or integration with K-12 environmental curriculum; Measurable ecological, educational and community benefits; and Partnerships - Five Star projects should engage a diverse group of community partners to achieve ecological and educational outcomes. Deadline: January 20, 2021. Read the full announcement.

AgriCorps is excited to introduce the new home for the next class of Fellows, the International Agriculture Education Fellowship Program (IAEFP), hosted by the Borlaug Institute at Texas A&M. Building on the work of five classes of AgriCorps Fellows, AgriCorps is partnering with the Borlaug Institute to support the IAEFP and continue our mission of advancing school-based agriculture education in Ghana. The IAEFP will recruit, train and support nine Fellows to become agriculture teachers and 4-H advisors during the 2021-22 Ghanaian school year. Deadline: February 1, 2021. Read the full announcement.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has grant funding for energy efficiency and pollution prevention projects for small business owners and farmers available through the Small Business Advantage Grant program. Pennsylvania farmers and other small business owners with 100 or fewer full-time employees are eligible for the grants. Projects must save the business a minimum of $500 and 25 percent annually in energy consumption or pollution related expenses. Natural resource protection projects are exempt from the minimums; however, the projects must be able to quantify sediment and nutrient reductions into nearby waterways. Businesses can apply for 50% matching funds for equipment or materials, up to $7,000, when adopting energy-efficient or pollution prevention equipment or processes. Applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be accepted until fiscal year 2020-21 funds are exhausted, or April 12, 2021, whichever occurs first. Read the full announcement.

Applications to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) RFA must focus on approaches that promote transformational changes in the U.S. food and agriculture system. NIFA seeks creative and visionary applications that take a systems approach, and that will significantly improve the supply of abundant, affordable, safe, nutritious, and accessible food, while providing sustainable opportunities for expansion of the bioeconomy through novel animal, crop, and forest products and supporting technologies. These approaches must demonstrate current and future social, behavioral, economic, health, and environmental impacts. Additionally, the outcomes of the work being proposed must result in societal benefits, including promotion of rural prosperity and enhancement of quality of life for those involved in food and agricultural value chains from production to utilization and consumption. Deadline: July 1, 2021. Read the full announcement.

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program is a voluntary, incentive-based program that provides direct technical assistance and financial assistance in the form of cooperative and grant agreements to private landowners to restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat for the benefit of federal trust resources. The PFW Program is delivered through more than 250 full-time staff, active in all 50 States and territories. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program staff coordinate with project partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation priorities within these focus areas. Geographic focus areas define where the program directs resources to conserve habitat for federal trust species. Project work plans are developed strategically, in coordination with partners, and with substantial involvement from Service field staff. To receive funding, PFW projects must be implemented on private lands, with the exception for efforts that support projects on private lands. Applicants seeking technical or financial assistance from the PFW Program are requested to consult with the Regional PFW Program office BEFORE developing or submitting an application. Deadline: September 30, 2021. Read the full announcement.

Sources: Mother Jones, Politico, farmdocDaily, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Academies, AgWeb Daily, The Atlantic

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.