Money will be used to increase food security through livestock health
By Diego Flammini, Farms.com
Three research grants equalling upwards of $3 million were awarded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
The grants are designed to increase food security by trying to minimize livestock losses due to insects and disease.
"These grants will allow scientists to discover the new tools and technologies necessary to deal with the threats insects and pathogens pose to livestock production in our nation, which ultimately benefit consumers through abundant, affordable food." said Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA director in a release.
The grants were awarded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Institute’s Food Security Challenge area – which aims to increase sustainable food production. Research projects that focused on early detection, diagnosis and recovery were given a leg up on the competition.
The recipients of the grants are:
Mississippi State University
It willreceive $47,764 to make a portable computer and communication center that can be used to train veterinary and graduate students, practicing veterinarians and other stakeholders to use various types of data to protect livestock from pests and disease.
Ohio State University
With its $1,460,000 they will develop knowledge-based integrated systems to help detect, control and prevent respiratory diseases in poultry through tools, vaccines and other methods.
University of Vermont
It will receive $1,480,000 to try and reduce the impact of new and emerging foreign pests and diseases and prevent them from infecting domestic cattle, swine and other animals.
Join the conversation and tell us your thoughts on these new research initiatives and their grants. What other projects would you like to see the USDA tackle in the future?
The research grants are aimed at protecting livestock.