USDA working together with Ireland and Northern Ireland on agricultural research

Nov 30, 2015

Three nations will work to solve global ag issues

The United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland will pool together physical and financial resources to maximize research efforts to help find solutions for agriculture-related issues facing the globe.

“This international partnership offers exciting opportunities to take on issues that must be addressed if we are to meet food security and safety challenges both now and in the future,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Ann Bartuska. “Collaboration among the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland spans many decades, and we enthusiastically welcome this new endeavor.”

There are four areas that will receive the most attention in 2016, including understanding plant associated microorganisms and plant-microbe interactions, plant-associated insects and nematodes, animal health and disease, and animal nutrition, growth and lactation.

American funding will be distributed through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, organized by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Other funding will come from the Republic of Ireland Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The U.S.-Ireland Research & Development Partnership launched in 2006 to encourage the three nations to collaborate in six areas, including agriculture. Since its inception, the partnership has used nearly $50 million to invest in 27 projects.

Join the discussion and tell us your thoughts about the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland working together to research solutions for global ag-related issues.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.