By Brooke Keltner
Two Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate students received nearly $40,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture to support their research projects, surrounding the benefits of malting barley in double-crop soybean systems and efforts to utilize fertilizers more efficiently for winter wheat.
Moein Javid and Sowmya Koduru were selected as Illinois recipients of 2026 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grants. Since 1988, only 204 projects in Illinois have received SARE funding. The program’s goal is to bring new, sustainable ideas to farms and ranches across the country.
Kristina Boone, dean of the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences, is proud to see Javid and Koduru recognized for their research and receive additional funding to help continue their work.
“Putting together a competitive proposal is a great experience and gives them a leg up as they continue their careers,” Boone said. “I also appreciate how hard our faculty work to mentor them in this process. We really are working to develop the next generation of scientists and industry leaders.”
Experimenting with malting barley
Javid, who is pursuing a doctorate in agricultural sciences, is looking into whether winter malting barley could be a more profitable and sustainable alternative to winter wheat in double-crop soybean systems.
Source : siu.edu/