Several factors have disrupted agricultural markets in 2019

To showcase the vast research taking place at the Agricultural Research Center, there will be numerous Field Days during the next several months. Upcoming Field Days include:

• Fisher Delta Research Center – August 30 – A Full Slate
• Forage Systems Research Center – September 10 – Highlighting Beef Cattle and Forages
• Southwest Research Center – September 12 – An Opportunity to Connect with Experts

Photo slideshows from recent Field Days:

• Hundley-Whaley Research Center
• Graves-Chapple Research Center
• Greenley Research Center
• HARC Tomato Day

Sarah Lovell joins CAFNR as H.E. Garrett Endowed Chair Professor and director of the Center for Agroforestry

NSF recently blogged regarding guidance for budget justifications. They suggest that investigators ask themselves if their budget justifications are answering these questions:

• Why are these requested funds needed?
• How does each item in the budget help meet the proposed deliverables?
• How were these requested funds estimated?

The main advice they offer:

• Use the same section headers as the budget pages format and in the same order
• For personnel, show the amounts you are requesting and how you calculated those
• Follow the guidelines carefully to determine what goes in “Participant Support Costs” and what goes in “Other Direct Costs”

Read the blog for more info.

Since the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is busy with their move to Kansas City, Mo., they released the following information for the next year:

• The likelihood of delays in the release of funds is real. A continuing resolution or a government shutdown will likely cause further delays in the release of NIFA funds.
• Do not try to arrange visits for faculty with NIFA in Washington, D.C., or Kansas City for the next year.
• Do not expect that NIFA will be able to participate in multi-state committee meetings (in person or by remote connection).
• When NIFA administrators are present at regional or national meetings, take advantage of the opportunity to engage with them as their schedule allows.
• If NIFA administrators will be present at a regional or national meeting, contact them in advance of the meeting and communicate your interest in scheduling a meeting with them to discuss a specific topic.
• Faculty, if you have not yet served on a NIFA review panel, you are encouraged to contact the Program Leaders to volunteer to serve on a panel and send a copy of your CV.
• Read and follow directions in RFAs and requests for additional award documents before contacting NIFA with questions.
• If a no-cost time extension is needed, do not wait until the deadline is near to contact NIFA. If allowed, you can request these up to six months before the award termination date.

NIFA Hiring Plan:

• NIFA employees have until Sept. 27 to decide if they will move to KC.
• The NIFA website will be updated sometime after Sept. 27 with a list of NIFA employees who will be staying with NIFA.
• NIFA is encouraging people to apply for open positions. Several Program Leaders will be hired from one position description. A broad range of qualified individuals should apply for these positions.
• NIFA will release position announcements for several Division Directors and Deputy Directors after the National Program Leaders positions are filled.
• There may be opportunities for land-grant university faculty or administrators to take sabbaticals from their institutions to serve in temporary positions at NIFA (similar to NSF Program Officers who are rotators).
• Additional opportunities for student internships may also be available at NIFA.

CAFNR faculty members have received the following recent grants (listed by Principal Investigator):

Sybill Amelon, Integrating Bat Physiological Responses and Population Status into Assessments of Forest Management Activities and Landscape, 5/1/2018 – 6/30/2020, $150,705, Missouri Department of Conservation

Alba Argerich, Range of Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations Across Least-Disturbed Warm Water Headwater Streams in the Central Plains Aquatic Subregion in Missouri, 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2020, $1,450, Missouri Department of Conservation

Michael Chapman, Adeno-Associated Virus Gene Therapy Vectors: Molecular Interactions on Cell Entry, 8/1/2018 – 7/31/2020, $740,965, NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences

William Folk, Strengthening Middle School Science and Health Education by Linking Grade Level Inquiry and Reading of Complex Texts, 9/1/2017 – 8/31/2020, $257,218, NIH Office of the Director

Benjamin Knapp, Evaluating Factors Affecting Regeneration Challenges of Upland Oak Species (Quercus spp.) in Mid-Missouri, 8/15/2019 – 5/31/2023, $57,000, Forest Service

Misha Kwasniewski, Getting to The Roots Of Adaptation: Genomic Variation, Phenotypic Plasticity, and Root-Shoot Interaction in Grapevines, 9/1/2016 – 8/31/2021, $155,989, St. Louis University

Robert Myers, Education and Training Events for Missouri Farmers and Farm Advisors on Cover Crops and Soil Health, 8/8/2019 – 9/30/2021, $88,857, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Randall Prather, Immunodeficient FAH -/- Pigs, 6/1/2019 – 5/31/2020, $45,431, Mayo Clinic

Randall Prather, National Swine Resource and Research Center 1, 8/1/2019 – 7/31/2020, $1,445,966, NIH Office of the Director

Randall Prather, Origins of Cystic Fibrosis Airway Disease, 9/5/2018 – 6/30/2020, $146,743, University of Iowa

Andrew Scaboo, HOLLplus, 12/1/2016 – 5/30/2020, $77,800, Agricultural Research Service

Kenneth Schneeberger, CFPFY19 Brazil Biofuel Policy@MU, 8/12/2019 – 2/14/2020, $75,576, Foreign Agriculture Service

William Stevens, Improving Efficiency of Water and Nitrogen Applications in Furrow Irrigated Rice, 8/8/2019 – 9/30/2021, $13,600, U.S. Department of Agriculture

William Stevens, Improving Irrigation Practices, Irrigated Crop Production, and Water Quality in Southeast Missouri, 9/29/2015 – 9/28/2020, $154,316, Agricultural Research Service

Jinglu Tan, Acquisition of Goods and Services – CSWQ FY20, 4/1/2019 – 3/31/2020, $22,000, Agricultural Research Service

Allen Thompson, Migration of the Terrace Location (TERLOC) Web-Based Terrace Planning Tool, 8/13/2019 – 6/30/2020, $3,737, U.S. Department of Agriculture

William Wiebold, Grape and Wine Institute FY20, 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2020, $943,793, Missouri Department of Agriculture

Xi Xiong, Monsanto Service Order #117, 7/15/2019 – 6/30/2020, $32,868, Monsanto

Shuqun Zhang, A Plant MAPK Cascade in Effector-Triggered Immunity: Role of Chloroplast-Originated Reactive Oxygen Species, 8/1/2019 – 7/31/2020, $340,000, NSF Division of Integrative Organismal Systems

Provided by the MU Office of Research

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The photo featured in the header shows the first ever Science Night at Jefferson Farm and Garden. The event was held Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Research Center in Columbia and drew a good crowd. The evening focused on numerous weather topics and included live KOMU weather broadcasts, a weather balloon launch and a round-table discussion with CAFNR’s atmospheric science faculty members and KOMU chief meteorologist, Kenton Gewecke, a graduate of the program. The next Science Night will focus on plant genetics, and will be held Thursday, Sept. 19.