Hatch capacity grant funds are used to conduct research across disciplines in agriculture, food, animal and human healthto advance P roduction and provide an adequate and nutritious food supply and…

Hatch capacity grant funds are used to conduct research across disciplines in agriculture, food, animal and human healthto advance P roduction and provide an adequate and nutritious food supply and optimize the social fabric of families andcommunities. Continuing demographic changes, globalization and technological innovations create ongoingopportunities and challenges toward achieving socially beneficial, economically successful, and environmentally soundsystems for food, feed, fiber, fuel, and other value?added products. Iowa state university (ISU) has identified six long?term critical issues that our research projects are designed to address. Food production and agricultural systems: isuscientists are developing new approaches and improving current strategies that mitigate pest and weed damage toagronomic products, create disease and climate?resistant crops, enhance food?animal production efficiencies, reducebioproduct waste streams from agricultural production, and predict weather and environmental changes. Studyinganimal health and welfare will improve animal life quality, and investigating environmental influences on animalproductivity will improve the physiological regulation of reproductive efficiency in domestic animals. Natural resourcesand environmental stewardship: ISU researchers are developing tools and strategies that conserve natural resourcesand protect the environment, and identifying factors associated with disease that will enhance the management andconservation of wildlife populations and protect human health. Soil fertility research is being conducted to understandunderlying processes that influence soil acidification, crop phosphorus and potassium needs and uptake, impacts ofharvest and recycling to the soil, and transport of soil components off field, as well as efficient methods of nutrient oramendments application. Health, nutrition, and well?being: ISU researchers are studying ways to improve humanhealth through informing consumers about nutrition and lifestyle approaches, and development of a food system that iscost?efficient and nutrient rich. Scientists are conducting studies to identify new targets that could strengthen theimmune system to prevent infectious diseases to improve well?being of animals, prevent zoonotic diseases that impacthumans and reduce the chances of future disease outbreaks. Other W ORK is identifying novel genes important for immune function to advance genetic selection of domesticated animals with desirable traits. Human potential andyouth development, and community and economic development: ISU scientists are working to enhance therecruitment and retention of students into agricultural fields to ensure a sustainable workforce. Projects focus onfamilies and community resilience and sustainability, and optimizing quality of life across the lifespan. Transformativetechnology: ISU researchers are developing machine systems to sustainably intensify agricultural production to meetglobal food demand. Overall, the research will improve the management and sustainability of agrarian and intensivelymanaged landscapes and contribute to broader socially relevant outcomes that include increased economiccompetitiveness of the US agricultural enterprise. Target audiences and outcomes: these projects are of high value to awide range of audiences. Information from this research is widely disseminated through many outlets. Our goal is tobuild the capacity of ISU's research programs to meet the demands of agriculture while ensuring quality of life forcitizens, building productive communities, protecting natural resources and the environment, applying technologyappropriately and effectively, and generating new knowledge. ISU researchers strive to optimize the use of capacityfunds through their research by addressing relevant and critical issues for our state, our nation and the world