Project Grant 20163850425570

The University of Tennessee received a $438,436 project grant award from the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (CFDA 10.156) to conduct consumer research and develop a digital marketing campaign to promote products participating in the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Pick Tennessee Products program. The goal is to help add value to Tennessee's agriculture and forestry industries by providing consumer...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Tennessee $18,875,464.83 under the Smith-Lever Extension Funding program (CFDA 10.511) on October 1, 2025, for cooperative extension programs spanning all 95 counties in Tennessee through September 30, 2030. UT Extension will deliver research-backed and producer-tested education in beef cattle and forage production, crop management, farm business analysis, rural enterprise development, natural...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee Technological University $150,000 under the Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture program (CFDA 10.326) on June 1, 2026. The award funds development of a data-driven decision-support model to optimize nutrient replenishment and discharge management in hydroponic tomato production systems. The project will quantify how production-related variables—including light intensity, vapor...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee State University $599,842 on January 15, 2026, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program (CFDA 10.216) to develop irrigation systems education and water management capacity across Tennessee. The project encompasses six integrated teaching and extension objectives addressing Tennessee's transition from rainfed to irrigated agriculture. Tennessee State University will develop curricula...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee Technological University $300,000 on May 1, 2026, under the Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture program (CFDA 10.326) to develop high-throughput imaging and artificial intelligence tools for measuring corn root systems. The project will modernize root phenotyping by collecting detailed images of field-grown roots and using computer-based analysis to measure root strength,...

The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service awarded the Tennessee Department of Education a $1.13 million Formula Grant under the Farm to School State Formula Grant program (CFDA 10.645) for the period of September 30, 2022 through September 30, 2026. The grant aims to strengthen food and agriculture supply chain resiliency in accordance with section 1001(b)(4) of the American Rescue Plan by increasing the capacity of institutions participating in the Department's farm to school...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee State University $649,957 on January 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) to examine the effects of a multi-species cover crop mix rotation on sweet corn performance metrics in Tennessee. The project investigates how rotating winter wheat, hairy vetch, purple top turnip, annual ryegrass, and red clover as cover crops influences canopy cover, canopy height, canopy...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Tennessee State University $598,950 on January 15, 2026, under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants program (CFDA 10.216) to develop best management practices for field-grown nursery crops. The award funds research and extension activities to optimize micro-irrigation application rates and schedules for nursery crop production, identify optimal rates for organic soil amendments and fertilizers, evaluate the...

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Tennessee $221,925 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on May 1, 2026, to investigate how long-term fertilizer application disrupts the partnership between cotton plants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and hyphosphere bacteria and affects soil health and drought resilience. Research will be conducted at a long-term agricultural experiment in West Tennessee using DNA sequencing,...

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture will receive $735,830.09 through September 2025 under a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. The grant project aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Tennessee through marketing and promotion efforts, research and development assistance, expanded availability and access, and addressing challenges facing specialty crop producers. Benefitting residents statewide, measurable outcomes will be reported as...