The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) has awarded a $650,000 project grant to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to conduct multi-year trials on 12 cover crop species integrated with corn production. The research aims to gain an improved understanding of the variation in root traits across diverse cover crop species and their influence on soil and cash crops. The project will leverage advanced root phenomics, sensing technologies, and...
This $294,000 federal Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program aims to enhance the sustainability of cotton production. The project will investigate the impact of cover crops on the soil microbiome and their subsequent effects on cotton plant development. Through field experiments and analysis of soil and plant samples, the project will measure the abundance and functionality of microbial...
This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) (CFDA 10.310) totaling $749,045 is designed to comprehensively assess the long-term (10-15 year) impacts of early- and late-terminated cover crops on soil organic carbon pools and soil health indicators within the soil profile to at least 1 meter depth. The project will leverage two existing 10-year experiments in...
This $10 million project grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA #10.310) will support the development of a cover crop seed industry through research, education, and outreach activities led by the University of Missouri from April 2023 through March 2028. Key deliverables include expanding breeding efforts to develop new cover crop varieties adapted to different regions; establishing...
The Ohio State University will receive $749,939 under a three-year Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study cover crops in the Western Lake Erie Basin through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program. The University will identify management practices and biophysical conditions impacting cover crop biomass production and soil health, quantify within-field variability in cover crops...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) awarded a $299,999 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to Tennessee State University Research And Sponsored Programs Division. The grant will fund a 2-year research project to investigate how different cover crop functional types (grass vs. legume) impact soil health through their effects on biomass partitioning, root architecture, and litter chemical...
The University of Nebraska was awarded a $300,000 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) federal grant program. The three-year grant will fund research and extension activities to evaluate the impact of interseeded cover crops on nitrogen dynamics and cycling in corn and soybean cropping systems in Nebraska. Specifically, the university will investigate how cover crops...
This Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides $749,999 to Michigan State University under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program. The grant funds research to improve understanding of soil organic carbon gains through cover cropping. Specifically, the grantee will examine micro-scale soil characteristics and processes at two long-term research sites with demonstrated soil organic carbon...
The University of Florida (UF) Division of Sponsored Research was awarded a $749,353 Project Grant under the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310). The 4-year project aims to determine how combinations of cover crops, compost, and fumigation can alter the soil environment to improve the sustainability and resiliency of high-intensity specialty crop production systems in sub-tropical climates. The project will involve testing...
Purdue University was awarded a $328,345.00 Cooperative Agreement by the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research (CFDA 10.001) program. The award is to UNITE the REGIONAL COVER CROP COUNCILS to BUILD NATIONAL COVER CROP DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS. The project period runs from May 1, 2023 to Jun 13, 2027. As the prime recipient, Purdue University will leverage its expertise in agricultural research, extension, and outreach...
The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded The Johns Hopkins University a three-year, $649,999 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program (AFRI, CFDA No. 10.310). The grant will fund research into the persistence of environmentally friendly agricultural practices by producers after initial adoption, using cover cropping as a case study.
The research team will develop quantitative and qualitative datasets and methods to analyze patterns and drivers of post-adoption persistence of cover cropping at a national scale. This will extend the literature on adoption of cover crops. Specifically, the researchers aim to assess the degree to which producers continue using cover crops after adopting them and understand factors affecting continued use. Under the grant, Purdue University will receive a subaward to conduct and analyze in-depth interviews of producers to provide qualitative insights into persistence. Findings are intended to inform the design of sustainable agriculture programs and cost-benefit analyses of investments in those programs.