Federal Grant Award Summary

Indiana University received a $737,740 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), awarded March 1, 2026, with completion targeted for February 28, 2030. The research project will investigate soil animal communities—including insects, mites, springtails, and earthworms—and their relationship to soil health and agricultural productivity across the U.S. Midwest.

The project will deliver practical soil health assessment tools by conducting comparative studies of crop and rangeland management practices at long-term research sites in North Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, and Ohio, combined with controlled experiments manipulating soil animal communities to measure impacts on key soil outcomes. The research team will integrate findings into soil health frameworks used by farmers, advisors, and federal agencies, producing actionable soil life indicators that enable better evaluation of whether farming practices—including regenerative approaches—are genuinely improving soil health. The anticipated outcomes include improved decision-making tools for sustainable agricultural intensification while delivering co-benefits such as enhanced water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resilience in rural economies.