Project Grant NR210211XXXXG001

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $650,000 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program to Boise State University to develop a Farmland Protection Planning framework and handbook for the Snake River Plain region of Idaho. The four-year project grant, beginning May 1, 2022, will fund efforts to map ecosystem services, identify priority farmland areas for protection based on productivity and climate resilience...

This $293,829 federal Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program will fund research to develop a system for documenting fire behavior in cultivated croplands. The goal is to identify which crops could be intentionally planted around homes and communities as both food and firebreaks to mitigate wildfire risks in rural agricultural areas. The research team, led by the University of...

This $304,465.20 Cooperative Agreement from the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Good Neighbor Authority program supports Custer County, Idaho in completing weed treatment, assessment, and inventory on BLM-managed public lands. The project aims to protect native plant populations, reduce wildfire risk, and enhance carbon sequestration by targeting invasive species like yellow starthistle, medusahead, and Eurasian watermilfoil through an integrated pest management approach involving chemical,...

The Bannock County Fuels Reduction Project is a $250,000 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management under the Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program. The purpose of this project is to work with Bannock County, Idaho to complete hazardous fuels reduction treatments on 550 acres of both private and federal land identified as high-risk areas in the local Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Key activities include administration, mapping,...

This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the Bureau of Land Management's Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program, will fund the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to improve upland vegetation communities degraded by invasive plants. The $495,740 award, effective from September 9, 2024 to September 8, 2029, will cover the costs of a helicopter for aerial herbicide and seeding treatments across affected acreage. Project personnel will also conduct post-treatment assessments to evaluate...

This Project Grant award from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) Competitive Grants Program (CFDA 10.329) provides $324,892 to Oregon State University to conduct research on the performance, safety, and economic sustainability of using electric weed control (EWC) as an herbicide resistance management strategy in hazelnut orchards. The key objectives are to: (I) develop weed-specific recommendations for...

This $150,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the Bureau of Land Management's Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program will enable Owyhee County, Idaho to implement a variety of wildfire mitigation and adaptation activities in a high-risk watershed area. The project objectives include reducing hazardous fuels through adaptive fuels reduction, enhancing citizen awareness and action through public outreach, and implementing these efforts through seasonal staffing. Key deliverables will...

The National Science Foundation awarded Harvest Moon Automation Inc. a $250,665 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084). The grant funds the development of a precision weeder extraction tool that will remove weeds from agricultural fields without using herbicides or soil tillage. Advances in machine vision have enabled identification of individual crop and weed plants in a field. However, existing automated weeders still rely on herbicides or...

Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc. was awarded a $274,927 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program to develop a novel natural herbicide platform for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds. Through this award, Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions will conduct greenhouse validation testing of natural plant extract formulations to identify effective and environmentally-safe herbicide treatments for inhibiting or preventing the growth of...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Idaho Department of Agriculture a $121,006.67 Project Grant under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608) on June 20, 2024. The grant will support the "Invasive Species Clean Drain Dry Media Campaign Project" to implement outreach initiatives outlined in the 2007 Idaho Aquatic Nuisance Species Plan. The project activities will involve coordinating with a statewide media contractor to update and...