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USDA invests in sustainable ag through systems research

 

USDA’s new Sustainable Agriculture Systems program will expand large-scale sustainable research and education projects.

“They’re going to take an integrated approach on how we can improve agriculture productivity all in the context of improving soil and water health productivity, and sustaining the profitability of producers and rural communities.”

USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky says the department is currently investing $80 million in the program through the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. It will expand on USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary.

Examples of current projects include abrasive weeding by the University of Illinois which uses air-propelled grit to kill weed seedlings within crop rows; a collaborative effort between American, Mexican and German universities, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, to develop a hybrid wheat germplasm; as well as research at South Dakota State University which is using genetics to fight Fusarium head blight in wheat.