New federal agriculture branch could increase college research funds

A federal agriculture agency is getting a makeover, and faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are excited about the new look.

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a branch of the Department of Agriculture that aims to coordinate and increase federal research and extension efforts.

Entities that have preceded NIFA, including the group that it replaced, dealt too much money to states and local groups rather than to universities, critics have said.

But in introducing NIFA, which officially launched Oct. 1, Vilsack said, "We will be rebuilding our competitive grants program from the ground up to generate real results for the American people." Public colleges now expect to be the destinations for lucrative grants that have bypassed them in the past.

The possibility of bringing home more competitive grants excites Andrea Cupp, an associate professor in UNL's animal science department who studies fertility in cattle.

"I think we need to start thinking more about getting our research dollars where they need to be for us to continue to be a leading country," Cupp said, adding that getting more money to college labs is a good start. She said she plans to submit two grant proposals next year, and she hopes NIFA's research focus will help them secure funding.

At its core, NIFA's mission is to boost the profile of agricultural research and bag more money from Congress to support it. Making the name recognizable, like the National Institutes of Health, will certainly help, Cupp said.

"I totally understand why they're changing the name, and it's not for (researchers') benefit," she said. "It's more for people who don't understand what that institute does. If we can get a better spin on it, and get people looking at it with different eyes, it's worth a shot."

Congress approved the institute's $1.3 billion budget in early October. The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, which represents more than 200 institutions including UNL, estimates about $250 million of that will reach college labs. Before  NIFA, between $120 million and $160 million went to universities, according to the association.

Last year, UNL reeled in $3.7 million in competitive grants from the USDA. That tally will probably be beat in the coming year if NIFA accomplishes what it says it will, two UNL administrators said. But by how much isn't yet clear.

"UNL scientists will be increasingly competitive for those funds," said David Jackson, associate dean of UNL's agricultural research division. "There's a larger pot of money to go after on one end, and then on the other end, we're making a concerted effort to have our faculty put in more applications."

Because of Nebraska's strengths in NIFA's priority areas, UNL will be a likely destination for a cut of the institute's money, said Susan Fritz, interim dean of the ag research division.

Secretary Vilsack said NIFA's focus is on ending world hunger through the use of stress-resistant crops, combating childhood obesity and improving food safety and biofuels.

"These are all areas we're poised to make a difference in," Fritz said.

teresalostroh@dailynebraskan.com