Science Policy Report

Address all comments to the Science Policy Office at:
[email protected]

24 February 2016

In This Issue:

Policy News

International Corner

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

Science News

Policy News

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has unveiled legislation to pre-empt states from issuing their own mandatory labeling laws for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients. The draft bill, which the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Committee will markup Thursday, requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered, or GMO, foods. In a statement, Roberts, who serves as the committee chair, said his legislation is a framework to help find a solution to a patchwork of labeling laws. The legislation is similar to the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 that passed the House in June, outraging consumer groups lobbying for mandatory labeling laws. Read the full article.

As the FY2017 appropriations season is in full swing, scientific societies and other research organizations have been writing to Congress outlining their funding requests for federal research programs. In addition to our own letters, ASA, CSSA and SSSS have signed onto multiple coalition letters supporting several food, agriculture and natural resources research programs. The Supporters of Agriculture Research (SoAR) and the AFRI Coalition have both submitted letters requesting $700 million for AFRI in FY2017. The Energy Sciences Coalition has also submitted a letter requesting $5.7 billion for the Department of Energy, Office of Science. 

Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote due to inaction over the water crisis in Flint, MI last week as the Senate continued its consideration of S. 2012 , the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015. The energy bill would provide strong authorization levels for energy research at the DOE Office of Science (SC) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). It also covers issues much broader than just research and development, dealing with everything from energy infrastructure to regulatory policies. If passed, the bill would then need to be reconciled with a separate bill—which covers many, but not all of the same issues—that passed the House last year. Leaders of the bipartisan effort on the underlying bill are continuing to work with Senators from Michigan and elsewhere to find a compromise that would allow the legislation to proceed to a final vote. Read the full article.

President Obama called the Supreme Court's decision to delay implementation of his administration's Clean Power Plan "unusual" and expressed confidence that the White House would prevail. The plan, the backbone of Obama’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions pledged at COP21, was designed to lower carbon emissions from power plants by 2030 to 32% below 2005 levels. The Supreme Court ordered a delay in implementation until legal challenges to the regulation are completed. Read the full article.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and US Dept. of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) recently announced a joint $50 million funding opportunity for research as part of the new agency-wide initiative called, Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS). Last fall, the three Society Presidents issued a call to the membership for white papers to inform the NSF INFEWS program leaders of areas for future funding opportunities important to our sciences. We received more than a dozen white papers that can be viewed on our online database here. The papers were reviewed and organized into an executive summary which was sent to the INFEWS program leaders last week. Read the summary here.

The Soil Health Institute (SHI) announced that it has selected one of the nation's top agriculture leaders to be the organization's first ever president and chief executive officer. Wayne Honeycutt, Deputy Chief for Science and Technology for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS), has accepted the president and CEO position. Honeycutt brings more than 30 years of experience, an extensive personal network and in-depth knowledge. Read the full article.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA has issued a notice regarding its approach to the environmental impact statements prepared when regulating the introduction of genetically engineered organisms that may present a plant pest risk. The notice identifies several alternatives and requests public comment on these and on potential issues to be considered in environmental impact statements. Comments are due by March 7, but the Crops Science Society, along with several other organizations, will be requesting a submission extension. See the request here.

More than 1,000 scientists from nonprofit, corporate, academic, and private institutions say public doubts about genetically modified food crops are hindering the next Green Revolution. In a letter published in the journal Science, six researchers from three institutions explain their recent petition in support of science-based criteria in guiding the safe and effective employment of genetic modification (GM) technology. Read the full article.

International Corner

Children in Africa and parts of Asia are falling victim to an “invisible” epidemic—fungal toxins in food that can stunt their growth and delay their development, according to a new report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The two main toxins—aflatoxin and fumonisin—are present in dangerously high levels in groundnuts, cassava, and corn, which make up the bulk of children’s diets from Benin to Kenya. The toxins have long been known to cause liver cancer and, in high enough concentrations, death. But this is the first time that they have been shown by multiple studies to contribute significantly to childhood development. Read the full article.

ChemChina's purchase of Syngenta (SYNN.VX) could remove some of the suspicion around genetically modified crops and ultimately lead to more rapid user acceptance of biotechnology in food production in China, Syngenta's Chief Operating Officer Davor Pisk told Reuters. The $43 billion all-cash deal unveiled last week is the largest foreign acquisition ever by a Chinese firm, and marks a massive upgrade to China's crop production potential. The deal would also give Swiss-based Syngenta unrivalled access to China's massive, yet fragmented and underdeveloped, crop market. China is the world's largest grain producer, and is a major grower of vegetables, oilseeds, cotton and sugar. Read the full article.

Massimo Inguscio will take over from engineer Luigi Nicolais as president of Italy’s largest research organization, the National Research Council (CNR). Inguscio, a well-known optical physicist at the University of Florence, has experience leading smaller research bodies, most recently Italy’s National Institute of Metrological Research, but heading the multidisciplinary CNR will be a step up. He will have an annual budget of about €1 billion and more than 8000 employees in his charge, many of whom are unhappy at being continually handed short-term contracts. Read the full article.

After Venezuela’s lawmakers declared a ‘food emergency’ in the face of widespread shortages of milk, meat, bread and other staples, President Nicolás Maduro is calling on Venezuelans to help feed themselves—by starting urban gardens. President Maduro is urging people to grow food and raise chickens in their homes, even though 83% of Venezuelans live in cities. To help them, Maduro announced the formation of a Ministry of Urban Farming. The president also claims that he and first lady Cilia Flores have taken up the cause. Read the full article.

Research, Education, Extension Funding Opportunities

The 1890 CBG is intended to strengthen teaching, research and extension programs in the food and agricultural sciences by building the institutional capacities of the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, and Tuskegee University. The CBG program supports projects that strengthen teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences in the need areas of curriculum design and materials development, faculty development, and others. CBG supports projects that strengthen research and extension programs in need areas of studies and experimentation, extension program development support systems, and others. The CBG also support integrated project grants. The intent of this initiative is to increase and strengthen food and agriculture sciences at the 1890s through integration of education, research and extension. Applications submitted to CBG must address at least one of the following NIFA strategic goals: sustainable bioenergy; food security; childhood obesity prevention; climate change; or food safety. Deadline, March 31. Read the full announcement.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) describes two distinct funding opportunities for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Phase II. The purpose of an Initial Phase II grant is to perform the research and development (R&D) required to meet the DOE objectives stated in the topic and subtopic of the Phase I FOA (DE-FOA-0001227). In addition, it is intended that the small business grantee would be in a position to pursue commercial applications of the R&D at the end of Phase II. In many cases, Phase II results in a prototype, product, or a working process that can be demonstrated to a potential investor or customer (either in the private sector or in the Federal government, including the DOE). Deadline, April 5. Read the full announcement.

The purpose of this program is strengthen the capacity of Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas to carry out resident instruction, curriculum, and teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences through distance education technology. The Distance Education Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas (DEG) is a NIFA-administered competitive grants program focused on improving formal, postsecondary agricultural sciences education. Deadline, April 7. Read the full announcement.

The purpose of this program is to promote and strengthen the ability of Insular Area Institutions to carry out teaching and education programs within a broadly defined arena of food and agricultural sciences-related disciplines. By strengthening institutional educational capacities in instruction and curriculum, and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning, NIFA intends that this program will help Insular Area Institutions meet their unique needs. Deadline, April 7. Read the full announcement.

The Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive (SACC) Grants Program will support the development of canola as a viable supplemental and alternative crop in the United States. The goal of the SACC program is to significantly increase crop production and/or acreage by developing and testing of superior germplasm, improving methods of planting, cultivation, and harvesting, and transferring new knowledge to producers (via Extension) as soon as practicable. Extension, education, and communication activities related to the research areas above must be addressed in the proposal. Deadline, April 11. Read the full announcement.

The purpose of this grant program is to support potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) research programs that focus on varietal development and testing and potato varieties for commercial production. As used herein, varietal development and testing is research using conventional breeding and/or biotechnological genetics to develop improved potato varieties. Aspects of evaluation, screening and testing must support variety development. Deadline, April 13. Read the full announcement.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announces a notice of availability of funds for financial assistance addressing the development of flexible biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can be modified to produce advanced fuels and/or products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. The intent of this FOA, therefore, is to identify R&D projects that develop biomass to hydrocarbon biofuels conversion pathways that can produce variable amounts of fuels and products based on external factors, such as market demand. These pathways could consist of a route to a platform chemical that could be converted to products or fuels or a route that coproduces chemicals and fuels. Successful applications will include a clear justification for producing the target molecule(s) from biomass, a compelling narrative explaining how the target product(s) will enable biofuels, and supporting techno-economic analysis and life cycle analysis. Deadline, April 15. Read the full announcement.

Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields. NSF INCLUDES supports efforts to develop talent from all sectors of society to build the STEM workforce. The initiative aims to improve the preparation, increase the participation, and ensure the contributions of individuals from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved in the STEM enterprise, including women, members of racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, and persons with low socio-economic status. The objective is to develop networks that involve representative organizations and consortia from different sectors that are committed to a common agenda to solve a specific STEM inclusion problem at scale. The long-term goal of NSF INCLUDES is to support, over the next ten years, innovative models, networks, partnerships, and research that enable the U.S. science and engineering workforce to thrive by ensuring that women, blacks, Hispanics, and people with disabilities are represented in percentages comparable to their representation in the U.S. population. Preliminary proposal deadline, April 15. Read the full announcement.

EPA is seeking grant funding applications for collaborative, community-based research that will examine how communities can integrate ecosystem services with human health and well-being to inform their decision making and management practices. It should also develop information that allows communities to integrate environmental, societal and economic information and to better manage multiple stressors and their cumulative impacts on humans and ecosystems. The ultimate goal is to help communities achieve their own objectives. Ecosystem goods and services are defined by EPA as the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from nature — clean air and water, fertile soil for crop production, pollination, and flood control. Eligible applicants include public and private nonprofit institutions/organizations located in the U.S., State, Local, and Tribal governments. Deadline, April 22. Read the full announcement.

Projects supported by the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program will: (1) address a State, regional, national, or international educational need; (2) involve a creative or non-traditional approach toward addressing that need that can serve as a model to others; (3) encourage and facilitate better working relationships in the university science and education community, as well as between universities and the private sector, to enhance program quality and supplement available resources; and (4) result in benefits that will likely transcend the project duration and USDA support. Deadline, April 22. Read the full announcement.

This request is part of the overall plan to support the development of environmentally and economically sustainable ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes aquaculture. Topical priorities for this FY 2016 competition are, briefly: a) Research to inform pending, regulatory decisions regarding aquaculture on the local, state, or federal level leading to an information product--such as a tool, technology, template, or model--needed to make final decisions on a specific question; b) Research that supports the introduction, and/or increase in production of new and emerging species of aquaculture interest; c) Research that supports continued seafood safety and product quality; and d) Social and/or economic research targeted to understand aquaculture issues in a larger context. Applicants must describe how their proposed work will rapidly and significantly advance U.S. aquaculture development in the short term (1-2 years after project completion).This Federal Funding Opportunity includes information on application and criteria for aquaculture research proposals requesting a maximum of $300,000 in total federal funding for up to a two-year period. Matching funds are required. Deadline, May 12. Read the full announcement.

Science News

Greg McPherson is quick to disclose that he really likes trees. But asked to explain why and the U.S. Forest Service researcher grasps for the right words. While McPherson may struggle to convey his appreciation for trees in words, he is a foremost expert at expressing their value in numbers. In fact, the urban forester was quantifying the economic and ecological benefits of trees in cities decades before the term “ecosystem service” was in vogue. Starting with Chicago’s landmark urban forestry study, the Chicago Urban Forest Climate Project, in the 1990s, McPherson has helped dozens of communities to inventory their trees, model ecosystem services like carbon storage, and convert the benefits into dollar and cents. Read the full article.

Improved agricultural water management could halve the global food gap by 2050 and buffer some of the harmful climate change effects on crop yields. For the first time, scientists investigated systematically the worldwide potential to produce more food with the same amount of water by optimizing rain use and irrigation. They found the potential has previously been underestimated. Investing in crop water management could substantially reduce hunger while at the same time making up for population growth. However, putting the findings into practice would require specific local solutions, which remains a challenge. Read the full article.

Cover crops are coming back. The practice of seeding fields between harvests not only keeps topsoil in place, it also adds carbon to the soil and helps the beneficial microbes, fungus, bacteria and worms in it thrive. These properties have led philanthropies like the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to underwrite research on cover crops, while Monsanto, together with the Walton Family Foundation, recently put up the money to support the Soil Health Partnership, a five-year project of the National Corn Growers Association to identify, test and measure the impact of cover cropping and other practices to improve soil health. Read the full article.

What do cucumbers, mustard, almonds and alfalfa have in common? On the surface very little. But there is one thing they share: they all owe their existence to the service of bees. For centuries, this tiny striped helper has labored the world’s fields without winning much recognition for its many contributions to food production. Wild bees, in particular, seemed doomed to slog in the shadow of their more popular cousin – the honeybee – whose day job of producing golden nectar has been far more visible and celebrated. Read the full article.

Einkorn, emmer, and spelt are Old World, hulled wheats that were among the first domesticated crops. Emmer was the main cereal crop in Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs, for example, while spelt was a major cereal of the Alemannians in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between the 12th and 19th centuries. Although einkorn, emmer, and spelt were eventually replaced by higher yielding bread and durum wheats, they are now attracting renewed interest as food grains. As reported in the January-February 2016 issue of Crop Science, scientists in Germany performed a large field trial to deliver the key facts about hulled wheats to farmers, millers, and bakers. Read the full article.

A study of eight high-priority watersheds in Iowa found little increase in acres devoted to two key farm conservation practices over a three-year period, indicating taxpayers are getting minimal additional environmental benefits despite millions of dollars spent. The Environmental Working Group's report, being released Sunday, comes as Iowa lawmakers are expected to weigh proposals this year that would ramp up financing for farm conservation practices to help clean the state's rivers, lakes and streams — including a $4.7 billion plan from Gov. Terry Branstad. Read the full article.

Investments in agriculture technology startups surged to a record $4.6 billion in 2015 despite a steep drop in U.S. farm income and slumping profit at farm-affiliated companies such as machinery producers and seed makers, according to a new study. The investments were nearly double the $2.36 billion seeded by venture capitalists and others in 2014, according to the annual report from online food and agriculture investment platform AgFunder. The jump came as net U.S. farm income is projected to drop for a third straight year and as industry stalwarts such as equipment maker Deere & Co and seed and agrochemicals company Monsanto Co face slumping sales and job cuts. Read the full article.

Fresh water on Earth is scarce and getting scarcer – we know that. In 2015 the World Economic Forum ranked "water crises" as the top risk facing the planet. But authors of a recent report published Friday in the journal Science Advances say previous studies have underestimated the severity of water scarcity around the world. Instead of impacting around two billion people as researchers previously suggested, it’s more along the lines of four billion, say Dr. Mesfin Mekonnen and Dr. Arjen Hoekstra at the University of Twente in Enschede, Netherlands. So how has previous research been so off? It relied on annual averages, say the authors. Read the full article.

Millions of dollars in USDA grants aim to get more Illinois farmers engaged in practices that protect water quality. The Illinois Corn Growers Association, which hosted the announcement here Feb. 12, is taking the lead in the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program as one of 30 partners in the effort. A $5.3 million USDA grant will help fund the project, along with another $13 million the private-public partners bring to the effort, Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, said at the event. Read the full article.

We are happy to share the first ten contributions to the online consultation for developing the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management.  Our colleagues working for the Global Soil Partnership invite all those interested in soils to comment on the ‘Zero draft’ of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM), which have just been released. Comments are welcome both on the questions proposed in the topic note and directly on the draft document (using track change or comment mode). To participate you can either: register to the FSN Forum and post online or send your comments to [email protected]. Comments due by Feb. 29. Read the full announcement.

The U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program and the Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group (CCIWG), under the auspices of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), are initiating an Interagency Special Report entitled the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (referred to as “SOCCR-2” or “the Report” throughout this notice). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to be lead agency for this report as it is relevant to USDA and USDA has experience in producing a similar highly successful report of Climate Change and Food Security. The focus of SOCCR-2 will be on U.S. and North American carbon cycle processes, stocks, and flows in the context of and interactions with global scale budgets and climate change impacts in managed and unmanaged systems. This request for public engagement presents opportunities to (1) submit comments on the Draft Report Prospectus, (2) submit scientific/technical information to inform the assessment, and (3) nominate technical contributors. Written comments and nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m., ET on March 14, 2016. Read the full announcement.

Sources: USDA; NSF; EPA; DOE-SC; NOAA; ScienceInsider; The Hill; Reuters; KFVS News; Science Daily; The New York Times; FAO; The Des Moines Register; Christian Science Monitor; The Illinois Farmer Today; NPR;

Vision: The Societies Washington, DC Science Policy Office (SPO) will advocate the importance and value of the agronomic, crop and soil sciences in developing national science policy and ensuring the necessary public-sector investment in the continued health of the environment for the well being of humanity. The SPO will assimilate, interpret, and disseminate in a timely manner to Society members information about relevant agricultural, natural resources and environmental legislation, rules and regulations under consideration by Congress and the Administration.

This page of the ASA-CSSA-SSSA web site will highlight current news items relevant to Science Policy. It is not an endorsement of any position.