CSREES Update - January 7, 2009
CSREES Update, from the Office of the Administrator, is a biweekly newsletter for research, education, and extension partners at land-grant universities and other cooperating institutions.
In This Issue
CSREES
USDA
Opportunities
Mailbox
CSREES
CSREES Seeks Stakeholder Input
CSREES is seeking written stakeholder input on the establishment of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (the Institute). The announcement was published in the Federal Register on January 2. The establishment of the Institute is mandated in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008. All programs and authorities currently delegated to CSREES will transfer to the Institute, no later than October 1, 2009. CSREES is designated to act on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture in soliciting public comment from interested parties regarding the establishment of the Institute.
All written comments must be received by February 6, 2009, to be considered. You may submit comments, identified by CSREES-2008-0004, by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal (for online submission): See Federal Register notice.
- E-mail: institute@csrees.usda.gov. Include CSREES-2008-0004 in the subject line of the message.
- Fax: 202-720-0289
- Mail: Paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to Judy Rude, Communications Staff, CSREES, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mail Stop 2201, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-2201.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Judy Rude, Communications Staff, CSREES, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 4236, Waterfront Centre, 800 9th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20024.
All submissions received must include the title “Institute” and CSREES-2008-0004. All comments received will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
Contact Judy Rude, phone: 202-720-4242, fax: 202-690-0289, or institute@csrees.usda.gov, for more information.
Federal Register Notice for the Plan of Work Collection
CSREES is seeking written comments on the reporting requirements for State Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds. The announcement appeared in the Federal Register (73 FR 80361) on December 31, 2008. The deadline for submitting comments is March 2, 2009. This notice announced CSREES’ intention to revise a currently approved information collection entitled, “Reporting Requirements for State Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds.” All questions about the announcement should be directed to Bart Hewitt, CSREES program analyst for the CSREES Office of Planning and Accountability.
State Accomplishments from the 2007 Annual Report Released
CSREES has published two documents on results of the 2007 AREERA (Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998) Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results, which appears on the CSREES AREERA Plan of Work Web page. The first document, State Accomplishments for the Formula Grants – 2007 Annual Report contains good examples of state accomplishments gleaned and edited from the submissions of the 2007 Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results. The second document is a much longer and comprehensive statistical data summary, 2007 Annual Report Statistical Summary. CSREES found these accomplishments very useful. Many accomplishments were reported in our CSREES budget requests, portfolio reviews, and a report to Congress.
CSREES News
Presidential Early Career Award Names University of California-Davis Researcher
WASHINGTON, December 19, 2008 − University of California-Davis researcher Valerie Eviner received the 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
USDA nominated Eviner for her innovative research in developing a creative method to manage rangeland and quantify its productivity. This new method incorporates seedling residual dry matter to increase the quality and quantity of forage, recycle nutrients, reduce erosion, and manage the incursion of invasive weeds. Eviner’s research, which addresses many of the substantive issues currently facing the nation’s rangeland managers, will enhance the productivity and economic viability of ranchers, improve natural resource use, and have economic and environmental benefits for the industry.The work was funded by the CSREES National Research Initiative Managed Ecosystems program. Visit the CSREES Newsroom to read Presidential Early Career Award Names University of California-Davis Researcher.
CSREES, EPA, and IPM Centers Release IPM in Schools Strategic Plan
WASHINGTON, January 7, 2008 - USDA's CSREES, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Regional Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Centers, and the IPM Institute released a strategic plan to implement IPM practices in schools. The plan was created to reduce pest- and pesticide-related hazards to children in U.S. public schools by 2015.
“Poor pest management and the use of pesticides can affect students’ learning abilities and long-term health, especially asthma, which is the number one cause of school absences,” said Colien Hefferan, CSREES administrator. “IPM schools have less pesticide residue, fewer pest problems, and lower pest-related allergens. Best practices are essential to improving attendance and performance.” The plan, School IPM 2015: A Strategic Plan for Integrated Pest Management in Schools in the United States, calls for a 70 percent reduction in pest complaints and pesticide use in schools. It also presents actions and a timeline for a coordinated effort to engage professionals in all walks of school life, including parents, teachers, custodians, food service staff, school administrators, pest management professionals, extension staff, regulators, and architects. Visit the CSREES Newsroom to read CSREES, EPA, and IPM Centers Release IPM in Schools Strategic Plan.
CSREES Lists Open Requests for Grant Applications
CSREES advertises all of its funding opportunities through "Find Grant Opportunities" on the Grants.gov Web site. This site is searchable and contains summary information on all federal funding opportunities with links to the full announcements. Users can search announcements by topic, funding agency, and date, as well as subscribe to an e-mail notification service based on these parameters.
USDA
Schafer Names Faulkner Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development
WASHINGTON, December 23, 2008 − Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer named Douglas L. Faulkner Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development, following the December 1 resignation of Thomas C. Dorr. Faulkner was appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development in June 2006.
Faulkner has served the Bush Administration since 2001 as both Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and later Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. He has worked for over a decade to promote the growth of the bioenergy, solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen fuel cell, efficient energy technologies, and other new energy markets. Visit the USDA Newsroom to read the full release Schafer Names Faulkner Acting Under Secretary for Rural Development.
Opportunities
2009 National Extension and Research Administrative Officers' Conference
The National Extension and Research Administrative Offices’ Conference (NERAOC), formerly called the CSREES Administrators Officers’ Conference, is co-hosted this year by the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore and is April 26-30 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, 300 Light Street, Baltimore, MD. State participants will have an opportunity to share information with their peers on budget, finance, grants management, and human resource management issues. The planning committee has developed an agenda, coordinated state and agency speakers for 66 breakout sessions, and assisted with preparations for the event. Visit the official NERAOC Web site for online registration and conference information. Contact Brenda Barnett, CSREES senior budget and fiscal specialist, Office of Extramural Programs Unit, for more information.
USDA's 85th Agricultural Outlook Forum
This year’s forum “Global Agriculture & Rural America in Transition” is February 26-27, at Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, VA. The Secretary of Agriculture and government, farm, and industry leaders will discuss the future of American agriculture.
CSREES SARE program is celebrating 20 Years of Partnerships and Progress. On February 27, Jill Auburn, SARE director in CSREES’ Economic and Community Systems Unit, will moderate the forum session that highlights SARE’s experience and vision for the next 20 years from farmers and others who have participated and benefitted from the SARE program.
CSREES is also hosting the Specialty Crop Luncheon, on February 27. Tom Bewick, CSREES national program leader for horticulture in the Plant and Animal Systems Unit, will serve as moderator. Chris Savage, senior director for global environmental affairs at E & J Gallo Winery, is the luncheon speaker and will discuss “Maintaining Green: The Long History of the Environmental and Sustainability Movement within the Wine Industry.”
Visit the Forum’s Web site for more details and online registration.
Mailbox
For a plain text copy of this newsletter, please contact Judy Rude. CSREES UPDATE is published biweekly. The next regular issue is planned for January 21, 2009. Submit news items to newsletter@csrees.usda.gov by January 14.
Editor: Judy Rude, public affairs specialist, CSREES Communications Staff. If you have questions about Update, please contact her at jrude@csrees.usda.gov.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an e-mail message to jrude@csrees.usda.gov. In the body of the message, type: subscribe csrees-update OR unsubscribe csrees-update.
Back issues of CSREES UPDATE are available on the CSREES Web site.
Colien Hefferan, Administrator
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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