Courtesy USDA/Sam Hurd Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the launch of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture that the new grants mechanism will encourage inter-agency cooperation.

There’s a new kid on the block in the United States Department of Agriculture. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the launch of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which will serve as the USDA’s extramural research enterprise.

Created by Congress, it will replace the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and will focus on modifying mostly internal operations, paying particular attention to the scale and scope of its grants system.

Grants distributed by NIFA will focus on five main areas: plant and animal production (especially in regards to sustainability), food and nutrition, youth and community development, international programs, and climate change and bio energy.

“We will be rebuilding our competitive grants program from the ground up to generate real results for the American people,” Vilsack said at the launch on Oct. 8, 2009, in Washington.

NIFA directors took a look at what they considered great grant-making processes throughout the country when devising the new grant mechanism, the feature that most distinguishes the enterprise from its predecessor, said Rick Borchelt, communications director for research, education and economics at USDA.

“Larger grants given over longer periods of time are very important,” he said.

Although small farmers might not notice the results from such changes in the short term, he said that the results from the research made possible by NIFA grants will be evident over time regarding market, climate and more.

“The whole purpose of NIFA is to identify big challenges as opposed to focusing on small problems,” Borchelt said.

Vilsack outlined several big outcomes during the launch that he’d like to see from NIFA and USDA science in general. They include the development of stress-resistant crops, improved nutrition and end of childhood obesity, improved food safety, secure energy, and making Americans better stewards of the environment and natural resources.

“The opportunity to truly transform a field of science happens, at best, once a generation,” Vilsack said. “Right now, I am convinced, is USDA’s opportunity to work with the Congress, the other science agencies, and with our partners in industry, academia and the nonprofit sector to bring about transformative change.”

Current research being done in the department identifies sectors of the agricultural economy vulnerable to climate stress. For example, there are some areas of the country where water flow is erratic and where there are severe disruptions in temperature, which affects plant and animal production. There are also areas of research where information is lacking, such as with abiotic stress factors – the negative impact of non-living factors on living organisms. The new grant structure will better allow the USDA to leverage its resources to support both the leading research as well as areas that need more work, by teaming up with other federal agencies, Borchelt said. This cooperation toward a common goal was not encouraged by CSREES. 

Small farmers probably will not notice many changes in their daily lives as a result of NIFA’s launch. Programs such as cooperative extension services, which operate in the same realm as NIFA, receive only partial federal funding, Borchelt said, and any evident changes will be seen on the local and state levels. However, NIFA aims to get extension services on the same page with its outlined goals.

The lack of animal-husbandry training programs for animal handlers and managers led American Humane Certified to launch its humane training program.

When raising livestock, hobby farmers who strive to keep up-to-date on best industry practices might be interested in American Human Certified’s new humane training program.

To answer the food industry’s call for better trained animal handlers, the program’s curriculum—the initial development of which was first announced in March 2009—focuses on animal handling best practices and the science-based standards originated by American Humane Certified and its Scientific Advisory Committee. 

The new training is available online and on-site. An important aspect of the program curriculum is the early recognition of behavior or health problems that could be detrimental to an individual animal or the entire flock or herd. It addresses animal-welfare issues and poor animal husbandry that are created by a lack of worker and handler knowledge.

Students enrolled in the program will be tested at the end of the training and will be retrained in any areas in which they exhibit a lack of thorough understanding. The program instructors are animal science professionals who will provide onsite demonstrations and guidance in appropriate handling and treatment, whether in the barn or in the field.

“A significant lack of knowledge of basic, good animal handling and husbandry practices, plus strong requests from the industry, prompted us to develop this very first, hands-on, independent program,” says Tim Amlaw, director of American Humane Certified. “It answers the industry’s need for education of existing and new employees so they can ensure proper and humane animal welfare and avoid potentially negative issues.”

Amlaw notes that while there are other print or video training materials offered by industry trade organizations, there is no curriculum or program that offers basic hands-on humane handling, care or testing for animal handlers and managers by an animal welfare organization.

The program will be beta-tested at egg producer Radlo Farms in Maine, in both Radlo’s certified cage-free operations and in its non-certified caged operations.

 “Our educating of employees, growers and contractors who handle animals will complement and expand American Humane Certified’s existing national program of auditing and certifying the humane handling of animals raised for food,” Amlaw said.  “For both large and small food producers, this training will illustrate a significant, socially responsible undertaking. Other users likely will include universities and government agencies dealing with agriculture.”

Amlaw says that as people have migrated away from rural settings over the years, there have been fewer and fewer well-trained workers to handle and manage farm animals. The need for new employees continues to grow in the food production industry, and the need for training and development of experienced workers is key to the agricultural industry and is paramount for the welfare of farm animals.