Page 122 - Farm Bill Series_The 7 Things You Should Know

Another leader in the science community that’s going to be
fighting to thrive in the 2018 farm bill is Sally Rockey, the
executive director for the Foundation for Food and Agriculture
Research (FFAR).

FFAR is another attempt by lawmakers to energize agricultural
science and Rockey – who works out of a nondescript building
near D.C.’s Chinatown with a meager staff of 12 – said the
Foundation is doing exactly that.

The Foundation matches government funds to private investment
for research that might otherwise go unfunded in more common
competitive or land grant research programs.
Created in the 2014 farm bill and championed by Democratic
Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Amy Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, the Foundation
may have gotten off to a slow start, but that’s changing this year.

In fact, the foundation recently announce its first major collaboration on a grant to sponsor a
study into improving the nation’s soil health. FFAR, together with the Samuel Roberts Noble
Foundation, will be funding a $6.6 million study on cover crops in five states.

But that’s just the beginning. FFAR, together with agricultural businesses, universities and other
foundations, plans to fund at least $62 million worth of projects, according to a FFAR
spokeswoman. Last year – the second of the Foundation’s existence – it handed out a total of
$4.8 million to nine university researchers.

“We’re really hitting our stride now,” said Rockey, who has previously worked for both USDA
and the National Institutes of Health.

Altogether, though, that’s a major chunk of the Foundation’s finite funds. It was given $200
million in mandatory funds by Congress, but when that runs out it doesn’t replenish.

Rockey said she hasn’t begun focusing on making the case to reauthorize FFAR in the next farm
bill, but stresses it shouldn’t be too hard of a sell.

“We have a great relationship with Congress,” she said. “We keep in constant contact with
(lawmakers) because they’re very interested in our success.”

Scientists show AFRI is worth its weight in grant funding

SoAR, meanwhile, is asking for a lot of money, but scientists around the country have already
shown that they are producing significant results from what little is already available.
It’s not just research that allows woodchips to fuel airplanes that is being made possible by
AFRI. Ohio State scientists are using funds from the program to improve the immune systems of
chickens and help fight off avian influenza.

“When an outbreak occurs, there is support from everywhere for new research,” said
Chang-Won Lee, an Ohio State researcher. “However, the work needs to be done on an
ongoing basis in preparation for the next outbreak.”
120 www.Agri-Pulse.com