Washington, DC
March 3, 2008
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer
announced today that USDA is awarding $4.6 million to 13
universities and research labs to develop ecologically and
economically rational strategies for management, control and
elimination of weedy and invasive species, which cause more than
$100 billion is losses each year.
The awards are administered by USDA's
Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) through the
National Research Initiative (NRI) Biology of Weedy and Invasive
Species in Agroecosystems competitive grants program. This grant
program has awarded more than $20 million in grants over the
past five years.
This year, projects support integrated and basic
research projects, equipment purchases, conference symposia and
network development. Funded projects include research at
Pennsylvania State University to establish and demonstrate
effective biological control of the Canada thistle. Research at
Oregon State University will develop and implement
ecologically-based cropping systems that suppress summer annual
weed populations in vegetable row crops. University of Wisconsin
researchers will work to predict invasion of exotic species and
their impact on tree regeneration and native plant diversity in
Wisconsin lowland forests.
The fiscal year 2007 grants were awarded to:
|
Recipient
|
State
|
Grant Amount
|
|
University of Arkansas
|
AR |
$45,000 |
|
Chapman University
|
CA |
$124,955 |
|
USDA Forest Service – Rocky
Mountain Research Station |
CO |
$389,179 |
|
University of Florida
|
FL |
$387,327 |
|
University of Illinois
|
IL |
$124,655 |
|
Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center |
MD |
$287,509 |
|
USDA Agricultural Research
Service |
MD |
$10,000 |
|
Mississippi State University
|
MS |
$100,300 |
|
New Mexico State University
|
NM |
$223,351 |
|
Miami University
|
OH |
$376,940 |
|
Ohio State University
|
OH |
$499,959 |
|
Oregon State University
|
OR |
$487,344 |
|
Pennsylvania State University
|
PA |
$500,000 |
|
Pennsylvania State University
|
PA |
$324,495 |
|
University of Tennessee
|
TN |
$10,000 |
|
Utah State University
|
UT |
$382,896 |
|
University of Wisconsin
|
WI |
$326,100 |
|
CSREES' NRI program is the largest peer-reviewed,
competitive grants program at USDA. NRI supports research,
extension and education grants that address key problems of
national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining all
components of agriculture.
Through
federal funding and leadership for research, education and
extension programs, CSREES focuses on investing in science and
solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the
nation's future. For more information, visit
www.csrees.usda.gov. |
|
