roger beachy

Every time we close out a fiscal year and report on the outcomes our grants have supported, I am always astounded by the vast scope of work accomplished by the thousands of grantees who have received awards from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). During our annual awards ceremony this week, we took time out to honor the outstanding work of the best of the best -- four grantees received NIFA Partnership Awards for their exemplary work and contribution in support of the USDA mission and for their positive impacts on agriculture.

Earthworms can generate tons of nutrient rich droppings, or “casts,” per acre each year on agricultural lands and gardens.  And they’re such industrious little diggers that they can literally turn over the entire top six inches of a field in as few as 10 years.

By Roger Beachy, Director, National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Yesterday’s Science Tuesday post about growing tomatoes that last longer on the shelf in the store or on the kitchen counter has generated much really useful discussion about the role of science in growing our food supply.  Science in the U.S. is a social enterprise, and the decisions about what technologies are appropriate and acceptable are societal, not purely scientific decisions, so this conversation is critically important to us all.