ITHACA, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted Cornell University nearly $2 million for food and agriculture research. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the funding, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced. The money falls under the USDA NIFA’s water quantity […]
ITHACA, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has granted Cornell University nearly $2 million for food and agriculture research.
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the funding, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced.
The money falls under the USDA NIFA’s water quantity and quality, tactical sciences coordination network, and the food safety and defense-research initiatives. These programs will support the development of sustainable food and agriculture defense against biological threats, innovative technology for food processing, and investments in improving irrigation systems.
“Committed to serving our Land-Grant mission — here at CALS and with our partners at the College of Veterinary Medicine — these substantial food and agriculture grants will be instrumental in developing new insights and means to decontaminate water, yield healthy beef and dairy cattle, and reduce risk of food-borne illnesses, for communities in New York state and across the nation,” Benjamin Houlton, the dean of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said in a release.
Funding breakdown
Of the nearly $2 million funding award, Cornell will use almost $500,000 to improve the quality of nontraditional water sources by bioremediation of microplastics in sewage and wastewater. The program invests in research, education, and extension projects to develop nontraditional water-irrigation systems that will improve irrigation practices for crops and livestock, nutrient management, and sustainable-water agricultural ecosystems.
The nearly $500,000 comes from the USDA’s agricultural and food research initiative (AFRI) water quantity and quality program.
The school will also use $1 million to conduct next-generation sequencing for early detection of transboundary and emerging pathogens. This research will improve the reliability of the U.S. food and agriculture system by “implementing improved defense systems” against biological threats to the national food supply, including pests and disease, per the release from the senators.
That part of the funding award comes from the USDA’s tactical sciences coordination network program.
Cornell will also more than $474,000 to develop a data-analytics platform to classify different species of salmonella. This program focuses on technology to detect allergens, infections, and contaminants in food to improve the safety of food processing, manufacturing, and packaging.
The more than $474,000 originates from the USDA’s food safety and defense program.
“Amidst the pandemonium of the pandemic, Cornell University is conducting vital research that will improve food access and give New Yorkers the peace of mind that the food on their tables is safe to eat,” Schumer said. “The pandemic has exposed deep inequalities in food security and safety across the state, and today’s federal funding is an investment into long-term, innovative solutions to address those issues.” ν