Dept. Of Agriculture Awards Research Grants For Soil Health, Farm Conservation, Regenerative Farming, Spotted Lanternfly Mitigation

On August 31, the Department of Agriculture announced grants totaling more than $2 million to six Pennsylvania organizations for research on issues critical to sustaining and growing the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry. 

Grant recipients include The Center for Dairy Excellence, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University, Rodale Institute, Stroud Water Research Institute, and University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

“Investing in research and development helps Pennsylvania battle the effects of climate change and stay on the cutting edge of technology, disease prevention and pest control,” said Gov. Wolf. “We are feeding innovation that advances human and animal medicine, and produces cleaner water, healthier soil, and a safer, more abundant food supply to sustain our future.”

The grants fund a broad range of research aimed at safely controlling spotted lanternfly and other invasive insects; boosting pollinator effectiveness; developing new methods of detecting and preventing animal diseases; building a skilled workforce to sustain growth; and improving soil and water quality through regenerative farming methods

Among the grants awarded are--

-- Pasa Sustainable Agriculture – Berks County: Supporting farmers in setting management goals for improving soil health and measuring resulting improvements — $135,000

-- Penn State University--

     -- Mitigating spotted lanternfly damage through biological control with endemic insect predators – $64,000

     -- Measuring erosion and water quality in Halfmoon Creek in Centre County — $175,000

     -- Measuring the impact of organic soil amendments on plant absorption of lead in urban soil — $74,507

-- Rodale Institute, Berks County: Preparing a skilled agriculture workforce and fostering understanding of sustainable, regenerative farming methods — $500,000

-- Stroud Water Research Center, Chester County: Measuring the impact of agricultural restoration practices on water quality in Lancaster County streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed — $85,000

-- University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia

     -- Developing methods of measuring and predicting methane emissions from dairy cows — $57,500

     -- Developing a method to measure per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in bovine serum and milk — $23,406

     -- Refining methods of detecting chronic wasting disease by odor in deer feces — $65,001

Click Here for the complete announcement.

Find more information on grant funding to support the sustainability and growth of Pennsylvania Agriculture at the Funding and Grants webpage.

[Posted: August 31, 2022]  PA Environment Digest