The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its Ag Research Grants.
Donor Name: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
State: Pennsylvania
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/07/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Department of Agriculture (Department) is soliciting applications to conduct agricultural research on one or more of the following research topic areas, with the research to be conducted from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026, with the possibility, but not the assurance, of extending that research into subsequent years. All funding is contingent upon 2024-2025 budget appropriations. This notice establishes the procedures by which grant applications will be solicited and reviewed, and by which grants will be awarded.
Research Topic Areas 
Though not exclusive of original research topics, the Department is particularly interested in funding projects in the following areas:

Ongoing multiyear research projects. The Department has, in previous years, provided funding for various multiyear research projects that might be continued or extended to complete research the Department identifies as addressing continued priorities of the agricultural industry, such as:

Examining the economic impact of pest infestations like Phorid Flies and Spotted Lanternflies and identifying mitigating measures.
Measuring the impacts on the Chesapeake Bay on farm management practices that have not received Federal or State Government cost-sharing assistance.

Agriculture

The Department requests applications for projects that:

Gather and analyze food action plans.
Study the impact of the Double Up Food Bucks program.
Analyze of the Senior Food Nutrition Program and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.
Study of the surplus food recovery.
Validate consumer affairs reporting on PA food prices.
Analyze of the TEFAP program.
Analyze/survey PA workforce.
Study economic impact.
Survey carbon community planners.
Analyze Urban Agriculture capacity index.
Incentivizing urban agriculture land stewardship.
Identify current and potential funders for urban agriculture.
Identify soil testing and remediation strategies for urban agriculture, particularly how these strategies can be operationalized, their benefits measured and the cost of implementation.
Assess the quantity and quality of available on-farm and off-farm housing for agricultural workers, including farm owners.
Study barriers to land access, particularly for BIPOC farmers and in rural communities.

Energy in agriculture

The Department is interested in further scientific study in areas such that:

Analyze and map energy generation from agricultural products, plastic products and waste products.
Analyze options to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by normal agricultural operations.
Identify challenges and opportunities with Agrivoltaics such as gaps, barriers, implementation of panels modified to support Pennsylvania agriculture.

Life Science

The Department seeks applications that address animal health concerns, such as:

Wildlife crop damage.
Impacts to states on changing Medicare rules to allow more fresh foods to consumer health.
One Health—Proposals that promote humans, the environment, animals, living together harmoniously.
Animal Health—Proposals that improve or seek to understand aspects of animal health important to agriculture in this Commonwealth.
Diagnosis of Animal Diseases—Proposals that promote the diagnosis of animal diseases that are important to Commonwealth animal agriculture.
Animal Productivity—Proposals that seek to improve the productivity of agricultural animals in this Commonwealth.
Animal Welfare—Proposals that seek to improve the welfare of agricultural animals in this Commonwealth.
Review and recommend Federal Milk Marketing Order recommendations that would be most beneficial to PA dairy industry.
Review and recommend alternatives to the current PA Milk Board Over-Order Premium that would be most advantageous to the PA dairy industry.
Chronic Wasting Disease strategy development to reduce incidents and (or) live animal test development.

Manufacturing

The Department requests applications for projects that address:

Food production residual waste.
Assess incentives needed to increase organic processing.
Biodegradable packaging and other environmental factors in selecting food and beverage products.
Pharmaceutical or industrial uses for milk proteins or other milk components.
Assess conversion of spent mushroom substrate to bio-char on energy and biomass uses and soil amendment uses.

Robotic Technology

Research what technology farmers use now and what technology they may use in five years.
Assess the application and deployment of Augmented Reality on Pennsylvania animal and plant industries.

For more information, visit Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.