USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
recently announced more than $5 million in grants to address air
quality issues, including reducing agricultural atmospheric
emissions and developing new mitigation practices. "Agricultural
producers need the most effective practices and technologies to
prevent or mitigate greenhouse gases or other contributors to
climate change," says Roger Beachy, USDA chief scientist and
NIFA director. The research will build effective mitigation
strategies and help farmers learn about and adopt best
management practices that reduce agricultural emissions. The
grants are funded through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research
Initiative Air Quality program, which supports research,
education and extension projects to enhance the effectiveness
and productivity of U.S air quality research. These projects
reflect the growing need to develop research-based information
on air quality issues for developing effective mitigation
strategies and best management practices to protec