In a March 23rd press release, the USDA announced 24 grants to 20 institutions by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  The total value of grants will be $11.5 million with most allocations in the region of $500,000.

The University of Connecticut, Storrs CT will receive $500,000 for a study entitled “A Comprehensive Probiotic-Based Approach for Promote Layer Performance, Layer Health, and Egg Safety for Small and Mid-Sized Farms.” 

The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. Will receive  $200,000 for a project “Developing Evidence-Based Handling Guidelines for Improving the Safety of Free-Range Poultry Eggs”

Other topics funded involved small-scale beef production, hemp cultivation, establishing marketing chains, farm successions, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and benefiting from natural resources. 

It is hoped that small-scale farmers will ultimately benefit from the grants.  Certainly young faculty at Land-grant universities will receive funding to support applied research with student stipends that will ultimately contribute to the wellbeing of U.S. agriculture.