The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) at the University of Minnesota has awarded approximately $2.6 million from the Rapid Agricultural response Fund (RARF) to 13 research projects that will help protect Minnesota’s agricultural sector from current and emerging threats.
The projects include work on responding to a new leaf-mining pest of soybean in Minnesota, developing vaccine technologies that fight against swine influenza virus and avian influenza virus, preventing the spread of noxious weeds through manure, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the dairy industry.
The 13 projects were selected after a competitive proposal process, which included University faculty and industry stakeholders reviewing the proposals and helping guide the selections by participating in the RARF Review Committee. Dean Brian Buhr (CFANS), Beverly Durgan (Extension) and Laura Molgaard (CVM) then approved the final list.
Funded projects and project leaders
- The utilization of technology to address major challenges in the dairy industry using hyperketonemia as a test case - Luciano Caixeta, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine
- Evaluation of manure pumping as a factor for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) incidence, exacerbation, increased shedding and decreased performance - Cesar Corzo, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine
- Controlled-release nitrogen and split applications to enhance corn production and environmental protection - Fabian Fernandez, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
- Genetic selection for reducing greenhouse gas emissions of Holstein and Crossbred Dairy Cattle - Bradley Heins and Isaac Salfer, Department of Animal Science
- Assessing the state of soils on Minnesota’s emerging vegetable farms - Natalie Hoidal, Department of Horticultural Science
- What drives Streptococcus gallolyticus success in commercial turkeys? - Timothy Johnson and Randall Singer, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
- Innovations in Weed Management Strategies for Cultivated Wild Rice Production - Jennifer Kimball, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
- Development of animal welfare-friendly sampling strategies to investigate recently introduced porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) viruses into breeding herds - Mariana Kikuti, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine
- Rapid response to a new leaf-mining pest of soybean in Minnesota: Evaluating the magnitude of the treat and control methods - Robert Koch, Department of Entomology
- Development of a new generation of viral vectored vaccines against swine influenza virus - Hinh Ly, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
- Investigating the effect of viral strain on the airborne transmission of PRRS virus - Montse Torremorell, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine
- Stop the spread! Getting noxious weed seeds out of liquid manure - Melissa Wilson, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate
- Development of a Novel MicroRNA Targeting-based Avian Influenza Virus Vaccine Platform - Zheng Xing, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
RARF Background
The Rapid Agricultural Response Fund dates back to 1998 when the Minnesota State Legislature authorized a program and created a fund to enable rapid responses to urgent issues and challenges that have arisen and face Minnesota's agriculture and natural resource-based industries. An initial allocation of $1.5 million was provided for designated projects in 1998, and a recurring allocation of $1 million was created in 1999.
In more recent years, the fund has been increased in support of the University’s Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transfer program (AGREETT). Annual funding is provided to MAES via the State Legislature with projects being awarded on a two-year cycle.