Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Agenda:

• Welcome and introductions
• NIFA Update (Lydia Kaume)
• Administrative Advisor Update (Jeanette Thurston)
• Project Reviews
• Governance - identify replacement Nutrition Co-Chair
• Membership - do we wish to expand membership beyond administrators in the NC Region?
• Future meeting discussion - format, timing, etc.
• Round table discussions - time permitting
  • Impacts of executive orders (RFAs, funding, program cancellations, etc.)
  • Enrollment trends and strategies to address declining enrollments
  • Faculty hires in era of budgetary challenges
  • Potential research area cooperation/synergies across institutions.

1. Welcome and Introductions

• Les Bourquin opened the meeting and facilitated introductions.

2. USDA–NIFA Update (Lydia Kaume)

• USDA has published their research & development priorities; NIFA priorities will follow and align with these.
  Link: Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-020 (December 30, 2025)
• Two AFRI NOFOs recently released:
• Education & Workforce Development (EWD)
• Strengthening Agricultural Systems
• Travel limitations continue for NIFA staff; virtual options encouraged.
• Some programs have resumed in‑person review panels, others remain virtual.

3. AgInnovation North Central Update (Jeanette Thurston)

National-Level Updates

• Research Facilities Act listening session held by NIFA.
• $125M per year for 5 years available.
• Seeking input on match requirements, eligibility, types of projects.
• AFRI Strengthening Ag Systems Program
• Includes a major priority on food & diet‑related chronic disease.
• Requires integrated (research, education, extension) proposals.
• Institutions encouraged to schedule Q&A sessions with Bill Goldner.

USDA Science Priorities (Secretary’s Memorandum)

• Priorities include:
• Farmer/rancher profitability
• Circular bioeconomy
• Invasive species protection
• Soil health
• Precision nutrition & food quality

REE (Research, Education & Economics) Mission Area

• Strong shift toward outcome‑driven, goal-oriented research with measurable impact.
• Increased emphasis on:
• Economic viability
• Scalability
• Digital agriculture
• Nutrition & food systems
• New REE Director: Kate Sixt (biotechnology background).

AgARDA

• High‑risk, high‑reward ag research program seeking increased funding.
• REE preparing a business case to justify long-term investment.

Regional Updates

• Expanding communications with USDA, Farm Journal Foundation, Midwest Governors Association.
• Seeking impact stories, especially research‑driven business creation.
• NSF is emphasizing food security and AI; encouraging connections to NSF centers.
• Expect an increase in federal NOFOs due to delays related to recent federal shutdown.
• Ongoing confusion around USDA’s research security training requirements.

4. Project Reviews

4.1 Midterm Review – NC3169 (Lead: Mark Haub)

• Multi-state project on EFNEP (nutrition education).
• Strong activity in data collection and interviews; early stages for some objectives.
• Publication output high in Year 1, lower in Years 2–3 due to IRB and data collection.
• Good evidence of team collaboration.
• Concern: Limited documentation of external funding pursuit.
• Overall: Satisfactory progress; no major red flags.

4.2 Renewal Review – NC1193 (Lead: Leslie Bourquin)

• Topic: Nutrition, health, and quality of life in emerging/young adults.
• Two major objectives:
1. Benchmarking and tracking health/nutrition factors.
2. Developing food‑as‑medicine interventions using biomarkers.
• Well-established, productive team with large student involvement.
• Major concern: Roles and responsibilities for states/participants not clearly articulated.
• Overall: Strong history and scientific rationale; roles and responsibilities of members requires clarification.

5. Committee Leadership

• Incoming Co‑Chair (Food Science): Senay Simsek (Purdue)
• Incoming Co‑Chair (Nutrition): Martha Belury (Ohio State)

6. Committee Membership Discussion

• Some regions lack an equivalent advisory committee; NCAC‑22 may consider openness to members from those regions.
• Also consider potential inclusion of institute/center leaders.
• Jeanette will confirm which regions lack analogous committees.

7. Future Meeting Format Discussion

• Committee has met only virtually since pandemic.
• Options discussed:
• Meeting adjacent to the CFSA/ANDP joint meeting in October.
• Keeping grant review meeting virtual later in the year.
• No decision finalized; co-chairs will explore options.

8. Roundtable Updates & Concerns

State and University Issues

• Many states experiencing budget cuts or political pressure on universities.
• Example: Michigan faced a proposed 26% cut but ultimately received a 2% increase after strong ag‑research advocacy.

Federal Financial Aid Concerns

• Possible new federal requirement tying undergraduate program ROI to aid eligibility raised alarms.
• Especially concerning for dietetics and nutritional sciences, where salaries are low or data is sparse.

Visa and Immigration Challenges

• Multiple universities facing H‑1B sponsorship freezes or cost barriers.
• Shifting toward O‑visas or EB1 for faculty hires.
• Collaboration restrictions with China increasing due to export control rules.

Public Perception & Media

• University of Illinois highlighted a new YouTube video promoting harmful narratives about Chinese students.
• Concerns about public misunderstanding and political ramifications.

9. Action Items

• Mark & Les: Prepare written project reviews by Feb 17.
• Jeanette:
• Provide links to USDA priority documents.
• Confirm which regions lack analogous committees.
• Follow up with APLU on federal aid ROI questions.
• Senay & Martha:
• Explore 2026 meeting date options (virtual + possible October add-on to ANDP/CFSA meeting).
• All members:
• Share impact/business creation stories with Jeanette.
• Provide feedback on project review drafts when circulated.

10. Next Meeting

Tentative Date/Time: Friday, January 22 (2:30-4:30 PM Eastern; 1:30–3:30 PM Central)
(To be confirmed by new co-chairs.)