SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report
Sections
Status: Approved
Basic Information
- Project No. and Title: NEERA1000 : Northeast Pasture Research and Extension Consortium
- Period Covered: 04/01/2005 to 09/01/2006
- Date of Report: 09/13/2006
- Annual Meeting Dates: 02/02/2006 to 02/02/2006
Participants
Accomplishments
2. Private-sector Consortium members requested Congress to restore nearly $1.9 million in the FY2006 federal budget to continue the pasture-based beef systems project at the USDA-ARS Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, Beaver, WV, in cooperation with West Virginia University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Georgia. This stakeholder advocacy effort was successful and nearly $1.9 million was restored by the Congress, effective October 1, 2005.
3. Private-sector Consortium members requested Congress to provide $1.5 million in the FY2006 federal budget to establish a new dairy grazing research facility at the USDA-ARS North Appalachian Experimental Watershed, Coshocton, OH, in cooperation with The Ohio State University. This stakeholder advocacy effort was partially successful and $100,000 was provided by the Congress, effective October 1, 2005.
4. Supported a successful competitive grant proposal titled, "Sustaining Small- and Medium-Sized Farms, Rural Communities, and Natural Resources in the Northeast: The Role of Rotational Grazing" submitted to the USDA-National Research Initiative-Small Farms and Rural Agricultural Communities Program. This project will address several of the six Consortium stakeholder priorities.
5. Received funding from USDA-CSREES to maintain and enhance Consortium website -- $2000 awarded to the University of Maine in FY2005.
6. Facilitated new collaborations and partnerships among Consortium members, e.g., Rutgers University Equine Science Center (research, teaching, and extension), NRCS-NJ (technology transfer), and equine industry leaders (personal experience) conducting joint field days and educational events for equine users in New Jersey and the mid-Atlantic Region.
7. Continued support and advocacy for private and public grant proposals that align with the six Consortium stakeholder pasture priority needs, e.g., supported a competitive grant proposal titled, "Development of Spectroscopic Techniques for Rapid and Objective Classification of Milk by Fat Type" submitted to the USDA-National Research Initiative, but not funded.
8. Informed Consortium participants of public hearing opportunities on grazing and conservation policies, e.g., Farm Bill, organic standards, grass-fed definition.
9. Approved 15 action agenda items for CY2006. These are listed in the Consortium annual meeting minutes.
10. Placed the proceedings of the 2006 annual meeting including power point slides and handouts on the Consortium website for post-meeting access.
Impacts
- Significantly improved interactions and communications among producers (dairy, beef, sheep, goat, and horse), agribusiness suppliers, non-governmental organizations, and public research, extension, and technical transfer agencies (land-grant universities, USDA-ARS, USDA-CSREES, USDA-NRCS) regarding pasture-based animal production systems (traditional and organic).
- Private-sector stakeholder actions resulted in nearly $2.4 million of restored federal funding and $100,000 of new federal funding for research on pasture-based dairy and livestock systems. A portion of these funds are provided to collaborating land-grant universities in the Northeast Region and nearby states through Specific Cooperative Agreements from USDA-ARS.