​​2024-2025 Ag Conservation Research Grants

Applications are now being accepted for the ​​2024-2025 Ag Conservation Research Grants. Donor Name: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture State: Pennsylvania County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/07/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: The Department of Agriculture (Department) is soliciting applications to conduct agricultural conservation research on one or more of the following research topic areas, with the research to be conducted from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026, with the possibility, but not the assurance, of extending that research into subsequent years. This notice establishes the procedures by which grant applications will be solicited and reviewed, and by which grants will be awarded. This funding is made available through the Clean Streams Fund Nutrient Management federal ARPA funds. The Department intends to make up to $1,500,000 available for grants under the Program. Research Topic Areas Though not exclusive of original research topics, the Department is particularly interested in funding conservation research projects that are able to do the following: Identify the sources of nuisance emissions in the mushroom industry and best mitigation practices that are applicable to Pennsylvania operations. Quantify emissions from the mushroom industry and measure the impact of best practices that are deployed. Quantify the impact of Manure Treatment Technologies (MTT) on water quality, including traceability of nutrients as they are processed. Additionally, provide recommendations for best available technology and or best practices to improve MTT utilization. Quantify the impact of precision feeding and review implications for nutrient reductions. Quantify the climate benefits of best management practices installed through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program and Conservation Excellence Grant programs (ACAP & CEG). Quantify the ability of non-traditional biomass crops to uptake excess nutrients and or contaminants like PFAS. Design a method in which to quantify the climate impacts of agriculture operations. Additionally, the work should be able to measure the impact of BMP implementation on a farm’s climate impact. Evaluate the nutrient value and traceability of food processing residuals (FPRs). This should consider the movement of material from producer to applicator to farm owner. For more information, visit Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.