Three NDSU researchers have been awarded grants from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Erin Burns, an NDSU graduate student in plant sciences, was awarded a $10,000 graduate student grant for the project "Integration of Biological Control and Native Cover Crops for Canada Thistle Control."
Doug Landblom, associate center specialist at the Dickinson Research Extension Center, was awarded a $199,736 research and education grant for the project "Increasing Sustainability of Livestock Production of the Northern Great Plains."
Xinhua Jia, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, was awarded a $199,706 research and education grant for the project "Effect of Optimal Water Management for Sustainable and Profitable Crop Production and Improvement of Water Quality in Red River Valley."
The program’s administrative council decides which projects will receive Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education funds. The council includes members from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities and nonprofit organizations. In addition, regional representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and regional agribusinesses, state agencies and foundations assist in the distribution of grant money.
Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities. It is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.