Auburn, Ala. -- The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station’s Production Agriculture Research grants program (PAR) at Auburn University is attempting to resolve problems for farmers, such as high costs and inefficiency.
The PAR program has a total commitment of $445,138 to the nine project it will fund this year.
“The projects selected for funding show the diversity of the state’s agriculture and the issues that need to be addressed across all areas,” said Brian Hardin, director of governmental and agricultural programs for the federation and member of the PAR review panel.
The grants program, now in its second year, is the first of its kind according to Henry Fadamiro, association dean for research for the College of Agriculture and associate director of the Experiment Station, because it "focuses specifically on production agriculture."
Faculty members were asked to consider project outcomes and impacts. Projects this year deal with issues such as the winter freeze damage in kiwi orchards and the minimization of phosphorus runoff from animal and waste management.
Also, projects based at one of the 15 Experiment Station’s research units require letters of the support from the unit director. According to Fadamiro, this will increase the quality of all received proposals.
“Alabama farmers are fortunate to have the expertise of these researchers at Auburn University and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station,” said Hardin. “Even more though, we are fortunate that the administration and faculty are paying attention to how they can help people be profitable on their farms and land. That is the ultimate mission of the land-grant university.”
