Latest news with #SanfordEigenbrode
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal agriculture grant loss is a major blow to Idaho's farmers
A pivoting irrigation system waters a crop of barley on a farm located near Arco, Idaho, during a late summer day. Idaho is a top barley-producing state, growing both malting and feed varieties. () It was a stunning loss for Idaho's agricultural community: On April 16 the U.S. Department of Agriculture withdrew a $59 million grant from the University of Idaho's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Communities grant was designed to help state agriculture producers develop more sustainable business practices as part of the Farmers First initiative. Before the termination, 201 Idaho producers representing 34 counties had already signed up for the program. Federal government terminates University of Idaho climate grant for farmers A University of Idaho press release said many of the producers had completed all the paperwork and were enrolled, others were in the final stages of enrollment. In Idaho, agribusiness is 20 percent of the state's industrial backbone. Agribusiness includes crops, seed, dairy, livestock, wine and beer cultivation and sales. This makes agriculture the state's number one industry, followed by lumber, chemicals and paper, mining and tourism. Overall, Idaho is the seventh largest agribusiness state in the country, led by livestock and dairy sales at more than 50 percent of all agribusiness sales. Any assistance to this large industry can only help the state grow. Historically, this was the largest grant to UI in school history. When the new administration drew up new guidelines, the USDA withdrew the grant because Idaho's plan fell short of the requirements. How short? The new guidelines would require the program, titled the UI Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Program, to allocate at least 65 percent of the money to go to producers. Under the withdrawn grant, UI allocated more than 50 percent of the funds to go directly to state producers. The remaining nearly 50 percent was allocated for grant management and providing technical and marketing services to the enrolled producers. UI can reapply, but there is no guarantee one will be awarded or that the school will receive same amount of money as the original grant. The deadline for the new Advanced Markets for Producers initiative is June 20. Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Program co-director Sanford Eigenbrode said while disappointed, the UI is in a good position to re-apply for the grant by reconfiguring the numbers to meet the new guidelines. Why was the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Communities grant eliminated? According to the federal government, it was because it was a Biden-era program. Under the current administration, just about anything that came from the previous administration is being labeled 'bad' and being removed. The grants were designed to help any state's agribusinesses better compete in the world marketplace. Under the Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Program, information gathered by UI faculty, staff and students provided technical support and guidance to Idaho producers, helping them make better informed decisions about their financial bottom line. Overall, the program was designed to help reduce risks to agribusinesses and help them engage in new practices. Granted, many people say the administrative costs of such programs can be high when run through a university. Often, depending on the university and the grant, administrative costs can run as high as 50 percent or more. To better help Idaho's agribusiness community, UI and other state universities need to adjust their administrative costs so more money can flow to the intended targets, in this case, the farmers and ranchers. But even more needs to be done. As indicated, there is no guarantee that the grant will be re-issued to Idaho. This should now be priority work for the state's congressional delegation. In Washington, D.C., Idaho's U.S. senators and House members need to engage with their staff members and the USDA to regain at least part of, if not all, the grant money. Failing to do so would mean the congressional delegation will be unsuccessfully representing their primary constituents: Idaho's very large rural and agribusiness communities. Anyone who has lived here knows Idaho is much more than potatoes. The state's agribusinesses are vital to the state's economic well-being. To help improve especially small agribusinesses, it is time for schools to adjust their overhead expenses and for those elected officials to truly help their constituents by fighting for a reinstatement of the Farmers First philosophy grant. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
27 employees impacted by loss of UI grant
Apr. 24—MOSCOW — A University of Idaho professor says the termination of a nearly $59 million USDA grant caused an "enormous disruption" to a university research project. Sanford Eigenbrode, an entomology professor, was co-director of the project being funded by the USDA grant, called the Innovated Agriculture and Marketing Partnership project (IAMP). The IAMP project, which is also co-directed by UI professor Erin Brooks, was supposed to help Idaho growers use climate-smart agricultural practices. That includes incentivising them to make crops more resilient to a fluctuating climate, and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It was the largest grant in the University of Idaho's history. More than 200 Idaho growers applied to take part in the project. On April 13, the USDA notified UI that it planned to terminate the grant. Eigenbrode said the termination became official Tuesday. "It caused enormous disruption to stop so quickly," he said. He said 27 UI employees lost funding for their positions. That includes part-time and full-time employees, students and administrative personnel. "It was a five-year grant, so we hired people with that in mind and people were employed with that expectation," Eigenbrode said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
USDA abruptly halts $59 million grant to University of Idaho
Apr. 16—The University of Idaho took a gut punch earlier this week when the U.S. Department of Agriculture abruptly terminated a $59 million grant, which would have pumped money into Gem State farmers to boost the marketing of most of the crops grown there. The grant, which was the largest in school history, was canceled in a message sent by the USDA on Sunday. By Monday morning, university officials informed 26 employees they no longer had jobs, said Sanford Eigenbrode, a university-distinguished professor at the UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. "That's how they came to work on Monday. It's not like you have three weeks to close this down. It was, 'You are done,'" Eigenbrode said. The job cuts included 13 graduate students, three post-doctoral fellowships and 10 others, who either had full- or part-time positions. The terminated grant also severed partnerships with the Coeur d'Alene and Nez Perce tribes, The Nature Conservancy of Idaho, the Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef cooperative and several soil conservation districts. The grant had been funded to UI through the USDA's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. Idaho's winning bid was titled Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership project and Eigenbrode was the co-director of the program. The USDA letter that announced the grant's termination also noted that Idaho could resubmit a request for funding, but the USDA already has changed the name of the funding program from Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities to "Advancing Markets for Producers," Eigenbrode said. Asked if the word "Climate" had anything to do with the grant's termination, Eigbenbrode said he didn't know for sure. "That was not said. I'm guessing that it was a problem with the whole program. That's just a guess." An emailed request to the USDA for comment was not immediately answered on Wednesday afternoon. Regardless why it was killed, the termination of the grant now puts Idaho officials in the position of trying to find ways to help the graduate students and others who otherwise were relying on jobs tied to the grant. If it had continued, the grant would have funded an effort to provide money to farmers who grow chickpeas, barley, hops, wheat, potatoes and sugar beats, and raise cattle for beef, to better promote and inform potential buyers of their products, Eigenbrode said. "For example, chickpeas, we are looking at expanding markets for hummus in our nation," he said. "Consumers of hummus are interested in how the chickpeas are grown. "And, we were going to be tapping into the market potential of that," Eigenbrode continued. "The same with potatoes and all the products that would have been produced under our incentives." Of the $59 million, some $33 million, or about 56%, was earmarked to go directly to the farmers as part of the program. In it's letter, the USDA noted that the grant rules were changed and now require 65% of the grant award to go directly to farmers, which Eigenbrode said could present a challenge in its next application. "They said that was the reason it was being terminated," he said of the 65% threshold. "We were in good shape for getting those contracts rolling. This was a huge award." Eigenbrode, who is in his 30th year at UI, noted that the USDA's earlier criteria called only for a majority of funds to go to farmers. More than 200 producers had signed up to be a part of the program from 34 Idaho counties. "It did not specify a percentage. I wanted to give more to producers directly, but when you try to do everything to make something like this work, you need administrative support," he said. "There are management costs for visiting each farm. And, getting soil samples is costly." Eigenbrode noted that simply handing over cash to farmers "would be a misuse of public funds. We were hoping to use those funds to responsibly document what was happening to the benefit of everyone — farmers, consumers and the general public." The effort would have produced a searchable map and data base to show locations of farmers, their crops and the scope of how the grant was being administered. Then word came on Sunday that the grant program was dead. "It was a very short notification message that was clearly like a form letter," Eigenbrode said. "It had our award number in the text, but it otherwise could have gone to anyone."
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal government terminates University of Idaho climate grant for farmers
A sugar beet field in Kimberly, Idaho. (Courtesy of the University of Idaho) A University of Idaho grant to help Idaho farmers develop climate-smart practices has been terminated. The $59 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program was the largest in the university's history. Established under the Biden administration, it would have funded the university's Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership project, which opened applications earlier this year. It was a statewide project that would have paid farmers to incorporate practices that reduced the climate impact within Idaho's top commodities including potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, barley, hops, chickpeas and beef. As of March, 201 Idaho producers representing 27 Idaho counties had applied for the grant, according to a press release from the university on Wednesday. But the grant was terminated as the USDA changed its criteria to evaluate climate-smart grants, referred to as 'Farmer First' policy priorities. The new criteria asks that 65% of grant funds go directly to farmers. While more than 50% of the university's proposal went toward payment to farmers — with the remaining funds going toward technical and marketing services for farmers — the project no longer qualifies for the grant under the new criteria. The USDA is rebranding the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, which it called in a press release a 'Biden era climate slush fund,' as the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative. The University of Idaho has the opportunity to resubmit a proposal by June 20 with adjustments to meet the new criteria. 'While we are disappointed by the USDA decision to terminate the IAMP grant, we are thankful for the opportunity to resubmit our proposal,' co-director of the program Sanford Eigenbrode said in a press release. 'The objectives of the IAMP project are in line with the expected guidelines from (the USDA) and their Farmer First priorities, and we are in a good position to reconfigure the project to meet those guidelines.' The USDA committed to honoring all eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13. The University of Idaho said it is in contact with its implementing partners and several producers to ensure any eligible expenses incurred prior to this date are reimbursed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
