Terry Cosby, Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced a $3 million investment in partnerships aimed at improving soil surveys. Institutions of higher education within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network are encouraged to submit proposals by July 8, 2024.
Collaboration and partnership are key to achieving the NRCS’s goals of supporting community planning, resource development, environmental quality, recreational needs, land and water conservation, and pollution control through soil surveys. Proposals for funding must involve significant cooperation with soil survey personnel such as those from the National Soil Survey Center or Major Land Resource Area soil survey offices.
The research funded through this initiative should have national or broad regional significance and address gaps in soil survey databases, explore new data collection methods, and tackle emerging issues in research priority areas. Projects could begin in October 2024 and last up to three years with costs ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. The research priorities for fiscal year 2024 were developed in partnership with the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Research Priorities Committee, NRCS and the Soil and Plant Science Division (SPSD).
For more details on the funding opportunity, interested parties can refer to the notice of funding available on the NRCS website.
