Three UW-Madison projects have received funding through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The projects are described below. To see the full announcement, click here.

• University of Wisconsin, ($485,085) Increasing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Sod Production using Biosolids.
• USDA/ARS University of Wisconsin, $371,845: Deployment of Nutrient-Rich Nematode-Resistant Carrots to Benefit Growers, Consumers, and the Environment.
• USDA/ARS University of Wisconsin, $998,957: Ensuring U.S. Onion Sustainability: Breeding and Genomics to Control Thrips and Iris Yellow Spot Virus.

The Specialty Crop Research Initiative was established by the 2008 Farm Bill to support the specialty crop industry by developing and disseminating science-based tools to address needs of specific crops and their regions in five focus areas: 1) improve crop characteristics through plant breeding, genetics and genomics; 2) address threats from pests and diseases; 3) improve production efficiency , productivity and profitability; 4) develop new innovations and technologies and 5) develop methods to improve food safety. Each of the focus areas received at least 10 percent of the available funds. The majority of the funded projects address two or more focus areas