UC Davis to receive $40M in USDA grants

Sacramento Business Journal - by Kelly Johnson , Staff writer

Date: Monday, January 10, 2011, 5:16pm PST

The University of California Davis has landed $40 million in agricultural and resource grants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will announce Wednesday that it is providing the big award for studies examining ways of helping farmers deal with climate change and developing sustainable bio-energy sources, a news release said.

The money is coming from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a competitive grant program established by the 2008 Farm Bill.

A high-ranking USDA official will make the announcement with UC Davis chancellor Linda Katehi and Neal Van Alfen, dean of the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The scientists receiving the grants will join in to explain their research, the release said.