In order to stimulate translational research, foster agricultural outreach, and to enhance research and Extension activities at the Southwest Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, and Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences awarded five capacity building grants which are intended to provide seed funding to improve competitiveness for extramural grants and to provide opportunities to the faculty to more fully utilize and support these AREC facilities.
The Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and Virginia Cooperative Extension jointly funded five projects for a total of about $250,000. The funded projects are listed below.
- Mechanistic causes of pregnancy failures resulting from fescue endophyte toxicity.
Investigators: Mark McCann, animal and poultry sciences; Philipe Moriel, North Carolina State University; Sally Johnson, animal and poultry sciences; Alan Ealy, animal and poultry sciences; and Michelle Rhoads, animal and poultry sciences. The project will be conducted at Shenandoah Valley AREC. - Rumen microbial processes guiding forage utilization by steers in a rotational grazing system: a metagenomics investigation.
Investigators: Biswarup Mukhopadhyay, biochemistry, and Brian Campbell, Southern Piedmont AREC. The project will be conducted in Blacksburg and at the Southern Piedmont AREC. - Assessing the impact of forage conservation method on ergovaline levels in tall fescue and subsequent performance of steers.
Investigators: Brian Campbell, Southern Piedmont AREC; Chris Teutsch, Southern Piedmont AREC; and John Fike, crop and soil environmental sciences. The project will be conducted at the Southern Piedmont AREC. - Establishing silvopastures: building capacity for cross-disciplinary research, extension, and teaching.
Investigators: John Fike, crop and soil environmental sciences; Brian Badgley, crop and soil environmental sciences; Brian Campbell, Southern Piedmont AREC; Adam Downing, Madison Cooperative Extension; David Fiske, Shenandoah Valley AREC; Greg Frey, Va. State University; John Munsell, Forest Res. and Environ. Conservation; Brian Strahm, Forest Res. and Environ. Conservation; and Chris Teutsch, Southern Piedmont AREC. The project will be conducted at Shenandoah Valley AREC and Southern Piedmont AREC. - Evaluation of terminal sire production systems for enhanced profitability of hair sheep enterprises.
Investigators: Scott Greiner, animal and poultry sciences; Mark McCann, animal and poultry sciences; Donald Lee Wright, Southwest Virginia AREC; and Gordon Groover, agricultural and applied economics. The project will be conducted at Southwest Virginia AREC.