Small Fruits Consortium receives NIFA award

The Southern Region Small Fruits Consortium – a six-member group of land-grant universities including N.C. State – has received the 2012 Partnership Award for Multi-State Efforts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The award recognizes exemplary work impacting agriculture, environment, communities or people from a team at a land-grant university, cooperating institution or organization supported by the NIFA.
The full article can be found at:
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/news-center/perspectives/noteworthy-news/small-fruits-consortium-receives-nifa-award/

North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association RFP

ATTENTION CANEBERRY (BRAMBLE) RESEARCHERS:

The North American Bramble Growers Research Foundation (NABG RF) is once again soliciting proposals for caneberry research to be conducted in 2013. NARB-RF is the research arm of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Growers  Association. NABG RF is interested many categories of caneberry research, however this year there are specific priorities. The system is an electronic submission and if you have registered previously on the site you should be in our system. There are instructions there to guide you through the process.

The main body of the RFP is below and here is a link for the entire RFP and access to the electronic submission system.

http://www.raspberryblackberry.com/Proposals/

Request for Proposals

The North American Bramble Growers Research Foundation (NABGRF) Inc. seeks proposals for bramble research for the year 2012. All blackberry/raspberry proposals will be considered, however the following specific priorities have been established for this round of funding:

Pest Management Strategies

• Management and biology of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
• Management and biology of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)
• Management (?) of Agrobacterium tumefaciens (crown gall)
• Evaluate new insecticides (pesticides) for blackberry and raspberry production.
Production Efficiency and Profitability

• Management of blackberries and raspberries in tunnels (pruning, training and trellis systems)
• Post-harvest handling for small farmers
Cultivar Development and Testing

• Germplasm development
Special Needs

• Marketing.

Since 1999, NABGRF has funded a total of 59 proposals totaling $124,756. Funding for individual projects is expected to range from $2000-$5000. In order to expedite the process, we ask that your request stay within this range. For the past few years we have been able to awarda  higher level of total funding than in previous years due to contributions by nurseries to NABGRF's Nursery Contribution Program, initiated in 2007.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Research Committee of the NABGRF at the next North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association annual meeting, in Portland OR January 27, 2013. The Research Committee will forward their recommendations to the NABGRF Board of Trustees. Final funding decisions are made by the Board of Trustees. Awards will be sent out in February/March 2013. For more information, email either of the NABGRF Research Co-Coordinators, Gina_Fernandez@ncsu.edu and Jeff Chandler<jeff.chandler@ncagr.gov>

The deadline for proposals is December 17, 2012.

The North American Bramble Growers Research Foundation (NABG-RF) is a tax-exempt, charitable 501(c)(3) organization adjunct to the North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association (formerly North American Bramble Growers Association, or NABGA).