Since 2014 NYFVI has administered a competitive grant program on behalf of the NY Corn & Soybean Growers Association. The program is funded through a NYS legislative appropriation.
The NYC&SGA board establishes the priorities for the program, reviews all applications and makes the final funding decisions. New this year, the program is using Letters of Interest (LOI) to select work for funding. There are two opportunities:
- Landscape Analysis
- Applied Research to Validate New Technologies
Both LOIs are provided in full below.
Key Dates for Both Opportunities
LOI released: October 5, 2023
LOIs submitted via email by November 7, 2023
Projects Announced: December 1, 2023
Required Presentations: Winter 2025
Letters should be sent as PDF files via email to Aileen Randolph by November 7, 2023. Please don’t hesitate to email any questions as well.
LOI: Landscape Analysis
Through the generous support of the NY Governor, Senate, and Assembly, the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) is pleased to announce their 2023 Corn Research and Education grant opportunity. This funding opportunity, administered by the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), utilizes appropriations from the 2021 and 2022 budget cycles. Approximately $65,000 is available.
NYCSGA is seeking to identify researchers that are interested in collecting, organizing and assessing data on topics of interest to NY corn growers. The work is being referred to as a landscape analysis rather than a literature review as it should include commercial as well as academic sources of information.
The goal of the work is to help the growing community better understand the current science-based knowledge of environmental outcomes associated with production agriculture practices as well as their potential for increased or decreased yield. Where available, the work should also identify the most useful systems to track outcomes.
Completed projects will include a written report, as well as a presentation to the NYSCSGA board in the first quarter of 2025. All individuals funded through this project will collaborate to share information about their approach and develop a common template for the reports. This discussion will occur at the outset of the project.
Specific topics of interest include:
- Soil biodiversity
- Soil health measurement systems, including carbon intensity measurement
- Water quality and edge of field monitoring
- Land-based CO2 emissions
If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please submit a letter of interest, no longer than two pages that includes:
- The topic(s) that most interest you, along with a full description of what they encompass.
- Why you are interested in this work and why you are well positioned to successfully execute the project.
- How you would approach this task, and estimated cost and timeframe
LOI: Applied Research to Validate New Technologies
Through the generous support of the NY Governor, Senate, and Assembly, the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) is pleased to announce their 2023 Corn Research and Education grant opportunity. This funding opportunity, administered by the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI), utilizes appropriations from the 2021 and 2022 budget cycles. Approximately $50,000 is available.
NYCSGA is seeking to identify researchers that are interested in conducting research trials to evaluate commercially available equipment, inputs or software. Work should be focused on tools to enhance production of corn grown for silage or grain at a commercial scale using sustainable practices.
The goal of the work is to help the grower community better understand the value proposition of new tools that are coming to market. Where appropriate, the research should evaluate the effectiveness of the tools as well as provide a cost/benefit analysis.
Completed projects will include a written report, as well as a presentation at a winter 2025 NYCSGA board meeting.
Specific topics of interest include:
- Weed management implements
- Diagnostic and measurement tools to evaluate environmental outcomes of practices
- Soil health and biodiversity, including carbon intensity scoring models
- Water quality and edge of field monitoring
- Land-based CO2 emissions
NYC&SGA is open to proposals to evaluate new tools in other areas as well. Note: Unfortunately, this program is not able to support equipment purchases.
Letters of interest should be no longer than two pages and must include the following:
- A discussion of the technology that will be trialed, with a strong justification of its potential.
- Why you are well positioned to successfully execute the project.
- How you would approach this task, and estimated cost and timeframe
For your convenience, both LOIs are available in the PDF file below.