Research initiative to be announced

USDA officials Friday plan to announce a major research initiative led by the University of Idaho along with Washington State and Oregon State universities, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

A presentation is set for Friday, Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. in the University of Idaho Agricultural Biotechnology Lab Interaction Court.

A telephone conference with Roger Beachy, director of USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Northwest project director will be at the same time.

The Idaho laboratory is located at the intersection of Sixth and Rayburn streets in Moscow.

Beachy’s announcement will focus on the recipients of the 2011 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Climate Change Coordinated Agricultural Projects, which represent a major scientific investment in studying the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production.

The announcement will be made at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.