Thompson Announces $2.2 Million Grant for Penn State

Planned multi-year project will study sustainable water management at sites in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nebraska

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson today announced a $2.2 million grant for Penn State University through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The main goal of the project is to promote sustainable water management through the use of a proven, flexible, and transferable model of engagement of farmers and other stakeholders. The model, once tested and developed, will transform the way scientists, the Cooperative Extension System, agency officials and engagement specialists approach critical water issues.

The $2.2 million is for the first year of a planned four-year, $5 million project.

Penn State will lead the study that will bring together faculty, researchers, and extension staff from multiple disciplines, from Penn State, University of Nebraska Lincoln, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and Arizona State University.

Locations throughout the country will be studied, each with differing kinds of water issues and institutional settings: Arizona, western Nebraska, northern Pennsylvania, and central Pennsylvania. These locations represent a range of biophysical and social contexts yet share long-standing and emerging water availability concerns related to water for agriculture.

“This real-world study will benefit researchers and farmers alike,” Thompson said. “By working with groups across the country, Penn State will lead this thorough examination of water resource management and hopefully overcome some of the greatest challenges associated with it. I am proud of Penn State for leading this multi-year project and I look forward to seeing what this research concludes.”

“This project takes a new approach of working with stakeholders to identify and address the issues faced by farmers and water resource managers,” said Kathryn J. Brasier, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Rural Sociology. “This resulting engagement model will serve as an essential resource for landowners and managers working to address water resource concerns throughout the nation. We appreciate Congressman Thompson’s support of research and extension and of funding for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.”