TRI-STATE BREEDING PROGRAM GRANTED OVER $940K

One of the key appropriations the Washington State Potato Commission works on is the federal grant program that provides new variety development dollars to the various potato breeding programs in the US.  This program provides a substantial amount of money to WSU, OSU, and the U of I.  The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced Nov. 3 four grants totaling $2,665,520 to four potato breeding programs around the country.  The grants are to focus on the development and testing of superior commercial potato varieties using classic breeding and advanced molecular and biotechnological approaches.  Grants go to potato breeding programs at:

Washington State University (Tri-State breeding program), $943,332

Michigan State University, $796,725

University of Maine, $510,104

Texas A&M University, $415,359

 The grant timelines are Sept. 1, 2021 through Aug. 31, 2023.