incorporate into the "Decision Evaluator for the Cattle Industry" model, the grazing component applicable to the various regions of the United States as part of an improved management system.

modify the rumen submodel of the Cornell Carbohydrate Protein System for evaluating cattle diets to accommodate the effect of pH on ruminant methanogenesis and ammonia production.

begin testing the new generation cotton production model on a field production basis with farmer cooperation.

use a computer model of dairy production to assess long-term impacts of global warming on dairy farms in the Northern U.S.

release a new decision support tool for cattle producers in the Northern Great Plains that will provide aid in managing rangeland in a sustainable manner.

continue cooperative efforts in developing environmentally friendly and generally nontoxic biopesticides. Potential biopesticides such as insect chitinase, chicken avidin, and entomopathogens such as fungi will be evaluated for their ability to protect crops and processed commodities from insect infestations in collaboration with other ARS, university, and biotech industry personnel.

continue evaluating genes in wheat and alfalfa that provide resistance to various insects and pests and begin the establishment of molecular markers to hasten the incorporation of this resistance into commercial varieties.

continue developing alternative insect pest control methodologies. Specific protection methodologies will be tested in an areawide IPM program that involves producers, elevator operators, and wheat mills in Kansas and Oklahoma.

evaluate new low risk insecticides (biopesticides, nontoxic compounds and products with novel chemistries) to control insects in milling and processing facilities, food storage, and bulk grain.

determine the potential for expanded use of aeration of wheat and corn stored in different regions of the U.S.

continue evaluating the effectiveness of diatomaceous earth and heat for cost-effective insect management in food processing facilities and distribution centers.

continue cooperation with food processors and packers to develop insect resistant packaging.

develop artificial diets for parasitoids that attack grain insect pests so that these beneficial insects can be raised commercially.

continue insect behavioral studies and the development of alternative insect pest control methodologies that incorporate the understanding of pest and natural enemy interactions.

develop alternative strategies to the use of fungicides for limiting postharvest decay of fruits and vegetables.

discover and develop natural product-based postharvest materials to protect against insect and microbial damage.

develop improved detection and identification tests for plant pathogens in commodities, seeds, and other plant products. Such tests will reduce the risk of spreading disease from one crop to another and reduces commodity losses in storage.

cooperate with industry to develop an integrated insect management system for use in food processing facilities, distribution centers, and grocery stores. The system will rely on sanitation and insect monitoring using spatial analysis so that controls can be specifically targeted to infestations.

cooperate industry to develop improved pheromone baited traps and methods to monitor stored product pests in commercial facilities.

continue with investigations into the movement behavior of insect pests and use the information to develop more effective pest monitoring strategies.

collaborate with the grain industry to apply the characteristics of the Perten 4100 System for determining physical properties to predict end use functionality of wheat and other similar grains.

cooperate with commercial insecticide manufacturers to show that NIR can be used to differentiate parasitized and nonparasitized fly pupae to assist in developing biological controls.

cooperate with industry and researchers to apply NIR to rapidly, by age, grade mosquitoes and flies.

develop new instrumental methods for determining fruit and vegetable quality based on human sensory analysis characteristics.

develop/transfer technology on wheat quality evaluation for detecting the presence of TCK mold spores.

cooperate with the peanut industry and FAO/WHO to implement aflatoxin testing programs for peanuts exported/traded in world markets.

commercialize a detection kit for detection 3 methylisoborneol.

continue its five year areawide stored wheat IPM program in Kansas and Oklahoma using early aeration to cool grain and decrease insect and mold population growth, and assess impact on wheat quality and insect populations in cooperation with Kansas and Oklahoma State Universities and farmers and operators of grain elevators.

design and assemble a second generation experimental closed-loop heat pump grain dryer for further validation of energy efficiency and assessment of improved grain quality and functionality when such a system is used to dry grain.

continue to evaluate the potential for development and/or installation of online sensing devices in a pilot elevator setting for automatic quality segregation of incoming grain.

continue to cooperate with grain cleaner manufacturers and research associates in reviewing the requirements necessary to remove dockage from wheat in high capacity systems (20,000-80,000 bu/hr) at grain export facilities.

cooperate with industry in the development of insect monitoring strategies (including the types of traps, locations of traps, etc.) leading to new trap designs and pheromone combinations that will increase the effectiveness and acceptance of insect pest monitoring. Improved techniques for analyzing trap data will pinpoint sources of insect contamination and lead to decreased pesticide use and better and more economical control of insect pests.

establish the feasibility of using a patented process to tenderize both the large and small broiler breast muscles without whole carcass chilling. This will reduce the need for water/ice and chlorine used for chilling, and will shorten processing time by eliminating the need for postmortem "aging" prior to muscle removal.

develop hyperspectral imaging technology which can assist industry to measure the quality of deciduous fruits (apples and cherries) during growth and maturation, and in various postharvest stages.

begin pilot plant trials on nonsulfide dehairing processes to eliminate the particularly noxious chemical now used in the tanning process.

complete analysis of grading peanuts with high moisture content to enable industry utilization of continuous flow drying and improved inventory control during harvest and initial marketing.

add the measurement of protein to the food product database used for dietary fiber.

design a pilot plant facility to produce retted flax and determine the feasibility of using enzyme retting by industry.

develop universal calibrations for radio frequency and microwave moisture sensors and evaluate other opportunities for lowering costs that will foster the development of cost-effective reliable online moisture sensing equipment to aid in preserving high quality of cereal grains and their products.

evaluate the effect of selected enzymes and enzyme combinations on weakening of frozen bread during proofing and baking, and subsequent keeping quality of the baked bread after 16 weeks of frozen storage.

complete analysis of grading peanuts with high moisture content to enable industry utilization of continuous flow drying and improvement of inventory control during harvest and marketing.

develop optimum marketing strategies for beef cattle in the Northern Great Plains.

continue developing a combined machine vision and single kernel wheat characterization system to improve wheat hardness and flour yield predictions, and automate wheat inspection.

continue developing a machine vision-based inspection system to rapidly identify Line Slide defects in samples of wheat.

continue developing a machine vision-based methodology for objectively evaluating bread crumb grain in ARS bake Laboratory tests and commercial bread baking processes.

continue cooperation with GIPSA to evaluate the capability of the FOSS Grain Check 310 to assist inspectors in grading wheat, corn and soybean and provide objective physical measures that relate to corn dry milling yield of yellow corn market samples.

cooperate with GIPSA and other grain industry segments to demonstrate the applicability of the Perten 4100 with the NIR attachment for identifying the presence of scab, vomitoxin levels, and kernel vitreousness in wheat.

continue assisting GIPSA in research and development of an inline automatic test weight device and components needed for automated grain inspection data collection at a commercial grain elevator facility.

transfer sorting technology enabling the U.S. tree nut industry to consistently meet foreign import standards for quality and aflatoxin presence.

test performance of the grain protein Artificial Neural Net against the current grading system for full implementation in the field.

determine whether microwave measurements for sensing moisture content of grain samples through their microwave dielectric properties can improve the accuracy of moisture sensing in grain.

implement studies to define and characterize the sensory texture profiles of major cuts of red meat and poultry, and relate the profiles to the development of improved instrumental procedures to estimate tenderness.

design fumonisin inspection programs for grain evaluation and transfer technology in cooperation with FDA and the grain industry.

design/develop aflatoxin inspection programs for farmers' stock peanuts, the peanut industry, and the Peanut Administrative Committee.

continue development of the technology needed to acquire NIR spectral data during flour-water-dough mixing related to protein quality, dough development, strength and tolerance in wheat flours, and spectral properties of single wheat kernels.

develop a commercial scale hydrodynamic pressure system for meat products (either inline or batch system).

demonstrate the feasibility of profiling the status of raw poultry meat by identifying volatile organic compounds generated during storage and distribution. Develop a hand held instrument to measure the compounds in parts per billion.

in cooperation with the U.S. peanut industry, complete the feasibility of technology transfer of chemical testing for aflatoxin and farmer stock screening for all industry segments, and determine the impact of the technology on domestic and international competitiveness of U.S. peanuts.

expand the previously implemented rice database for the measurement of rice quality to include additional varieties of rice, and fill data gaps to make it more rigorous and widely accepted.

continue to investigate the use of durum wheat translocation lines for both bread making and pasta processing quality.

characterize the effects of genotype and environment on oat grain yield, quality, and dry milling characteristics, in collaboration with North Dakota State University.

determine the most efficient and accurate measurement system for oat groat percentage determination by mechanical means.

develop new fruit and vegetable germplasm for culinary, ornamental, and dual purpose culinary/ornamental applications. This material will provide rural development opportunities for mainstream and niche markets. Candidate introductions include new disease resistant and cold hardy citrus rootstocks, peach and nectarine selections adapted to the Southeastern U.S., and dual purpose pepper germplasm. Genetically engineered pears with antibacterial genes for control of fire blight will provide an opportunity for improved profitability in that industry.

complete forage nutritive evaluations of chicory and plantain in the Northeast and test the response of these species to defoliation.

demonstrate the feasibility of using alternative production practices to manipulate beneficial microorganisms for mitigation of fruit tree replant disease. Preliminary trials demonstrate that short term plantings of wheat are effective in enhancing populations of Rhizoctonia-suppressive fluorescent pseudomonades. Applicable technologies will be transferred to producers. These technologies offer alternatives to methyl bromide for disease control.

plant, harvest, and process up to 30 acres of elite cuphea varieties and 500 acres of lesquerella to develop cropping and processing guidelines.

develop improved methods for handling and storing fresh cut fruits and vegetables to maintain quality and microbiological safety.

expand the utilization of Fantesk technology in food applications, particularly as a fat replacer in such items as soft serve ice creams and meats. CRADA partners will be sought in the food, medical, and lubrication areas. Potential commercialization applications will be sought.

conduct research to determine the viability of using supercritical fluids as a medium to produce new value-added materials from agricultural products via environmentally friendly processing procedures.

conduct research to evaluate potential industrial applications using cereal proteins. Develop CRADAs with industrial partners to advance commercialization of new cereal protein-based materials.

transfer technology to industry related to the use of corn flour and lignin for formulations of biopesticides. The formulations should make biopesticides more acceptable to end users as well as creating a new market for plant products.

cooperate with customers and stakeholders to overcome technical barriers facing the widespread commercialization of vegetable oil-based diesel fuels (biodiesel).

demonstrate improvement in scale up bioreactor technologies for two patented bioproducts, and develop new uses that have potential to increase demand for agricultural commodities.

commercialize 100 percent vegetable oil-based sheetfed and heatset inks.

conduct research for commercialization of biodegradable vegetable oil-based functional fluids for heavy equipment in cooperation with an industrial partner under a CRADA.

continue bioengineering phytase enzyme to enhance digestion of phytic acid by nonruminant animals and fish.

reduce the cost of enzymes by means of production in transgenic plant bioreactors in collaboration with a major biotechnology company under a CRADA. The byproduct plant fiber from processing, as well as fiber from animal manures, will be evaluated for use in composites, structural panels, filters for removal of pollutants from water, and for conversion to chemical feedstocks including fuels.

fractionate corn gluten meal from the corn wet-milling process to produce additional value added products.

develop new starch graft copolymers with unique properties using prime (never dried) starch as a feedstock in cooperation with a CRADA partner.

find new uses for high value proteins isolated from soy hulls in cooperation with industrial partners.

continue basic research to characterize the effects of processing and modification on the properties of starch and proteinaceous coproducts.

continue to transfer technology for single bath dyeing of wool/cotton blended fabrics. By cooperating with the textile industry, the use of two domestic fibers in new consumer products will be promoted.

continue technology transfer efforts with American industries to encourage the adoption of ARS technology for the recovery and utilization of protein and chromium from solid tannery waste.

produce biobased polyesters and surfactants from renewable fat and oil feedstocks by using wild type and genetically engineered microorganisms in a fermentation process.

test the potential application of native or chemically/physically modified biodegradable polymers in the production of fiber, film, and adhesives.

develop biodegradable packaging materials from renewable grain resources.

develop and evaluate grain and legume foods that promote health.

complete evaluation of commercial aquaculture feeds that incorporate high levels of fuel ethanol coproducts, and fully document findings and recommendations for stakeholder use.

characterize functional properties of corn gluten meal, an abundant corn wet-milling coproduct, and devise strategies to improve the properties of the meal for new food/feed markets.

further improve the production of fermentable sugars from corn fiber, an abundant corn wet-milling coproduct, utilizing novel bioconversion approaches. These sugars are potential feedstocks for fermentation to produce ethanol and such value added bioproducts as xylitol. Portions of this effort will be conducted in conjunction with collaborators at Cornell University and the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

design new microbes for conversion of agricultural commodities and residues to valuable bioproducts. In particular, methods will be developed and exploited for the introduction and expression of useful biosynthetic pathways in the fungus Fusarium.

improve durable and robust biosensors for monitoring conversions of biomass to fermentable sugars in conjunction with collaborators at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

bring Nu-TrimX to the marketplace. Nu-TrimX will blend with OATRIM (a marketed ARS invention) to expand the food uses of both products. Both of them can reduce the intake of dietary calories and fat and increase the consumption of soluble and insoluble fibers, thus providing consumers with a very healthy alternative to a high fat diet. Nu-TrimX human nutrition studies will be initiated.

cooperate further with industrial partners to utilize Z-Trim technology. Additional CRADAs and human nutrition research will be sought.

continue to develop improved forms of ARS invented OATRIM to provide licensees with new products that will broaden the market. Additional CRADAs and human nutrition research will be continued to strengthen the economic and health status of consumers.

prepare bioplastic matrices of predictable biodegradation behavior.

analyze several additional bioplastic formulations to determine the rate and extent of degradation in various environments. This information will be incorporated in a practical guide for bioplastic manufacturers on how to influence functional properties and the time it takes to break them down.

continue to develop sophisticated instrumentation for the nondestructive evaluation of solid materials. The methodology is needed to determine the interactions of biopolymers at the molecular level which has applications for the new generation of biomaterials, as well as food safety issues.

develop sensory profiles of the dark muscle of broilers and turkeys and develop approaches to link the inherent sensory characteristics with new products.

develop and evaluate an extrusion method for directly converting pectin-containing agricultural byproducts into low cost, environmentally friendly packaging materials.

evaluate the use of pectin modifying enzymes to increase the value and demand for pectin made from U.S. agricultural processing residues. This technology will be transferred to the private sector.

characterize the cellulosic residue from corn fiber gum production, identify useful properties for specific food or industrial applications, and find a suitable CRADA partner for its commercial development.

enhance the demand for grains by developing novel, environmentally friendly enzymatic methods to improve the properties of their major polysaccharide components consisting of starch, hemicellulose (corn fiber gum), and cellulose.

evaluate and transfer technology for a new low cost corn protein fraction.

evaluate high pressure processing of food proteins with carbon dioxide for applications in nonfood products.

work with CRADA partner for use of ARS patented high pressure technology in production of a protein isolate.

characterize the application of oat oil to bread making.

demonstrate an alfalfa developed for biomass production as an alternative energy source.

field test an alfalfa genetically modified to produce a biodegradable plastic polymer.

$1,895,800 to develop biobased materials from agricultural commodities and by-products using biotechnology, biocatalysis, and other integrated technologies.

$8,000,000 to improve conversion of agricultural materials to biofuels.

$3,000,000 to improve biomass feedstocks for energy production.

$4,000,000 to develop biobased materials from agricultural commodities and byproducts using biotechnology, biocatalysis, and other integrated technologies.