On October 1, 2009, the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture was replaced by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Congress created NIFA through the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. All CSREES authorities, duties, and obligations are transferred to NIFA as stated in the 2008 Farm Bill.
NIFA’s mission is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by supporting research, education, and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System and other partner organizations.
President Obama has appointed Dr. Roger Beachy, founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, to serve as the first director of the new agency.
