AgBioResearch

For 20 years, Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs) has been a catalyst for linking researchers and outreach specialists with commodity organizations, growers and the state of Michigan to solve critical plant agriculture problems. Funding provides a launching point for innovation, from combatting disease pressures and invasive insects to promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship. Many research and outreach projects demonstrate tremendous value, leading to the leveraging of significant grants from entities such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Project GREEEN features a competitive grants process in which research and outreach specialists submit proposals to a leadership team from Michigan State University AgBioResearch, MSU Extension and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Once awarded funding, regular progress updates are required.

• Project GREEEN initiatives have bolstered Michigan’s economy, with an estimated total output impact of more than $2.5 billion over the past two decades.
• More than $100 million has been allocated to Project GREEEN through mostly steady annual distributions. When adjusting for inflation, however, the program’s purchasing power has more than halved.
• Outcomes from Project GREEEN research projects have assisted growers in managing issues such as spotted wing drosophila, an invasive insect of soft-fleshed fruits; emerald ash borer; downy mildew; Japanese beetle and more.