Departure of director from National Institute of Food and Agriculture casts uncertainty over future of flagship funding programme. A nascent revolution in US agricultural science lost its leader last week. Roger Beachy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in Washington DC, resigned his post, effective on 20 May, saying that he wants to spend more time with his family in St Louis, Missouri. His departure from the agency, part of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), after less than two years in the job has left researchers wondering what will become of Beachy’s pet project: the controversial overhaul of NIFA’s flagship competitive grants programme, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). Read More
