Community SessionOrganized by MGEC

Maize Genetics Executive Committee

It is the mission of the Maize Genetics Executive Committee to identify both the needs and the opportunities for maize genetics, and to communicate this information to the broadest possible life science community. This community includes scientists, funding sources for scientists, and the end users for the accomplishments of maize genetics, from farmers to consumers. 

- Jeff Bennetzen, MNL 75

MGEC Membership 2015 New

members: Kathy Newton

Jianming Yu

2015 New chair: Nathan

Springer

Year’s Activities Summarized and reported 2014 survey results to

stakeholders • http://maizemeeting.maizegdb.org/mgec-survey14/

Refreshed and filled appointed membership Created and populated internal documentation system Monthly communication (mostly telecon) McClintock Prize

• medal competition • nominations,• selection • announcement

Nominated individuals to the board of the FFAR(Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research)

Annual face-to-face meeting

Open session• NCGA– Rick Vierling• Iowa Corn – David Ertl & Bob Bowman• NSF – Diane Okamuro & Anne Sylvester• USDA-ARS – Jose Costa & Jack Okamuro

Closed discussions• MU Endowment• Maize Transformation

Rick Vierling for NCGA Seed funding for development for Maize

Phenotype Information Platform Development (iPlant, Breeding Management System, MaizeGDB)

National Ag Genotyping Center• Fargo, ND• fee for service• http://www.genotypingcenter.com/

Current focus: increasing infrastructure for phenotyping: Strategically investing in updated equipment at Experiment Stations

Rick Vierling for NCGA

Shrinking representation for agriculture

In 2011 15% of the population lived in rural areas

Spending reductions anticipated, with biggest cuts expected to be from the Discretionary Budget

State 1960 2013IA 8 4KS 6 4AZ 2 9FL 8 27

  Rural (>50% ag)

Mixed (15-50% ag)

Urban (<15% Ag)

Congressional Districts

34 168 233

“You can do anything you want in DC as long as you have the votes.” -LBJ

Agency FY2015 Funding ARS $1.2B

ERS $100MNASS $200MNIFA $1.5B

Rick Vierling for NCGA http://findourcommonground.com

David Ertl & Bob Bowmanfor Iowa Corn

Genomes to Fields (G2F) – basis for a nascent request for funding from Congress analogous to request to sequence maize genome

Farmer perspective:• GMOs• Sustainability• Precision agriculture

Diane Okamuro & Anne SylvesterNSF

Loves that maize community is a leader in mentoring and teaching students enthusiastically – maize community is the model for how to best use such funds for conferences. MM is only major conference continuously supported by NSF’s PGRP

Appreciation for acknowledgment of funding sources at MM in ABSTRACTS

They are asked more than ever to justify their spending choices

Two major review criteria: intellectual merit and broader

impacts• Q: What is BI?• A: You tell us. Examples: “Perspectives on Broader Impacts”

Diane Okamuro & Anne SylvesterNSF

PGRP• May 27 target date• Foci:

Genomics-empowered plant research to tackle fundamental questions in plant sciences on a genome-wide scale (RESEARCH-PGR)

Development of tools and resources for plant genome research including novel technologies and analysis tools to enable discovery (TOOLS-PGR)

Mid-Career Investigator Awards in Plant Genome Research (MCA-PGR) transitions from fields other than plant genomics, post-tenure and not retired

Early Career Investigator Awards in Plant Genome Research (ECA-PGR) allows coPI’s broadening their capabilities in plant genomics esp. encouraged: no prev. exp with PGRP funding Assistant Prof, <24 months

• Continue to encourage data sharing, international collaboration, industrial collaboration

• Addition of Early Career creates a full pipeline from postdocs to early career to mid-career

Diane Okamuro & Anne SylvesterNSF

BREAD• Joint NSF + Bill & Melinda Gates• 5 years, $48M• 5th year• April 27 deadline• This year’s foci:

Developing High Throughput, Low Cost Phenotyping Tools and Devices to facilitate assessment of field-based phenotypes, especially for root and tuber crops (PHENO)

Advancing Basic Research in Crop Plants Relevant to Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries (ABRDC) to develop critically needed sequence and functional genomics resources to enable basic and applied research in crop plants important for smallholder agriculture.

Jose Costa & Jack OkamuroUSDA-ARS

Seeking input on initiatives and addressing grand challenges Excited about the Genomes to Fields Initiative Big Data Initiative

• New Associate Administrator for Operations: Simon Liu is executing on the ARS Big Data initiative.

• For more information contact Doreen Ware, CSIO. • Major areas of focus:

getting Internet2 to locations creating bioinformatics training opportunities for scientists in collaboration with iPlant

FY14 saw funding increases• As a component of the Big Data initiative there were increases for a number of

projects including MaizeGDB and other crop databases.• Increases to the National Plant Germplasm System

FY15 same FY16 President’s Budget

• Includes increases to targeted projects in Missouri (maize) and Tifton, Georgia (maize & sorghum)

Seeking input on databases, genetics, and genomics MaizeGDB leadership position is in the process of being filled FFAR: Still not fully developed. Matching funds for research are 1:1 and

companies contributing matching funds will help to select those projects to be funded.

FFAR Guidelines and plan not fully developed Matching funds from industry Industry partners involved in project

selection

http://ffar.info (coming soon) http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/

usdamediafb?contentid=2014/07/0156.xml&printable=true&contentidonly=true

UMC Endowment(Initiated by Ed Coe)

MNL online only next year (Mary Schaeffer and Jim Birchler, editors)

Current value: $161,507, earns $6,488 in a good year

Desire: to continue to support the community as a whole, foster cooperation and communication

Anticipated use: global undergraduate support at Maize Meeting for registration and accomodations (complements existing programs like MaGNET - Maize Genetics Network Enhancement via Travel)

Maize Transformation

Need• Increase capacity

Bottlenecks • greenhouse space• recruit/retain staff• balancing service with research to improve capacity and

efficiency MGEC encourages:

• Coordination among groups rather than independent threads via, e.g., activities that could be supported by NSF’s RCN

• Cooperation among these groups in concert with industry partners (Paul Chomet is a good initial contact)

• Development of novel ideas to improve facilities (via, e.g., NSF MRI, partnerships with other groups, strategic use of existing facilities from facilities that might become available as entities reorganize)

• New thinking on how to increase capacity is needed

Resource Director Institution

Center for Biotechnology

Tom Clemente University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Plant Transformation Facility

Kan Wang Iowa State University

Plant Transformation Core Facility

Zhanyan Zhang University of Missouri