The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced $1.9 million in grants for groundbreaking research to better understand and address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agriculture. Included among the grants is a project led by Marta Venier, an associate professor at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
PFAS, also known as synthetic “forever chemicals,” do not break down in the environment and can accumulate in agriculture systems such as soil, water, and animals. These chemicals have been used across the country in everyday products, including waterproof clothing, furniture fabrics, personal care items, and firefighting foam. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to health problems in humans and animals.
“MDARD is investing in research that will strengthen our ability to protect Michiganders, our land, and our livestock from PFAS and other emerging contaminants,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring. “By better understanding how these chemicals move through agriculture systems, we can implement measures to reduce their impact. Today’s grants reflect MDARD’s commitment to investing in proactive science and research to protect Michigan’s food and agriculture sector now and in the future.”
Venier heads a team, which includes O'Neill School Assistant Professor Conrad Pritchard, that received a $400,000 grant to study how PFAS gets into Michigan farm fields, including through air, water and common farm materials like pesticides and manure. This team includes researchers from Michigan State University.
The innovative PFAS research grant program, with awards of up to $400,000, will fund the four other projects, including:
- Dr. Subhasis Giri, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, is leading a team that received a $400,000 grant to measure how much PFAS is in the soil, how PFAS moves through fields, and how much PFAS corn and soybeans take up. Dr. Giri’s team will also research how well certain farming practices – like planting cereal rye as a cover crop and reducing tillage – help keep PFAS from moving through soil, moving through water, or reaching crops. The research team includes experts from Purdue University and Michigan State University Extension.
- Dr. Dinesh Maddipatla, Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University, received a $395,790 grant that will fund his team’s efforts to create and test a simple, low cost disposable sensor that can quickly check for key PFAS chemicals in irrigation water, soil water samples and runoff. Readings will help find PFAS hotspots, decide where more testing is needed and track soil and water cleanup efforts. Collaborating institutions include the New Jersey Institute of Technology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and SampleServe, Inc.
- Dr. Judith Perlinger, Professor Emerita at Michigan Technological University, leads a team that received a $397,999 grant to evaluate how applied composted fish waste affects PFAS levels in garden grown vegetables. Dr. Perlinger’s team, which includes researchers from the University at Buffalo and that coordinates with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, will also study which vegetables and plant tissues accumulate PFAS and how different soil treatments and watering amounts can help reduce these chemicals.
- Dr. Amina Salamova, Assistant Professor at Emory University, along with her team of experts from Michigan State University, will partner with a local PFAS-impacted farm in Michigan and use a $399,995 MDARD grant to research how a wide range of PFAS chemicals - up to 80 types - behave on farms and how they move through soil, crops and livestock.
MDARD is among the first state agriculture departments in the country to launch a research grant program focused on understanding PFAS impacts on agricultural systems. These research grants will help build a framework for mitigating PFAS and other emerging contaminants.
MDARD’s PFAS grants are an initiative of MDARD’s Office of Agricultural Science and Research, which is investing in the best available science to strengthen Michigan’s food and agriculture industry, improve environmental outcomes and increase agricultural resiliency. The department selected grant recipients through a competitive review process and evaluation by an expert-led Joint Evaluation Committee.
MDARD is a core member of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, a collaborative effort of seven state agencies to coordinate responses to PFAS contamination in Michigan and protect public health.