ASHS 2015 Annual Conference

Objective(s):
Help sustain the critical role of  AFRI and SCRI in keeping horticulture funded by providing constructive stakeholder comment on the requests for proposals through the most effecctive channels.

Many ASHS members depend on funding from the NIFA programs AFRI and SCRI.  Keeping these programs effective is critical to our discipline. One responsibility we have, but need to execute better, is to provide constructive stakeholder comment on the requests for proposals. Those comments are due shortly after the New Orleans conference, so priority issues identified in this workshop can have an immediate impact. This workshop is a structured discussion where audience input is essential in order to identify common concerns. These programs are supporting excellent horticultural research, so identifying priorities and policies that need to stay is primary.  The agency has recently made policy changes in response to stakeholder input, so feedback on whether those are having the desired effect is timely. Finally, are the horticultural needs and opportunities of importance in the coming three years that should be more explicitly addressed in future requests for proposals?