The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is spending $1.9 million on five research projects meant to give farmers practical answers about PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, in their soil, water and crops.
The studies are built around four questions farmers keep asking: how much PFAS is in their soil and water, which crops absorb more of it, which farming practices reduce it, and how it can be tested quickly and at low cost.
Michigan State University receives $400,000 to measure PFAS in corn and soybean fields and test whether cover crops such as cereal rye and reduced tillage stop it spreading through soil and water. Western Michigan University gets $395,790 to develop a low-cost sensor that lets a farmer test irrigation water and soil samples on the farm.
Michigan Tech, working with the University at Buffalo and the Keweenaw Bay Indian community, receives $397,999 to study how fish compost affects PFAS in garden vegetables and which crops take up the most. Emory University and Michigan State University share $399,995 to follow up to 80 kinds of PFAS through soil, crops and air on working farms, and Indiana University gets $400,000 to trace how the chemicals reach fields, through air, water, pesticides and manure.
"We're investing in research that will give farmers real solutions to protect their land, livestock and livelihoods from PFAS," MDARD Director Tim Boring said.
PFAS do not break down naturally and can build up in soil, water and livestock; long-term exposure has been linked to health problems in people and animals. The department says Michigan is one of the first states to fund farm-focused PFAS research. The grants were announced during the state's first PFAS Awareness Week, 21 to 25 September, and MDARD is coordinating its work with the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team of seven state agencies.
The story is based on an MDARD announcement carried by Farm Progress.
Photo: USDA / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Farm Progress
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