USDA photo by Christophe Paul.
Starting on the left; USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, National Program Leader Tim Rinehart, Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torrres-Small
By Kristen Lind
In a ceremony held on January 10, 2025, in Washington D.C., the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded Breeding Insight (BI) and BI OnRamp the prestigious Agricultural Secretary Honor Award in the category of “Providing all Americans safe, nutritious food”. This award is the highest non-monetary award that is given by the Department of Agriculture. Tim Rinehart, the National Program Leader who oversees the BI project, accepted the award in person on behalf of Breeding Insight.
Breeding Insight is a USDA-ARS-funded initiative and is housed at Cornell University. BI OnRamp is a partnership between ARS and North Carolina State University that focuses on working with commodity groups, while Breeding Insight works directly with ARS breeders of specialty crops and livestock. BI’s mission is to bridge the gap between traditional breeding practices and cutting-edge technology for breeding specialty USDA-ARS species. They currently work with 27 specialty crop and animal species such as alfalfa, black raspberry, trout and honey bee. They have developed user-friendly software platforms that streamline breeding workflows, facilitate data collection and provide analysis and application of complex data. Their efforts have brought modern genomic and data science techniques into the hands of small-scale breeders and researchers; allowing them to use technologies that were previously only available to larger agricultural species such as wheat or cattle. By improving the quality and diversity of available resources, Breeding Insight assists breeders in using both phenomic (physical) and genomic (genetic) data in their programs. Use of this data then enables the breeding program to make greater genetic gains in less time, with the hopes to improve crop yields.
“This recognition from the USDA is an honor that reflects the collective effort of our team, scientific partners and the ARS breeders we serve,” said Breeding Insight Director Dr. Moira Sheehan. “Our mission has always been to make science tools and technologies accessible and actionable for breeders working to feed the world, ensure human health and safeguard biodiversity. This award recognizes our efforts and achievements in these areas.”
As Breeding Insight continues to expand its reach to more USDA-ARS breeding groups, the group is poised to drive further advancements in agricultural science. BI’s work hopes to continue to improve the efficiency of breeding programs and inspire a new generation of researchers and breeders committed to feeding a growing population.
“I’m honored to accept this award on behalf of Breeding Insight. It is a testament to what BI has been able to achieve in collaboration with their USDA-ARS partners and is recognition of the hard work, dedication and innovative spirit that thrives at Breeding Insight,” states Dr. Tim Rinehart, the National Program Leader who oversees the Breeding Insight initiative. “They are committed to pushing scientific boundaries with cutting-edge tools, software and training of breeders in numerous crops and animals species grown on U.S. farms. This award recognizes Breeding Insight’s contributions to cultural change among ARS breeders and geneticists, deployment of AI tools and modernizing ARS science across the agency, and accelerating efficiency in ARS efforts to create improved varieties for farmers and producers.”
Breeding Insight would like to thank all its past and present BI staff, its USDA-ARS breeding program partners, and the many others within the plant and animal breeding community who have contributed to BI receiving this superb honor.
