U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative's Networking and Facilitation Office and Website.

The mission of the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative is to enhance food safety and supply by reducing the impact of Fusarium Head Blight (scab) on wheat and barley. In one sense, the Initiative is a self-organized "contact group" on scab. The organizational structure of the USWBSI is comprised of a Steering Committee (SC), an Executive Committee (EC), four research area committees (RAC), six coordinated project committees (CPC) and the Networking and Facilitation Office (NFO). The composition of all committees is designed to ensure balanced input from all commodities, regions, disciplines, and institutions engaged in the battle against scab in the development of the annual recommended research plan and budget. Development of the annual recommended research plan and budget is a complex process. The Initiative’s Networking and Facilitation Office (NFO), based at the University of Kentucky and Michigan State University, facilitates and coordinates this process. As “headquarters” of the Initiative, the Networking & Facilitation Office (NFO) is the liaison between the USWBSI and USDA-ARS-NPS administration.