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Study of PFAS in Michigan Agricultural Systems

Study of PFAS in Michigan Agricultural Systems

Overview

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is requesting proposals for single- or multi-year research projects that will aid in the understanding, management, or mitigation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination on Michigan agricultural lands. The mission of MDARD is to improve quality of life by protecting Michiganders from the pump to the plate, supporting farmers and producers who put food on the table and creating economic opportunities within the agriculture industry. In fulfillment of this mission, MDARD is committed to addressing chemicals of emerging concern, such as PFAS, in our agricultural community.  MDARD is a core member of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), which is team of seven state agencies that work together to respond to PFAS contamination.  The goal of MPART is to protect public health by identifying sources of PFAS, addressing PFAS contamination at the sources, and working with local health departments to protect people in areas where groundwater is impacted by PFAS.

Funding & Scope

The Grants for the Study of PFAS in Michigan Agricultural Systems application is the first open announcement of research funds provided by MDARD to address PFAS in Michigan agricultural systems. Total funding for this grant program is anticipated at $1,600,000 and will be awarded dependent on quality of applications received and other relevant considerations. MDARD will fund multiple projects with a minimum value of $50,000 and a maximum value of $400,000 for any one project spanning from one to four years in duration. Research questions must clearly relate to State needs and priorities (see below) and any field work that takes place outside of Michigan must include clear justification for its applicability in state. Project funding will begin on September 1, 2026.

 

Timeline

March 23, 2026

April 20, 2026

Letter of Intent

April 20, 2026: A required Letter of Intent is due by 11:59 pm EDT for each proposal planned for submittal.  Submit at: MDARD-research@michigan.gov.

Upon receipt of the letter, projects will be assessed for applicability and authors of selected projects will receive an emailed invitation to submit a complete proposal. Authors of projects not being invited for further submissions will receive email correspondence stating so.

 

Questions

Questions about the RFP can be submitted to MDARD-research@michigan.gov until 11:59 pm EDT on May 18. Questions will be answered directly via email within 72 hours of submission. Questions and responses will also be shared publicly online as soon as possible following receipt.

June 1, 2026

Full Prososal Due

Full research proposals are due by 11:59 pm EDT on June 1, 2026. Submit all documents as a single PDF in an email to: MDARD-research@michigan.gov

July 13, 2026

Notification

Notification of final proposal funding decisions.

September 1, 2026

Funding Begins

Funding for new projects begins.

Research Priorities

This call for research proposals aims to close the gaps in the scientific understanding of how PFAS can impact agricultural activities, such as growing crops and raising livestock, and ways to mitigate those impacts. While specific research priorities have been provided below, MDARD also welcomes novel research proposals related to PFAS and agriculture that would help better understand the management of, and mitigation on, Michigan farms impacted by PFAS. In no particular order, research priorities include:
Fields

PFAS in Agricultural Systems – Sources and Soil Dynamics

This category examines the sources of PFAS to agricultural systems and their movement and storage within soil and water on site.
Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Advancing knowledge on the impact of irrigation using contaminated groundwater or surface water on PFAS levels in soils.
  • Association between PFAS accumulation and availability with soil characteristics, such as soil texture or soil organic content.
  • Sources of PFAS contamination to agricultural systems, including soil amendments, atmospheric deposition, and/or product or waste applications.
  • Using soil to predict PFAS impact on end products, including plant and animal transfer and bioaccumulation factors from soils, waters, and feed stuffs.

PFAS in Agricultural Systems – Plant Studies

This category examines the uptake, storage and availability of PFAS in cash crops, cover crops, crops intended for human or other animal consumption, or in production of products not intended for consumption.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • PFAS impact on the health and productivity of crops, including but not limited to crop yield, quality of crop, disease resistance, or drought susceptibility.
  • PFAS accumulation into or translocation between different plant tissues within exposed plants, including focus on edible plant tissues.
  • Identification of and reasoning behind seasonal or annual variance of PFAS concentrations in plant tissues.
  • Transfer factors of PFAS from soil and/or irrigation water into plants, including fodder plants, plants used for human consumption, and specialty crops such as sugar beets, apples, and potatoes.
  • PFAS uptake, storage, and ultimate fate in crops not intended for consumption (i.e. ethanol, hemp fiber), assessing PFAS concentrations in post-processing crop residuals including those that may be used as food supplements for cattle.

PFAS in Agricultural Systems – Animal Studies

This category examines PFAS uptake and movement into or through livestock and products being produced from those livestock.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Predictive modelling for movement of PFAS from soils to fodder to livestock and finally to end products, such as beef, milk, eggs, or other products.
  • Transfer factors, retention times and depuration rates of PFAS from livestock, including but not limited to bovine, porcine, caprine, ovine, and poultry.
  • PFAS impact on the health and productivity of livestock. 
  • Relationship of PFAS concentrations between organs, muscle, blood/serum, and other livestock tissues (beef, eggs, etc.) or other sampled media.
  • Techniques to reduce PFAS half-lives/increase PFAS depuration rates in livestock resulting in a lower impact of PFAS on the final product or agricultural business model.
  • PFAS impact on pollinator species, pollinator dependent plants, and pollinator end products, such as bee pollen or honey.

Managing PFAS in the Agricultural System

This category includes research to inform the management of impacted agricultural lands with a focus on maintaining production and economic viability, including mitigating and remediating contamination.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Advancing knowledge of which PFAS analytes tend to be most impactful on agricultural systems, from their affinity for soils and water, to their movement into the biota, and finally their impact on human and animal health.
  • The impact of different conservation practices on PFAS soil dynamics (i.e., no-till, cover crops).
  • Agricultural management strategies to reduce the impact of PFAS on end products.
  • Technologies to immobilize, remove or destroy PFAS in agricultural soils or water sources to reduce downstream impacts.

Eligibility

Qualified researchers at universities and colleges, including community and Tribal colleges, are eligible to be principal investigators.  At least one principal investigator is required to be from a Michigan institution of higher education. Project team members are not limited to researchers at these organizations. For example, project team members may include people from non-governmental organizations, consulting firms, Tribal agencies, or other relevant organizations. An individual may not be a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than two applications.

Equal Opportunity

The State of Michigan and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, partisan considerations, or a disability or genetic information that is unrelated to the person’s ability to perform the duties of a particular job or position.

To file a complaint of discrimination, please contact: MDARD Office of Legal Affairs, 525 West Allegan, Lansing, MI 48909, or call 517-284-5729.
You may also contact the Michigan Department of Civil Rights at:

Phone: 313-456-3700
Fax: 313-456-3701
Toll-Free: 800-482-3604
TTY: 877-878-8464
Email: MDCRServiceCenter@michigan.gov

Letter of Intent

In one page or less, submit a letter describing the expected project title, project partners, research priority classification(s) (as listed above), and a 1-2 sentence project summary.  If the research will address priorities aside from those provided, please describe the research priority and why it is of importance for Michigan agriculture. Letters of Intent will be accepted beginning March 23, 2026, and continuing through April 20, 2026. No Letters of Intent will be accepted after 11:59 pm EDT on April 20, 2026. Note: if invited to submit a complete proposal, the exact title, project partners, or other details can be edited as needed when preparing the proposal preparation below.

Proposal Preparation

The Project Narrative should be a maximum of five pages, and each section should be clearly delineated in your narrative. Please use 1-inch margins and 11 point or larger font. The literature cited and team qualification sections do not count towards the page limit. Please use the provided cover page and budget/budget justification template, neither of which count towards the page limit. Proposals are due on June 1, 2026, by 11:59 pm EDT and should be submitted as a single assembled PDF to MDARD-research@michigan.gov.

Project Narrative

The Project Narrative must include each of the following sections. Sections 1 – 5 count toward the five-page narrative limit. 

  1. Rationale, Problem Statement and Literature Review: Describe the need for the proposed research being sure to highlight the novelty of the topic area, how your research fits into the current body of science including what gaps in understanding it aims to address, and how the project addresses priorities listed in the grant opportunity announcement.
  2. Objectives and Hypotheses: Provide the key objectives and related hypotheses, research questions, or predictions associated with those objectives. Measurable, hypothesis-based objectives are typically preferred.
  3. Study Design and Methodology: Explain the overall study design and subsequent methods, techniques, and analyses used to meet the objectives. The investigator should demonstrate the technical qualities of the proposed approach with enough detail so that the review panel can adequately assess the features of the proposed work. Be sure to describe any collaboration between universities and the public and/or private sector. Please include specific information on why you chose the method you selected, how many sites/replicates will be collected, project location, how the data will be collected, what statistical analysis or other data calculations will be used, etc.
  4. Timeline: Create a timeline or schedule for meeting various objectives of your choosing.
  5. Broader Impacts and Relevance for Michigan: This section should focus on the larger benefits of this research to society and especially to the agricultural community in Michigan, including Michigan commodities, agricultural practices, and natural systems. Ideally this section will make a connection between the outcomes of the proposed research and efforts by MDARD and/or MPART.  Also in this section, be sure to include the education and outreach strategies that your team will use for the dissemination of information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  6. Literature Cited (does not contribute to 5-page limit): Provide all literature references above.
  7. Team Qualifications (does not contribute to 5-page limit): Provide a one- or two-page biosketch for each PI that includes relevant information to support the success of the project. Specific details should be added at the investigator’s discretion- this could include publications, presentations, other forms of outreach and service, honors, past funding, past positions, etc.

Budget and Budget Justification (does not contribute to 5-page limit)

Use the budget template provided for overall budget details and submit a budget justification for the project along with each subaward for any co-PIs following the guidance below.

  1. Personnel: provide the percentage of time budgeted for PIs, Postdoctoral or Research Associates/Technicians, and other Technical Support; provide appropriate description for graduate or undergraduate students (i.e., summer or academic semester support, summer stipend, or hours and hourly wage, etc.).  Fringe benefits must provide the basis for calculation.
  2. Non-Expendable Equipment: provide concise description and estimated cost per piece of equipment.
  3. Expendable Supplies: provide a description of any materials, supplies, publication costs, and consumable equipment needed to support the project
  4. Travel: Include details for sampling, project meetings, and/or conferences.
  5. Other Costs: Include any subawards for co-PIs in this section. Be sure to provide a separate budget and budget justification for co-PIs. This may also include laboratory analysis or other external contractor support.
  6. Indirect Costs: Maximum allowable indirect costs are 10% of modified total direct costs, or the total of all costs (A, C-E) except for non-expendable equipment (B).

Proposal Evaluation:

Experts from state management agencies and appropriate content experts will review the proposals.  Proposals that do not adhere to the above criteria may not be considered for review or funding. Investigators will be notified by July 13, 2026, of final funding decisions.

Proposals will be evaluated using the criteria listed below.

Category Points
Contribution to Michigan Agriculture: The applicability of the proposed project to PFAS in agriculture, its relevance for Michigan, and the degree the proposal responds to the provided research priorities. 20
Technical and Scientific Merit: The potential for the proposed project to advance the science and understanding of PFAS in agriculture, whether the approach is technically sound and novel, the appropriateness of the methods, clearly stated objectives, if the project will achieve anticipated results in the time proposed. 30
Literature Support: Existing knowledge base or gaps in knowledge are supported through literature. Literature cited is recent and appropriate to the proposed project. 10
Broader Impacts: The potential for the project to benefit society through scientific advances along with other tangible outcomes such as clear guidance or communication with MDARD regarding the application of project results, innovative result dissemination incorporating products aimed at a non-technical audience, STEM training and workforce development. 20
Qualification and Past Record of Investigators: Applicants possess the necessary education, experience, training, facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project. 10
Project Cost: Budget is realistic and is commensurate with the project needs and timeframe. 10
Total: 100

Scores for all reviewed proposals will be ranked from highest to lowest. Projects recommended for funding will have a high rank, not be duplicative of a stronger proposal submitted under this call, increase the diversity of research topics and/or universities funded, and/or fit the available funding pool until that pool is exhausted