The Initiative is guided by a Steering Committee that includes growers, farm organizations, food processors (i.e. millers, pasta manufacturers, maltsters and brewers), scientists (from Land Grant universities, USDA, and private companies), and consumer groups. Each year, the Steering Committee submits to the USDA-ARS a comprehensive and optimized research plan designed to achieve the Initiative´s goals. That plan is the Initiative´s recommendation for how the USDA-ARS can most effectively employ the funds appropriated by the U.S. Congress for collaborative scab research. The USWBSI’s Action Plan leads to greater collaboration and communication, and more rapid attainment of the Initiative’s primary goal: to enhance food safety and supply by reducing the impact of Fusarium Head Blight (scab) on wheat and barley.

The following are the USWBSI´s research categories:

• Research Areas:
  • FHB Management (MGMT)
    • Integrated Management Coordinated Project (IM-CP)
  • Food Safety and Toxicology (FST)
  • Gene Discovery and Engineering Resistance (GDER)
  • Pathogen Biology and Genetics (PBG)
• Commodity-based Coordinated Projects:
  • Barley (BAR-CP)
  • Durum (DUR-CP)
  • Hard Winter Wheat (HWW-CP)

• Variety Development and Host Resistance (VDHR) Coordinated Projects:
  Organized around the following Regional Coordinated Projects
  • Spring Wheat Parents
  • Northern Soft Winter Wheat
  • Southern Soft Red Winter Wheat