WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will invest at least $21.7 million in several key programs to help agricultural producers manage the impacts of climate change on their lands and production. NIFA awarded $6.3 million for 14 Soil Health grants and $5.4 million for seven Signals in the Soil grants through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). NIFA also is investing at least $10 million this year in a new program area priority called, “Extension, Education, and USDA Climate Hub Partnerships,” also funded through AFRI, to train the next generation of agriculturalists and foresters to incorporate climate change research into their management practices.