Our History
We’ve come a long way since we were established in 2014, yet our commitment to funding bold science remains the same.
February 7, 2014
FFAR is Established
Congress established FFAR in the Agricultural Act of 2014 with bipartisan support and the Farm Bill is signed into law by President Obama.
July 23, 2014
USDA Secretary Announced Creation of FFAR
Then USDA Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of FFAR and appointed a 15-member board of directors.
November 6-7, 2014
Inaugural Board Meeting
The FFAR Board of Directors met for the first time in Washington, D.C.
October 28, 2015
FFAR launched inaugural programs
FFAR launched the New Innovators Award and the Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program.
November 16, 2016
FFAR Awarded First Grants
May 18, 2016
FFAR Hosted First Convening Event
October 2018
FFAR Revised Research Focus, Our Challenge Areas
In 2016, the board of directors defined seven Challenge Areas, topics that comprise our strategic research framework. In 2018, we revise the Challenge Areas:
- Healthy Soils, Thriving Farms became Soil Health
- Overcoming Water Scarcity is now Sustainable Water Management
- We added Next Generation Crops
- Protein Challenge became Advanced Animal Systems
- Urban Food Systems remained the same
- Food Waste and Loss and Making My Plate Your Plate combined into Health-Agriculture Nexus
- The Forging the Innovation Pathway to Sustainability was eliminated as sustainability is a key theme across all Challenge Areas.
February 5, 2019
FFAR Hosted First Signature Event, Foster Our Future
December 20, 2018
FFAR Was Refunded in the 2018 Farm Bill
July 15, 2019
FFAR Awarded 100th Grant
We awarded our 100th grant to the Blackfeet Nation and Montana State University for research supporting food sovereignty and nutrition.
June 23, 2019
FFAR Celebrated Fifth Anniversary
July 22, 2021
FFAR’s Executive Director, Dr. Sally Rockey Announces Retirement
February 5, 2020
FFAR Launched the Agricultural Climate Partnership
July 28, 2021
FFAR’s Kirchner Food Fellowship Announces Inaugural HBCU Cohort
April 12, 2022
FFAR names Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin as Executive Director.
November 5, 2021
FFAR Participates in Aim for Climate at COP26
April 13, 2022
FFAR names Dr. Sally Rockey as Executive Director Emeritus as final recognition of her leadership in food and agriculture.
