FFAR Grant Develops Tools to Predict Consumer Demand, Reduce Food Waste 

FFAR Grant Improves Soil Health Through Phosphorus Management 

Phosphorus, a nutrient commonly found in manure and commercial fertilizers, is beneficial to plant growth. Despite phosphorus’ beneficial properties, there are only few studies on the effects of soil health practices on phosphorus. Kansas State University researchers are examining how cover crops and phosphorous management strategies interact to influence soil health.

Metagenomic Probes for the Rapid Identification of the Microbiome Community in A Wheat Rhizospheremodel System 

Plant pathogens can harm plants, reduce water quality and cause soil erosion. Oklahoma State University researchers are using high-throughput sequencing to determine what affects plant health.

A Systematic Approach to Improve Heifer Selection and the Sustainability of Beef Production. 

Cattle infertility causes significant loss for cattle producers. Auburn University researchers are improving the efficiency of cattle production by identifying molecular markers that indicate reproductive potential. This research can help producers select cattle with the best reproductive capabilities.

Improving the Nutritional Quality of Tomatoes 

Diet is the leading cause of many chronic diseases. The Ohio State University research team is combining plant breeding/genetics, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics and nutrition to develop tomatoes that are more beneficial for human health.

Harnessing Multi-Trophic Chemical Ecology to Obtain Sustainable Pest Control and Improved Soil Health 

Pests and pathogens destroy food crops, causing significant losses to farmers and threatening food security. The Pennsylvania State University research team is discovering mechanisms and management practices that manage interactions between cover crops, soil dynamics and beneficial organisms to increase crop resistance to pests and pathogens.

Tools to Detect and Understand Spread of African Swine Fever Virus 

The African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious disease that spreads rapidly in pig populations and has no known cure. Kansas State University and Iowa State University researchers are studying how ASFV survives in pens and developing diagnostic tools to test pigs for the virus.

Age Susceptibility and Lateral Transmission of Turkey Arthritis Reovirus 

Turkey Arthritis Reovirus (TARV), a poultry virus that infects up to 70 percent of U.S. turkey flocks, causes lameness in turkeys and economic losses for producers. University of Minnesota researchers are tracking how the virus is spread and when to best administer a preventative vaccine.

A Microchip-based Chemical Sensor For Early-Stage in Ovo Sex Determination of Layer Chicks 

As only female chicks are used for egg production, male chicks are culled after hatching. FFAR's Egg-Tech Prize is developing technology that can determine a chick’s sex before it hatches so male egg can be used for other purposes. SensIT Venture Inc. researchers are developing a chemical sensor chip to detect the volatiles and using machine learning to classify the eggs by gender. This project is one of the six Phase I winners, who received funding to develop the necessary technology to compete for the Prize.