Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.

Refine Results
Priority Areas
Consortia
Program
Location
    See more
Year
    See more
Order

28 Grants found

Hide map

Development of a Vaccine for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Virus in Cattle 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $139,031

Total award amount   $278,163

Location   Ames, IA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Genvax Technologies

Grantee Institution   Genvax Technologies

The current H5N1 virus has spread for the first time to dairy cows, with no preventative measures available to protect U.S. herds. With a ROAR grant, Genvax Technologies is developing an H5N1 vaccine for dairy cows. They will also use diagnostic tools to differentiate between infected and vaccinated cows and conduct experiments to confirm that these diagnostic tools are effective in calves.

Addressing Red Crown Rot in Soybeans 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   East Lansing, MI

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   United Soybean Board

Grantee Institution   Michigan State University

Red crown rot, a fungal disease, is causing significant yield losses in soybeans, harming both profitability and U.S. competitiveness. Michigan State University researchers are developing tools that rapidly detect and effectively manage the disease.

FFAR Rapid Funding Develops Pest Management Program for Sweet Corn 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $146,243

Total award amount   $351,670

Location   Olathe, CO

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   AgBiTech, Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Colorado State University, Colorado West Sweet Corn Administrative Committee, Lepidext, Mountain Fresh, Mountain Quality Marketing, Soil Health Services, Tuxedo Corn Company

Grantee Institution   Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association

Corn earworm, a destructive moth, is causing millions of dollars of damage to sweet corn production in western Colorado and could potentially damage other crops. Researchers at Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers are developing a pest management strategy to protect yields and farmer profits.

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $74,133

Total award amount   $148,919

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Barnwell Bio

Grantee Institution   Barnwell Bio

Current H5N1 detection practices rely on animals displaying symptoms and targeted testing of animals suspected of illness. H5N1 can spread quickly and waiting for observable symptoms, individual examinations and testing leads to significant time lags in fighting its spread. Barnwell Bio researchers are developing a waste stream animal health monitoring system to identify the virus in asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases.

Addressing On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $148,111

Total award amount   $300,222

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   AgriNerds Inc.

Grantee Institution   AgriNerds Inc.

The recent outbreak of H5N1 influenza, commonly called bird flu or avian influenza, originated in the wild bird population and jumped to farms, resulting in the loss of more than 100 million poultry and billions of dollars in the United States. AgriNerds Inc. researchers are identifying outbreak prevention strategies using the WaterFowl Alert Network (WFAN), the world’s first remote sensing tool designed to make daily predictions of where waterfowl roost.

Rapid Response to Novel Resistance-Breaking Strain of Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum in Cultivated Strawberry 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $149,662

Total award amount   $299,323

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   University of California, Davis

Grantee Institution   University of California, Davis

Some 90% of the nation’s fresh strawberries are grown in California, but the crop is threatened by the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae (Fof) fungus, the rapid spread of which could harm both the availability of the popular fruit and growers’ livelihoods. With a ROAR grant, University of California, Davis researchers are conducting research to better understand and quickly combat the pathogen.

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Brookings, SD

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   South Dakota State University

Grantee Institution   South Dakota State University

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a highly contagious virus causing respiratory and reproductive disorders in poultry, leading to significant animal welfare concerns and economic losses. South Dakota State University researchers are developing a diagnostic tool and vaccine for the virus.

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $137,441

Total award amount   $274,882

Location   Belle Glade, FL

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Bedner Growers, Inc., University of Florida

Grantee Institution   University of Florida

Damage caused by Thrips parvispinus, an invasive insect, is costing vegetable and ornamental plant producers millions of dollars. University of Florida researchers are evaluating pesticide efficacy in controlling the insect.

FFAR Grant Addresses Emerging Pine Needle Diseases 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $74,111

Total award amount   $148,237

Location   Athens, GA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Southern Pine Health Research Cooperative, University of Florida Board of Trustees, University of Georgia Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of Georgia

Loblolly pine is a highly valuable tree for pulp, paper and lumber products and the tree provides a habitat for numerous wildlife species. This important pine is currently plagued by needle diseases, about which still too little is known. Current reports from industry and government forest managers indicate a recent increase in the prevalence of needle disease in the southeastern U.S., raising concern about the stability of this important commodity in the region. Led by Dr. Caterina Villari, University of Georgia researchers are developing diagnostics that detect and identify loblolly pine needle fungal pathogens.

FFAR Grant Develops Mitigation Tactics for Cocoa Frosty Pod Rot 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Total award amount   $248,167

Location   Turrialba, Costa Rica

Matching Funders   CATIE, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique Pour le Dévelopement (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development), Departamento de Cacao de la República Dominicana (Dominican Republic Department of Cacao), VMR Consulting and in-kind donors

Grantee Institution   Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE)- grantee name is in english on bbgm

Cocoa is the central ingredient in chocolate and used in numerous products. A devastating pathogen, frosty pod rot, is compromising the cocoa industry in continental America, having recently reached the Caribbean. If not managed properly, the pathogen can cause yield losses of up to 80%, compromising farmer profits and jeopardizing an important U.S. import. Led by Dr. Mariela Leandro, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) researchers are identifying disease control tactics.