Grants Archive

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

Assessing the long-term effect of feeding bromoform to dairy cows on methane emissions, milk production, composition & functionality, animal health, reproductive performance, human safety, rumen function, microbiome & offspring performance.

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $726,686

Total award amount $1,863,363

Location Ellinbank, Victoria, Australia

Matching Funders The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, Ag Emissions Centre (formerly New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre), Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus PLC, Nestlé, the Global Methane Hub and JBS USA.

Grantee Institution State of Victoria as represented by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action through Agriculture Victoria Research

Cows and other ruminant animals produce enteric methane as part of their natural digestive process. This methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gases in the beef and dairy sectors. Addressing enteric methane emissions is critical to slowing the effects of climate change while also helping the dairy and beef sectors meet their sustainability goals. This project is exploring the effectiveness and safety of feeding grazing dairy cows bromoform, a methane-reducing compound, daily during a 10-month full lactation period to assess the impacts on the cows, their calves and milk quality and determine whether bromoform can be used as a methane-mitigation tool for grazing dairy systems.

Effects of Continuous Inhibitor Dosing on Rumen Function & Animal Health

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $348,719

Total award amount $704,104

Location Palmerston North, New Zealand

Grantee Institution New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited

Cows and other ruminant animals produce enteric methane as part of their natural digestive process. This methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gases in the beef and dairy sectors. Addressing enteric methane emissions is critical to slowing the effects of climate change while also helping the dairy and beef sectors meet their sustainability goals. This project is investigating whether giving cows a continuous pulsed dose of bromoform can shift the microbes in the cow’s rumen from generating methane to acetate, a natural energy source for cows. This research could help cows derive more energy from their feed while releasing less methane.

Understanding HPAI Transmission Risk on Dairy Farms

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $112,600

Total award amount $225,201

Location East Lansing, MI

Program Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders Michigan State University

Grantee Institution Michigan State University

Beginning in early 2024, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in U.S. dairy herds, threatening milk production. Yet little is known about how the virus spreads in cows. Through a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) grant, Michigan State University researchers are studying how HPAI is transmitted in dairy cows.

Developing a Decontamination Strategy for HPAI-Infected Milk

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $150,000

Total award amount $300,404

Location College Station, TX

Program Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders Texas A&M AgriLife Research

Grantee Institution Texas A&M University

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus is present in the milk of infected cows, and to limit on-farm spread, requires cost-prohibitive and resource-intensive on-farm pasteurization and heat decontamination treatments. Texas A&M University researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of chemical controls in decontaminating milk.

Protecting Cattle from Asian Longhorned Tick

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $147,491

Total award amount $341,648

Location Kalamazoo, MI

Program Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders Zoetis

Grantee Institution Zoetis

The emergence of Asian longhorned ticks in the U.S. is threatening the health of cattle herds in 24 states, raising concerns about significant economic losses. Zoetis researchers are developing a biological control tool for the harmful pests.

Pangenome-based Identification of Genetic Variants Conferring Stress Resistance in Tomato Wild Relatives, and Efficient Transfer to Cultivated Tomato

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $994,561

Total award amount $2,063,835

Location Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders Meiogenix

Grantee Institution Boyce Thompson Institute

Tomatoes are an important economic and nutritional crop, but they are vulnerable to stresses from extreme weather and disease, which puts food security and farmers’ profits at risk. This research is harnessing wild tomatoes’ genetic diversity to improve cultivated tomato varieties. The research is focusing on resistance to drought and early blight disease, two significant challenges facing tomato growers worldwide.

Applied Innovation of Myoinositol to Improve Cattle Fertility & Sustainability of Cattle Production Systems

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $352,936

Total award amount $705,871

Location Knoxville, TN

Program Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Grantee Institution University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

This study is testing whether the supplement myoinositol, known to enhance fertility in women, can improve egg quality and embryo development in cattle when added in the lab or given directly to donor cows. By increasing fertilization, embryo viability and pregnancy rates, the research aims to make in vitro embryo production (IVP) more successful, overcoming current challenges with poor egg quality.

Transforming Dairy Cattle Lameness Management through a Combination of Artificial Intelligence-Powered Video Analytics & Genomic, Epidemiological & Extension Approaches

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $1,000,000

Total award amount $2,000,000

Location St. Paul, MN

Program Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders CattleEye LTD, CATTLEytics, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding and Kinder Ground

Grantee Institution University of Minnesota

Researchers are combining advanced data analysis of farm records, hoof health history and genetic information with autonomous cameras to better understand the impact, causes and detection of lameness in dairy cows to help farms breed cows less prone to it. Lameness caused by hoof lesions remains one of the most costly and persistent animal welfare issues on U.S dairy farms, affecting cow health and productivity and farm profitability.

Ten H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Awards

Year Awarded 2025

Total award amount $2,100,000

Location Manhattan, KS

Program H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program

Grantee Institution Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and Pork Checkoff

The U.S. pork industry has made prevention and preparedness for H5N1 influenza a top priority due to the virus' recent expansion into novel species, including dairy cattle and a backyard pig. These awards address this priority by enhancing prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza. Specifically, the projects focus on transmission within and across species, vaccine development and surveillance. A full list of research projects is available on the SHIC website.

Exploring the Benefits of Integrating the Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) Trait into Winter Wheat to Enhance Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Establishing BNI in Winter Wheat & Developing a Comprehensive Nitrogen Assessment Platform for Global Potential

Year Awarded 2025

FFAR award amount $1,932,367

Total award amount $14,492,754

Location Texcoco, Mexico

Matching Funders Novo Nordisk Foundation

Grantee Institution CIMMYT

The biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) trait has the potential to improve nitrogen use efficiency and soil health by stabilizing nitrogen reserves within the root zone of crops. This project seeks to introduce the BNI trait into winter wheat using next generation breeding technologies that reduce generation time, conserve resources and increase the number of generations per year. The goal is to deliver winter wheat with improved nitrogen use efficiency, high yield and adaptability. In addition, the researchers are developing a comprehensive platform to better measure and assess nitrogen cycling, helping to determine the BNI trait’s contribution to improving nitrogen use efficiency in wheat production systems.

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

185 Grants found

Understanding HPAI Transmission Risk on Dairy Farms

Addressing Red Crown Rot in Soybeans

Developing a Decontamination Strategy for HPAI-Infected Milk

Protecting Cattle from Asian Longhorned Tick

Pangenome-based Identification of Genetic Variants Conferring Stress Resistance in Tomato Wild Relatives, and Efficient Transfer to Cultivated Tomato

Applied Innovation of Myoinositol to Improve Cattle Fertility & Sustainability of Cattle Production Systems

Development of Prevention, Detection and Response Strategies for the Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)

Transforming Dairy Cattle Lameness Management through a Combination of Artificial Intelligence-Powered Video Analytics & Genomic, Epidemiological & Extension Approaches

Ten H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Awards

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Program Six Awards

FFAR Vet Fellows Seventh Cohort

ICASA Awards Grants to Develop Animal-Health Monitoring and Diagnostic Technologies

Unearthing Maize Genes for Enhanced Nitrogen Use Efficiency & AMF Synergy

Accelerating Perennial Crop Development Through Phenomic & Genomic Selection Applied in Pre-breeding & Advanced Breeding Stages

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

Decision Tools Help Producers Analyze Cost of Swine Mortality for Operations Improvement

FFAR Rapid Funding Develops Pest Management Program for Sweet Corn

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool

A multiplexed chemical sensor system to automate non-invasive, in-ovo sex determination for the poultry industry

Leveraging landrace genomics to rapidly engineer thermotolerant cassava

Using novel genes from wild germplasm to boost protein content in cultivated chickpea

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

Improving Fiber Hemp Quality Through Enhanced Retting Probiotics & Appropriate Harvest Timing

Improving Hemp Quality Through Harvest Timing & Enhanced Processing

Addressing On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl

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

Grant Improves Stress Tolerance in Carrots

Novel Tools for Engineering Apomixis in Soybean

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort

Understanding Plant Parasitic Nematode Virulence Mechanisms: A Valuable Approach to Expedite Breeding Durable & Broad-spectrum Crop Resistance

Novel Biobased Antiviral Treatments for Bee Pollinator Health

International Lettuce Genomics Consortium 4: Pre-competitive Foundational Research for Lettuce Breeding

Decreasing Pulmonary-Associated Mortality in Feedlot Cattle Using Refined Case Definitions & Predictive Analytics, Emphasizing Acute Interstitial Pneumonia & Late Day BRD

Metabolomic analysis of blood plasma to identify unique biomarkers indicative of liver abscesses

Associations between feeding & management practices of beef-on-dairy cattle from birth to harvest with liver abscesses

Promoting antimicrobial stewardship through improved understanding of how feedlot cattle are classified based on BRD risk

Antimicrobial Use Monitoring & Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest

Protecting Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pests

A Novel Cell-Surface-Receptor Strategy for Mitigating Mycotoxins

Modeling for genomic, blood & microbiological markers for liver abscesses in fed beef cattle

Understanding liver abscess pathogenesis & risk-factors of feedlot cattle reared in conventional beef versus dairy management systems

ICASA: Defining the contribution of acidosis to the liver abscess complex using novel challenge model to delineate impacts of diet composition and feeding management on liver abscess pathogenesis

Acoustic Monitoring to Support Mass Cattle Treatment Decisions

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Field trial of gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Elucidating the Genetic Basis for Sub-Tropical Flowering in Hemp

Breeding & Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain & Fiber Hemp

Integrating Genomics, Milk Spectrometry & Microbial Manipulations to Mitigate Enteric Methane Emissions from Dairy Cattle

Hydrogen Production and Hydrogen Utilization in the Rumen of Beef & Dairy Cattle: Key Rumen Microbiome Measurements to Understand Mechanisms Controlling Methanogenesis & Mitigating Enteric Methane Emissions

Evaluation of the Efficacy, Agronomic Fit & Environmental Fate of Biopesticides for Management of Economically Important Diseases & Arthropod Pests of Hemp

A holistic approach to improving keel bone health of breeders and commercial layer hens

Developing Tomato Lines Resistant to Broomrape, a Critical World-wide Pest

Enabling African Scientists: The African Plant Breeding Academy CRISPR Course

Development of Novel Methanogenesis Inhibitors in Ruminants

Investigating Natural Nitro-Compounds as a Viable Strategy to Reduce Enteric Methane Emission from Ruminants

Grant Investigates Naturally Occurring Compound to Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions

FFAR Vet Fellows Fifth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Fourth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Third Cohort

Validation of Efficacy of a Protective DIVA-Compatible Prototype African Swine Fever Virus Vaccine

Identifying Proteins Required for Immunity to ASFV

Analyzing the Efficacy of Live-vectored Prototype ASFV Subunit Vaccines

Assessment of the Available Literature & Gap Analysis on the Use of Industrial Hemp as an Animal Feed

Multistate Characterization of Agronomic Performance of Hemp Cultivars, Including Sterility of New Triploid Cultivars

Impact of Spectra & Intensity of LED Supplemental Lighting on Morphology, Growth, Flower Yield & Phytochemical Content of Cannabis Sativa

Breeding & Genetics of Disease Resistance, Flowering Time & Cannabinoid Content in Hemp

Analysis of Terpenes & Neutral Cannabinoids Using Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry & Genotyping of Hemp Using the SureSelect System

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

ICASA: Antimicrobial Use Monitoring and Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

ICASA: Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle; further delineation of the etiology and pathogenesis

ICASA: Fecal microbiota transplant to reduce post-weaning diarrhea and antibiotic use

ICASA: Novel Strategies to Improve Understanding of Liver Abscess Formation and Mitigation in Beef Cattle

ICASA: Pathogen-host interaction during the development of liver abscesses; local and systemic immune and metabolic responses during Fusobacterium necrophorum challenges

Novel Strategies to Improve the Understanding of Liver Abscess Formation in Beef Cattle

ICASA: Improving the efficacy of vaccination against mycoplasma hyosynoviae by identifying optimal application times

Improving the Efficacy of Vaccination Against Mycoplasma Hyosynoviae by Identifying Optimal Application Times

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