Grants Archive

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

Addressing future global dairy demand: Targeting the gut-liver axis to promote heat stress resilience in dairy cattle

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $736,392

Total award amount $1,470,000

Location Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders AB Vista, Adisseo, Balchem Corporation, Berg + Schmidt, Elanco, Phibro Animal Health, Vetagro

Grantee Institution Cornell University

Heat-stressed dairy cows cost the American dairy industry an alarming $1.5 billion annually. Dairy cows are unable to efficiently produce milk when their body temperatures rise above normal. Heat-stress is also associated with reduced fertility and increases in diseases. Cornell University researchers are identifying nutrition-based solutions that improves dairy cows’ ability to adapt to extreme heat.

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Research: Elizabeth Ainsworth

Year Awarded 2019

Total award amount $100,000

Location Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Grantee Institution USDA-ARS

Dr. Elizabeth Ainsworth, a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service researcher and adjunct professor at the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois, is the 2019 recipient of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences. Ainsworth’s pioneering research focuses on how the world will eat in the face of climate change and other threats.

Crops of the Future: Corn Drought Resistance

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $900,000

Total award amount $1,800,000

Location Madison, WI

Matching Funders Inari, KWS, Syngenta

Grantee Institution University of Wisconsin Madison

Drought is a primary limitation to crop production that impacts future food security. Researchers at the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System are enhancing genetic characterization and prediction of drought response in maize.

Crops in Silico 3.0

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $2,500,000

Total award amount $5,000,000

Location Urbana-Champaign, IL

Matching Funders The Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment at the University of Illinois, NCSA

Grantee Institution University of Illinois

University of Illinois researchers are developing a suite of virtual plant models that examine the effects of environmental challenges on a molecular, cellular and organ level within a plant to accurately determine the best targets for genetic engineering. This second grant allows researchers to continue building a computational platform that integrates multiple models to study a whole plant virtually.

Stopping A New Threat to The Lettuce Industry in Florida: Fusarium Wilt

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $67,892

Total award amount $135,806

Location Gainesville, FL

Program Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders University of Florida

Grantee Institution University of Florida

Fusarium Wilt is a fungus that threatens the $70 million Floridian lettuce industry. University of Florida researchers are developing disease management practices and training lettuce growers to better manage cross contamination to reduce the spread of this disease.

Improving Dairy Feed Efficiency, Sustainability and Profitability by Impacting Farmer’s Breeding and Culling Decisions

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $1,000,000

Total award amount $1,999,999

Location East Lansing, MI

Program Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding

Grantee Institution Michigan State University

Feeding dairy cows accounts for more than half of total dairy farm costs. Dairy farmers could significantly reduce feed costs by selecting cows that produce the same or more milk while consuming less feed. Michigan State University researchers are monitoring dairy cows’ body temperature, feeding behavior and locomotion, along with milk spectral data, to predict feed intake and gather data from thousands of cows to allow farmers to select the most efficient cows.

Toward Responsible Pacific Bluefin Tuna Mariculture in the United States: Captive Reproduction, Hatchery Research and Product

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $945,735

Total award amount $2,978,942

Location West Des Moines, IA

Matching Funders Ichthus Unlimited, LLC, Texas A&M, Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Illinois Soybean Foundation, San Diego Port

Grantee Institution Ichthus Unlimited LLC

At only three percent of its original population, Pacific Bluefin Tuna are on the verge of being placed on the endangered species list. Ichthus Unlimited, LLC is cultivating Pacific Bluefin Tuna eggs to grow juvenile fish, which can then mature on tuna farms. Acquiring tuna eggs from hatcheries, rather than the wild, would reduce overfishing and help stabilize the wild population.

Sustainable Control Tactics for Spotted Wing Drosophila in Tart Cherry

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $150,000

Total award amount $300,000

Location East Lansing, MI

Program Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders Michigan State University Project GREEN, Michigan State University Ag Bio Research

Grantee Institution Michigan State University

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is an invasive pest that attacks a wide range of fruits, including blueberries, cherries and raspberries. Michigan State University researchers are optimizing insecticide programs against SWD, evaluating other control tactics, refining monitoring tools and developing a real-time reporting system of trapping efforts.

Red Seaweed

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $50,000

Total award amount $291,000

Location New York, NY

Matching Funders Elm Innovations, Schmidt Family Foundation/The 11th Hour Project, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Skaaren Trust, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Grantee Institution University of California Davis

During digestion, cattle emit methane, which contributes to climate change. University of California, Davis researchers are evaluating whether feeding cows red seaweed reduces methane emissions and if the additive impacts milk production and quality.

Maine Scallop Aquaculture Initiative

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $300,000

Total award amount $600,000

Location Brunswick, ME

Matching Funders Coastal Enterprises, Inc.

Grantee Institution Coastal Enterprises Inc.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. is examining a Japanese scallop production technique that grows scallops faster with larger meat yields to establish a scallop market in Maine.

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

160 Grants found

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

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

Investigating waterless decontamination and application potential in transportation biosecurity

What is the cost of disease for grow-finish producers?

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort

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

High-throughput in-ovo sexing of chicken eggs using hyperspectral imaging & Raman spectroscopy

Project Ella

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 rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Elucidating the genetic basis for sub-tropical flowering in hemp

Breeding and Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain and 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

Using sensors & psychological profile to increase compliance of wean to market barn biosecurity

Development of an effective & practical biosecurity entrance system

Self-vaccinating pigs to save labor, improve efficacy & enhance biosecurity: Mhp, IAV, Ileitis & Erysipelas evaluations

Comparison of a rail-mounted automated power washer to a commercial manual power washing crew in terms of cleanliness, manpower & water usage efficiency

Determining the economical & epidemiological benefit of cleaning & disinfecting market haul trailers within the U.S. swine industry

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

Using the power of functional genomics and genetics to reduce keel bone damage

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

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Round One Projects

Plant-XR: A New Generation of Breeding Tools for Extra-Resilient Crops

Identifying Proteins Required for Immunity to ASFV

Analyzing the Efficacy of Live-vectored Prototype ASFV Subunit Vaccines

Fast Tracking Climate Solutions from Global Germplasm Banks

Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize & Wheat for Improved Livelihoods

Harnessing Translational Research Across a Global Wheat Improvement Network for Climate Resilience

Assessment of the Available Literature and 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 and intensity of LED supplemental lighting on morphology, growth, flower yield, and phytochemical content of Cannabis Sativa

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

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

FlockFocus Camera-Based Technology Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare

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

ICASA: Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

ICASA: Development of a non-invasive model to induce liver abscess formation in cattle

Genomic foundation for neodomestication and breeding of a halophytic grain crop, Distichlis palmeri

Fecal Microbiota Transplant to Reduce Post Weaning Diarrhea & Antibiotic Use

Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

Pathogen-Host Interaction During the Development of Liver Abscesses; Local & Systemic Immune & Metabolic Responses During Fusobacterium Necrophorum Challenges

Defining the Contribution of Acidosis to the Liver Abscess Complex Using a Novel Challenge Model to Delineate Impacts of Diet Composition & Feeding Management on Liver Abscess Pathogenesis

Further Delineation of the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Liver Abscesses in Feedlot Cattle

Development of a Non-Invasive Model to Induce Liver Abscess Formation in Beef Cattle

High protein aquatic plants for controlled environment indoor farms

Mitigating antibiotic use in aquaculture through vaccination

More Beans (MB): A Next Generation Legume for Healthy Urban Food

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