Grants Archive

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

Increasing Motivation and Promoting Persistence in Farmer Conservation

Year Awarded 2023

FFAR award amount $120,238

Total award amount $246,924

Location Columbus, OH

Program Achieving Conservation Through Targeted Information, Outreach and Networking (ACTION) Program

Matching Funders Walton Family Foundation

Grantee Institution The Ohio State University

Almost half of growers who do not implement conservation practices have positive attitudes about those practices. This project is testing the effects of interventions meant to close this gap. Researchers will develop targeted engagement that addresses farmers’ needs, including plans for overcoming challenges and maintaining motivation to continue conservation practices when financial incentives end. The team is developing interventions that target the gap between valuing conservation and implementing practices, assessing their effectiveness and creating guidance for scaling up the proposed interventions.

Novel Farmer-to-Farmer Learning Approaches to Cultivate a Culture of Conservation in the Mississippi River Basin

Year Awarded 2023

FFAR award amount $127,676

Total award amount $262,200

Location Sparta, WI

Program Achieving Conservation Through Targeted Information, Outreach and Networking (ACTION) Program

Matching Funders Walton Family Foundation

Grantee Institution University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension

This project is testing two engagement approaches to increase farmer willingness to adopt conservation practices. These approaches facilitate peer learning among farmers. The first approach is a series of virtual meetups for farmers to foster peer-to-peer conversation about implementing conservation practices. The second approach is a mini-grant program that will support pairs of farmers and farm advisors to implement edge-of-field practices, learn how to become opinion leaders and develop multimedia to encourage other farmers to adopt conservation practices.

Equipping Conservation Professionals and Farmers with Tools to Deliver Edge of Field Practices

Year Awarded 2023

FFAR award amount $226,636

Total award amount $480,426

Location Ames, IA

Program Achieving Conservation Through Targeted Information, Outreach and Networking (ACTION) Program

Matching Funders Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition, Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership, Walton Family Foundation

Grantee Institution Iowa State University

The cost and complexity of technical assistance is a major barrier to large scale adoption of edge-of-field conservation practices. This project is equipping professionals and farmers to deliver edge-of-field practices at scale in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Researchers are studying models being used to implement these practices and are compiling intervention and engagement strategies that can be tailored to local conditions and target audiences. The project is using these studies to produce data-driven decision support tools that will allow farmers to scale up practices.

Integrating genomics, milk spectrometry & microbial manipulations to mitigate enteric methane emissions from dairy cattle

Year Awarded 2023

FFAR award amount $1,556,634

Total award amount $3,301,496

Location Madison, WI

Matching Funders Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus plc, JBS USA, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC)

Grantee Institution University of Wisconsin–Madison

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. This research is combining interventions that address selective breeding, data on milk composition, and rumen microbes to gain the necessary knowledge to inform the selective breeding of U.S. dairy cattle with lower emissions.

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

Year Awarded 2023

FFAR award amount $1,066,820

Total award amount $3,221,254

Location Champaign, IL

Matching Funders Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus plc, JBS USA, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé, the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Grantee Institution University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Cows and other ruminant animals produce enteric methane as part of their natural digestive process. Microorganisms in the rumen use hydrogen and carbon dioxide to produce large volumes of methane. This methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gases in the beef and dairy sectors. This project studies how diets and different additives affect hydrogen production and utilization in the rumen of both beef and dairy cattle and how these changes in hydrogen dynamics affect the amount of enteric methane produced.

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

Year Awarded 2023

Total award amount $125,930

Location St-Hyacinthe, QC

Program Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Matching Funders Swine Health Information Center & Pork Checkoff

Grantee Institution University of Montreal

One of the biggest farm biosecurity challenges is the enforcement of safe and hygienic behaviors from barn workers and visitors. To better understand biosecurity compliance, this research is using social and behavioral sciences to adapt interventions and establish improved biosecurity behaviors.

Development of an effective & practical biosecurity entrance system

Year Awarded 2023

Total award amount $179,933

Location Columbia, MO

Program Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Matching Funders Swine Health Information Center & Pork Checkoff

Grantee Institution University of Missouri

A common practice to minimize the introduction of disease in swine barns is for everyone entering a swine facility to use a shower-in and shower-out system. However, it is a challenge to enforce the use of these systems across all farm workers and personnel. This research is evaluating the effectiveness of an innovative, easy-to-use biosecurity-effective entry system for commercial pig farms to replace the laborious shower-in and shower-out system to provide a simplified, effective alternative for barn entry and exit.

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

Year Awarded 2023

Total award amount $119,018

Location Lubbock, TX

Program Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Matching Funders Swine Health Information Center & Pork Checkoff

Grantee Institution Texas Tech University

Pigs commonly receive vaccines by intramuscular injection, which requires significant skilled labor that is in short supply and costly to producers. This research is developing and testing the efficacy of an automated, self-administering, needle-free vaccination system for four common pathogens, which has the potential to offer producers a faster, less labor intensive and more effective way to vaccinate swine and improve overall barn biosecurity.

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

Year Awarded 2023

Total award amount $61,100

Location Pipestone, MN

Program Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Matching Funders Swine Health Information Center & Pork Checkoff

Grantee Institution Pipestone

Barn washing is a critical biosecurity measure. However, the traditional use of commercial power washing crews who move their washing equipment from one farm to another can transfer pathogens from barn to barn, presenting a biosecurity risk. To establish improved barn washing protocols that could be managed onsite by producers, this research is testing a robotic washing system that reduces the labor needed from outsourced washing crews and, thereby, the risk of disease transmission.

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

Year Awarded 2023

Total award amount $28,875

Location Mahomet, IL

Program Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Matching Funders Swine Health Information Center & Pork Checkoff

Grantee Institution Lowe Consulting, Ltd.

Trailers hauling pigs to market have the potential to transmit diseases. Yet, transportation vehicles are not always cleaned and disinfected to prevent contamination, thereby threatening wean-to-market biosecurity. This study is using modeling to determine the minimum number of transport vehicles that need to be decontaminated to stop specific pathogens from spreading.

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

364 Grants found

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

Antimicrobial Use Monitoring & Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

Acoustic Monitoring to Support Mass Cattle Treatment Decisions

Developing a model protocol for tracking antibiotic use & AMR surveillance across a large-scale commercial swine production system

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

ICASA Grant Analyzes Antimicrobial Data on Farms

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Field trial of rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

FFAR Grant Protects Wheat Yields from Wheat Stem Sawfly

Elucidating the genetic basis for sub-tropical flowering in hemp

Breeding and Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain and Fiber Hemp

Researchers Investigate the Promise of Food Procurement

Irrigation Innovation Consortium Funds Seven Research Projects

An Integrative Approach to Biofortification of Staple Crops

FoodShot Global Challenge #1 Innovating Soil 3.0, Deep Dive GroundBreaker Prize (Colorado)

The Impact of Nutrition and Metabolic Capacity on Honeybee Health

Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions

Increasing Motivation and Promoting Persistence in Farmer Conservation

FFAR Grant Develops Premium Strawberry Flavors for Indoor Growing Environments

Novel Farmer-to-Farmer Learning Approaches to Cultivate a Culture of Conservation in the Mississippi River Basin

Equipping Conservation Professionals and Farmers with Tools to Deliver Edge of Field Practices

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

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

Scaling Quantified and Verified Soil Health, Climate and Natural Resources Outcomes from U.S. Agriculture in an Innovative Ecosystem Services Market Program

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

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Huaijun Zhou

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

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

Kirchner Food Fellowship HBCU 2023-2024 Cohort

Kirchner Food Fellowship Inaugural HBCU Cohort (2021-22)

FFAR Vet Fellows Fifth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Fourth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Third Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Second Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Inaugural Cohort

FFAR Program Aims to Catalyze Development of Underutilized Crops, India

FFAR Program Aims to Catalyze Development of Underutilized Crops, Davao del Sur, Philippines

FFAR Program Aims to Catalyze Development of Underutilized Crops, UK

Food Waste Challenge, Oregon

Food Waste Challenge, Ohio

AgMission™ Funds Global Producers’ Consultation to Improve Climate-Smart Agriculture Adoption

Food Waste Challenge, Florida

FFAR, NPB Seek to Improve Air Quality on Pig Farms, Indiana

FFAR, NPB Seek to Improve Air Quality on Pig Farms, South Dakota

Protecting Florida Corn from Tar Spot Outbreak

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Round One Projects

Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program (ISU OAP)

Grant Aims to Close Biosecurity Gap in U.S. Swine Production

FFAR Awards $2 Million Grant to Improve Sustainability in Corn Production

Impact of Prairie on Reducing Interacting Stressors on Pollinator Health

FFAR & WUR Launch Nature-Based Future Challenge

New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award

Periodic Table of Food Initiative

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

Determining Environmental and Biological Conditions Influencing Lettuce Discoloration, Yield and Leaf Quality

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

Increasing Water Productivity, Soil Carbon, and Sustainability of Integrated Multi-Crop Systems Using Field-Scale Research

Advancing DEI in Sharing Carbon & Ecosystems Services Information

Enhancing Tools to Model Climate and Environmental Impacts in Organic Agriculture Systems

University of Wisconsin-Madison Organic Grain Resource and Information Network

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

Understanding the roots of soil health

FlockFocus Camera-Based Technology Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare

Audio-Based Monitoring Technology Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare

OPTICFLOCK Camera/Computer System Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare

Integration of Agroforestry as a Transformative Solution to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Organic Farms

University of Tennessee Receives FFAR Grant to Help Address Food Waste Challenges

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