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

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463 Grants found

Outcome-Based Identification of Best Agronomic Practices to Reduce N Footprint in Agroecosystems

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

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of U.S. Beef Cattle Production – a Texas Pilot Program

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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.

FFAR Research Aims to Protect Dairy Cattle Against H5N1 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $301,562

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Purdue University

Grantee Institution   Purdue University

H5N1 in dairy cattle decreases milk production and milk quality, causing significant economic losses for farmers. The recent detection of H5N1 in humans, dairy cows and non-traditional host birds indicates that this virus poses new threats to other non-avian species. Purdue University researchers are using knowledge gained from prior work on influenza A viruses and a bovine adenoviral vaccine platform to develop a universal influenza vaccine for cows that is expected to be effective against further viral mutations.

FFAR Vet Fellows Seventh Cohort 

Year Awarded  2025

Total award amount   $16,000 per student

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced the 15 recipients of the 2025 Veterinary Student Research Fellowships (Vet Fellows) in partnership with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). This fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students to pursue research on global food security and sustainable animal production.

Unearthing Maize Genes for Enhanced Nitrogen Use Efficiency & AMF Synergy 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $999,996

Total award amount   $2,196,825

Location   St. Louis, MO

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Pennsylvania State University, Valent BioSciences LLC

Grantee Institution   Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Industrial farming relies on large applications of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. However, a significant portion of fertilizer is not used by the plants, which costs producers money and can affect soil and water health. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center researchers are exploring the impacts of deep rooted corn, and the symbiotic relationship between corn and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, both of which can increase the reach of corn roots.

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

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,926,098

Location   St. Louis, MO

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Kansas State University, The Land Institute, Perennial Agriculture Project, Saint Louis University

Grantee Institution   Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Farming annual crops, like wheat and corn, requires high input costs and can degrade soil over time. Perennial crops, however, have deep roots that can lower farming costs by conserving nutrients and water. Still, few herbaceous perennial species have been domesticated for large-scale agricultural production. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center researchers aim to optimize and expedite the domestication of perennials by developing strategies for screening potential breeding candidates at early life stages.

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.