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

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24 Grants found

Rapid and Non-invasive Egg Sex Indentification Using Artficially Intelligent Platform

A Microchip-based Chemical Sensor For Early-Stage in Ovo Sex Determination of Layer Chicks

FFAR Awards $1.4 Million to Purdue University, University of California, Davis and University of Edinburgh Researchers to Improve Health and Productivity of Egg-Laying Hens

Multidimensional Spectral Mapping for Sex Determination of Avian Eggs

Orbem.ai: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Meets Artificial Intelligence for Automated and Non-invasive in Ovo Sex Determination

Innovative Techniques for Fast in Ovo Sexing in Poultry By Detection of Gender Specific Volatiles

En-ovo Sex Determination By Fiber Optic Volatiles Analysis and Machine Learning

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

Project Ella

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

Audio-Based Monitoring Technology Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare 

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

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

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

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A Practical Phenotypic Solution to Reduce Keel & Skeletal Bone Damage in Laying Hens

Addressing keel bone fractures in laying hens housed in cage-free aviary systems using nutrition and management interventions

Consumer Understanding of Advances in Animal Welfare

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Orthogonal Nano-Engineering (ONE) for Rational Design of Food Contact Surfaces

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

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

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

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Audio-Based Monitoring Technology Advances Broiler Chicken Welfare 

Year Awarded  2022

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Atlanta, GA

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald's Corporation

This project is one of three selected from the six research projects funded in Phase I to receive a total of $1.625 million in Phase II of the SMART Broiler program. In this phase, researchers will optimize hardware and software configurations, advance data management and processing tools for measuring key welfare indicators and justify commercial investment in these new welfare monitoring tools. The technologies will be tested at two broiler producing barns, Tyson Foods Broiler Research Barn in Arkansas and Master Good in Kisvárda, Hungary.

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

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $97,400

Total award amount   $195,140

Location   Lubbock, TX

Matching Funders   Texas Tech University

Grantee Institution   Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University researchers are identifying potential pathways in which the bacteria subvert the hosts’ defenses during the development of liver abscess to lay the foundation for the formation of novel approaches, such as alternative drugs, that can potentially replace antimicrobials in liver abscess control and prevention strategies.

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

Year Awarded  2022

FFAR award amount   $125,000

Total award amount   $250,000

Location   Lubbock, TX

Matching Funders   Texas Tech University

Grantee Institution   Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University researchers are investigating the gastrointestinal location, concentration and movement of F. necrophorum and Salmonella enterica, as well as the other organisms that live in the intestines of cattle with liver abscesses. This first phase of this research will inform a methodology to reduce F. necrophorum through a direct-fed microbial.

A Practical Phenotypic Solution to Reduce Keel & Skeletal Bone Damage in Laying Hens

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $243,296

Total award amount   $486,594

Location   Edinburgh, UK

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Keel, or breastbone fractures, which cause pain and decrease egg production, are a challenge to raising hens in cage-free housing systems. To improve the health and productivity of egg-laying hens and prevent these fractures, University of Edinburgh researchers are developing an x-ray-based measurement system for on-farm use to breed hens with stronger bones.  

Impacts of the Rearing Environment on Keel Bone Integrity, Spatial Awareness Abilities of Laying Hens

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $215,999

Total award amount   $431,999

Location   Davis, CA

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Keel, or breastbone fractures are a prevalent concern when raising hens in cage-free housing systems. University of California, Davis researchers are exploring the impacts of poultry housing design, particularly vertical space, on the prevalence of keel bone injuries in egg-laying hens.

Addressing keel bone fractures in laying hens housed in cage-free aviary systems using nutrition and management interventions

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $490,093

Total award amount   $490,093

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Keel, or breastbone fractures are painful and decrease egg production and are a common concern for cage-free hens. Purdue University researchers are assessing the impact of nutritional interventions on the gut microbiome and testing management interventions to reduce keel bone fractures in laying hens housed in cage-free systems.

Orthogonal Nano-Engineering (ONE) for Rational Design of Food Contact Surfaces

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $448,141

Total award amount   $541,173

Location   Blacksburg, VA

Matching Funders   Virginia Tech

Grantee Institution   Virginia Tech

In food processing and packaging environments, food contact surfaces often harbor microbes, compromising food safety and quality. Dr. Yifan Cheng is advancing nanoengineering and enhancing knowledge of these interactions to develop surfaces with nanostructures that disrupt bacterial cell walls upon contact, effectively killing bacteria without using biocides or sanitizers.

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

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $633,462

Location   Lubbock, TX

Matching Funders   Genus ABS, Hy-Plains Feedyard, LLC, Texas Tech University, Veterinary Research & Consulting Services, LLC

Grantee Institution   Texas Tech University

Liver abscesses in cattle are a significant problem for beef and dairy cow producers, jeopardizing animals’ health and costing producers approximately $30 million annually. The condition occurs when bacteria cross from an animal’s gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream and accumulate in the liver. This research is investigating genetic markers and biomarkers that contribute to the formation of liver abscesses to allow producers to make more informed breeding and management decisions to reduce susceptibility in cattle and reduce reliance on antimicrobial treatments.

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

Year Awarded  2021

Total award amount   $195,140

Location   Lubbock TX

Matching Funders   Texas Tech University

The exact cause of liver abscesses is unknown. However, once they are formed, they are highly susceptible to the Fusobacterium necrophorum (F. necrophorum) bacterium, resulting in major economic loss to producers due to impaired cattle performance and lower carcass value. This research investigates how feedlot beef cattle immune systems react throughout the lifecycle of F. necrophorum. It is identifying potential pathways in which the bacteria subvert the hosts’ defenses during the development of liver abscess to lay the foundation for the formation of novel approaches, such as alternative drugs, that can potentially replace antimicrobials in liver abscess control and prevention strategies.

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

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.