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

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434 Grants found

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Biological Control of Cattle Fever Ticks in South Texas 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $25,000

Total award amount   $50,000

Location   San Antonio, TX

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation

Grantee Institution   USDA-ARS

In addition to market volatility threats from COVID-19, Texas cattle ranchers are also battling the southern cattle fever tick (Rhipicephalus microplus), a tick carried pathogen that causes deadly cattle fever for which there is no vaccine or treatment. USDA researchers are developing biological control technologies to prevent and contain this parasite.

Noninvasive Wellness Monitoring of Broiler Growout Using Continuous Audio Analytics 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $180,000

Total award amount   $445,000

Location   Atlanta, Georgia

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation, Tyson Foods, Fielddale Farms and Amazon

Grantee Institution   AudioT

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. AudioT researchers are developing audio-based monitoring tools that analyze bird vocalizations and alert farmers to broiler welfare and behavior concerns.

Development of an Automated Broiler Gait Score and Flock Activity Assessment System 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $350,000

Total award amount   $513,214

Location   Knoxville, TN

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation, Peco Foods, Inc. and University of Tennessee AgResearch

Grantee Institution   University of Tennessee

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. University of Tennessee researchers are using multi-angle and multi-range cameras to monitor commercial broilers at both individual and flock levels and measure their walking ability and level of activity. This grant was awarded through our SMART Broiler research initiative.

Smart Monitoring of Broiler Welfare using Camera Technology and Machine Learning 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $499,639

Total award amount   $1,000,039

Location   Vejen, Denmark

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation, Scio+ and SKOV A/S

Grantee Institution   Wageningen University & Research

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. Big Dutchman researchers are using camera technology and advanced image analysis to continuously monitor commercial broiler flocks, map welfare assessments and estimate walking ability. This grant was awarded through our SMART Broiler research initiative.

Innovative On-Farm Broiler Welfare Assessment Using Imaging Techniques 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $500,000

Total award amount   $610,000

Location   Wageningen, Netherlands

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation, Plukon Food Group, CLK GmbH and Utrecht University

Grantee Institution   Wageningen University & Research

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. Researchers are using an affordable camera-based system and artificial intelligence that automatically and continuously monitors broiler chickens' gait and welfare, ultimately increasing farmer productivity and profitability. This grant was awarded through our SMART Broiler research initiative.

Flockfocus – Developing Automated Surveillance Tools to Safeguard Chicken Welfare 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $310,738

Total award amount   $310,738

Location   Belfast, Northern Ireland

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation and Moy Park

Grantee Institution   Queens University Belfast

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. Queen’s University Belfast researchers are developing a vision-based system to monitor large numbers of birds and track individual activity patterns.

OpticFlock: Automated Monitoring of Broiler Chicken Behavior That Prioritizes Animal Welfare 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $232,063

Total award amount   $232,063

Location   Oxford, United Kingdom

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation, Munters and Tyson Foods

Grantee Institution   University of Oxford

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring, which can be inaccurate and time consuming. University of Oxford researchers are testing a novel camera/computer system, called OPTICFLOCK, inside chicken houses to monitor bird behavior and alert producers to early signs of welfare issues, like foot pad lesions and lameness.

Environmental Enrichment Effects on Pig Welfare 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $75,000

Total award amount   $150,000

Location   Peoria, IL

Matching Funders   Tyson Foods

Grantee Institution   USDA-ARS

The environment in which pigs are raised contributes to their health, welfare and productivity. Damaging behaviors in group housing, such as tail-biting and ear chewing are detrimental to their welfare. USDA-ARS scientists are measuring behavior, health and growth rates to develop environmental enrichment management strategies that assess pigs’ welfare. The result of this research can be applied to the U.S. livestock industry.

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Zachary Lippman 

Year Awarded  2020

Total award amount   $100,000

Location   Laurel Hollow, NY

Matching Funders   Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Grantee Institution   Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Dr. Zachary Lippman was awarded the 2020 National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture for his work to increase crop productivity in the face of declining agricultural land and population growth through novel gene editing techniques.

Integrating Community and Modeling Efforts to Evaluate Impacts and Tradeoffs of Food System Interventions 2020 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Total award amount   $2,000,718

Location   Fort Collins, CO

Program   Tipping Points

Grantee Institution   Colarado State University

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highlighting food system deficiencies. Producers are struggling to reach consumers due to concerns with processing, distribution and demand. We provided supplemental funding to the Colorado State University research team to evaluate how food is provided through emergency feeding programs, who uses these services, the costs of these services, the food provided and its dietary quality