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

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398 Grants found

FFAR Grant Addresses Emerging Pine Needle Diseases

FFAR Grant Develops Mitigation Tactics for Cocoa Frosty Pod Rot

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

UC Davis Receives FFAR Grant to Help Improve Vineyard Soil Health

Advancing Water Policy for Agricultural Sustainability

Accelerating Breeding Technology to Develop New Crops

Leveraging landrace genomics to rapidly engineer thermotolerant cassava

Using novel genes from wild germplasm to boost protein content in cultivated chickpea

FFAR Awards Grant to Reduce Water Waste in Crop Irrigation

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

Increasing Dietary Fiber in Wheat Crop

Protecting Soil Health & Food Safety in Almond Orchards

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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

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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

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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

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An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Advancing the Design and Fabrication of Biopolymer-based Nanocomposites for Sustainable Food Packaging

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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

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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

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Increasing Motivation and Promoting Persistence in Farmer Conservation

FFAR Grant Develops Premium Strawberry Flavors for Indoor Growing Environments

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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

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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

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Kirchner Food Fellowship HBCU 2023-2024 Cohort

Kirchner Food Fellowship Inaugural HBCU Cohort (2021-22)

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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

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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, England

Food Waste Challenge, Oregon

Food Waste Challenge, Ohio

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

Food Waste Challenge, Florida

Uniting Urban Agriculture Operations to Increase Food Security

Validation of Efficacy of a Protective DIVA-Compatible Prototype African Swine Fever Virus Vaccine

The Revitalization of Indigenous Crops in the Southwest

Developing circular urban food systems for a rapidly growing desert city

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Big Data to Improve and Sustain Wheat End-Use Quality in the Face of Increasingly Variable Climate Scenarios

Evaluating the use of calcium silicate amendments to manage the bioavailability of organic carbon in agricultural soils

Using a novel RNA therapy to tackle dual threat of tomato spotted wilt virus, a pandemic agricultural pathogen and its supervector, thrips

Harnessing mycorrhizal-microbial synergies for agricultural resilience and health

Establish Power-to-Food by Cultivating and Processing Hydrogenotrophic Single Cells to Design New Sustainable Protein Supply Chains Without Arable Land

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Food security in the Anthropocene in Islander Communities

Next-Generation Carbon Capture for Agricultural Crop Applications

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

Establishing Viable Organic Orchard Crop Systems for the Northeast U.S.

Rodale Institution

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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

A Deeper Dive: Linking Below-Ground Soil & Water Quality with Above-Ground Productivity in Organic Systems to Enhance Economic Viability & Ecosystem Resiliency

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

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FFAR & WUR Launch Nature-Based Future Challenge

Investigating the re-integration of organic food crops & animal production on above & belowground diversity, soil health, farm resilience & food safety.

ICASA: Fecal microbiota transplant to reduce post-weaning diarrhea and antibiotic use

Establishing Predictive Genomics to Improve Pollinator Health

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Oregon Tilth

Oregon Tilth

Rethinking seafood by-product: A path to provide sustainable nutrition and improve resource utilization

Pollinator Health Extension and Metrics in the Pacific Northwest

Invasive Weeds, Fire, and Livestock Grazing – Understanding the Impact of Interacting Stressors on Native Pollinator Health in Range and Pasturelands

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Kalona Regenerative Network Producer Education Training Program

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

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A new methods of managing human waste for improved soil health, carbon sequestration, contaminant removal, and social acceptability

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

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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

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Assessment of the Available Literature and Gap Analysis on the Use of Industrial Hemp as an Animal Feed

Understanding the roots of soil health

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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

FFAR Grant Addresses Food Waste Reduction Challenges

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OATS (Organic Agronomy Training Service)

FoodShot Global Challenge #3 Bioactive Foods GroundBreaker Prize (Champaign, Illinois)

Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment

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FoodShot Global Challenge #3 Bioactive Foods GroundBreaker Prize (Maryland)

Developing Novel Strategies for Improved Control and Sustainability of Grapevine Bunch Rot Management

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FoodShot Global Challenge #3 Bioactive Foods GroundBreaker Prize (Massachusetts)

Expanding OpTIS, a remote sensing tool to accelerate soil health and climate-smart practices

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

FoodShot Global Challenge #2 Precision Protein, Deep Dive GroundBreaker Prize (South Carolina)

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FFAR Grant Advances Equitable Food Access

The Ohio State University Study Examines Soil Organic Carbon-Enhancing Practices

FFAR Grant Combats Disease in Lettuce Crops

Development of new alphaamylase immunoassays to preserve wheat grain value and accelerate breeding for climate resilience

Urban farming at the Water, Food, Energy Nexus: soil health practices with agrivoltaic impacts on crops, soils, carbon, and water

Genvax Technologies is Developing an African Swine Fever Vaccine

Tuskegee University Endowment

ICASA: Antimicrobial Use Monitoring and Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

ICASA: Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle; further delineation of the etiology and pathogenesis

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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

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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

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ICASA: Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

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

Recycling nutrients for robust agricultural supply chains

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Kirchner Food Fellowship HBCU 2022-23 Cohort

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

AgMission CIAT Grant Evaluates the Risk of Climate Disruption for Key Crops across Geographies

Grant Quantifies Farm Risk Mitigation Through Improved Soil Health

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: David Lobell

Expanding development of a predictive model to quantify the risk reduction associated with specific soil health practices for use by private & public lenders & insurers to incentivize the transition to resilient, climate-smart agriculture

PIP Indoor Tomato Farming Project

FFAR-OCP Disruptive Fertilizer Technology Fellowship First Cohort

Enabling African Scientists: The African Plant Breeding Academy CRISPR Course

A Big Data Tool for Urban Tree Crop Selection Under Climate Change

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Improving biological nitrogen fixation in wheat using the natural variation present in crop wild relatives

Enhancing the sustainability of finfish aquaculture to increase production and public acceptance

Breeding drought & heat tolerant wheat

Digging deeper: Removing the barriers to soil compaction mitigation

Enhancing Human Health and Nutrition from Soil to Society Using Quinoa as a Model Crop Species

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Green fertilizers for urban spaces: use of human urine to generate high value fertilizers

Nutrient carrier minerals for efficient and circular use of phosphorus in tropical crop production systems

Dairy, Soil & Water Regeneration Grant Promotes Integrated Research to Support Dairy Industry Commitment to Sustainability

U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative: Improving Dairy On-Farm Sustainability through Improved Soil Health and Manure Management

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Next-generation phenotyping and genomics for identifying, breeding, and managing more sustainable beef cattle

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

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Leveraging Phasic Environment and Nutrient Solution Management to Improve Resource Use Efficiency of Indoor Vertical Farming

Enabling sustainable soil and water management through microbe-powered RF soil sensing

Agroecosystem responses to climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity in the United States and Latin America

Targeted On-Demand Disease Management Practices/Therapies

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Rodolphe Barrangou

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Holistic Irrigation Strategies for Climate-Smart Agriculture

Mapping Trees in Future Climates: Integrating Knowledge, Data and Tools to Enhance Agroforestry Adoption for Climate Resilience

Kansas State University Provides Data on Nitrogen Management Practices in the Great Plains

ICASA Awards Grant to Beef Alliance to Evaluate Antibiotic Use Strategies in Beef Cattle

FFAR Grant Improves Soil Health Through Phosphorus Management

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Tribal Agriculture Fellowship Inaugural Cohort

Nitrogen SAVings through soil hEalth (NSAVE): Leveraging regenerative agriculture to reduce nitrogen inputs, increase farmer profits & mitigate climate change

Quantifying the Advantages of Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Compared to Conventional Continuous Grazing in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains

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

FFAR Research Tackles Peanut Allergy

AgMission/Precision Conservation Management MOU

Strategic Fallowing for Sustainable Water and Thriving Agriculture

FFAR Grant Examines Management Practices Effect on Soil Health

High dimensional phenomics and automation to transform cost and timeframe of early stage domestication of wild plants

FoodShot Global Challenge #2 Precision Protein, Deep Dive GroundBreaker Prize (Netherlands)

SKY HIGH Consortium Agreement

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

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Creating Science-Based Strategies for Gene Editing Communications

Reinvigorating Soybean Yield for 21st Century Agriculture

FFAR Awards Cornell University a Grant to Treat Udder Infection in Dairy Cattle

Scalable breeding for plant growth to address the challenges of climate change

FFAR Grant Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures

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Improving Protein Content & Quality in Peas

Grant Supports Production of Sustainable, Cost-Effective Feed Supplements

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Scaling Crops for Sustainable Water Management: Building Supply Chains

Capitalizing on the Unique Viscoelastic Properties of Corn Zein for A New Commercial Plant-Based Protein

Food and Agricultural Vulnerability Index

Field-deployable biosensors for managing animal health

FFAR Funds Dashboards to Track Food Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Developing Public School Curricula and Training High School Students and Teachers as Ambassadors for Pollinator Protection

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

An Open Source Framework and Community for Sharing Data and Algorithms

Consumer Understanding of Advances in Animal Welfare

A Multi-Scale Approach to Unearth the Root of Plant Disease Resistance

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Major enhancement of U.S. swine industry preparedness and responses to large-scale infectious foreign animal diseases through harmonizing biosecurity plans and advancing interpretable machine learning

The Queen Exposome And Its Influence on Downstream Colony Disease Response

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Fermentation to unlock the potential of underutilized Indigenous plants – an integrated traditional ecological knowledge innovation toward bio- and techno-functional benefits

Improving soil health by engineering a rhizobacterium to depend on a plant and stimulate its immune system

Creating a nitrogen fixing symbiont for cereal crops

Building our understanding of soil health practice adoption through knowledge co-production with farmers

Rapid Response to Coffee Leaf Rust

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Christina Grozinger

FFAR and OFRF Renew Partnership to Improve Soil Health Research

New Crops ATLASS (Analytics Telenetwork: for Landscape, Agronomic, and Sociocultural Scalability)

FFAR Grant to Develop Vaccine for Tilapia Lake Virus

ICASA Grant to Identify Causes of Bovine Respiratory Disease in Cattle

FFAR & Rodale Institute Enhance Soil Health to Increase Crop Nutrients

OFRF and FFAR Fund Research to Enhance Organic Potato Nutrition

Precision Bred Adaptation of Elite Taurine Breeds of Beef & Dairy Cattle

Genome Editing Wheat for Durable & Sustainable Disease Resistance

Finding the Proper Levers: Identifying Leverage Points for Tranformation in Urban Food Systems Through Participatory Modeling

Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood

Environmental and Nutritional Benefits of Food Recovery and Redistribution: A Pilot Assessment in New York’s Capital Region

Evaluating Food Access Strategies in Austin To Improve Healthy Food Consumption and Food Security

Conservation of an Endophytic Insect-pathogenic Fungus for Plant Protection in Organic Cropping Systems.

Cover Crops for Soil Health: Demonstration of On-Farm Trial

Biosolarization: Harnessing the Sun and Organic Matterfor Weed Control

Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

Biological Control of Cattle Fever Ticks in South Texas

Noninvasive Wellness Monitoring of Broiler Growout Using Continuous Audio Analytics

Smart Monitoring of Broiler Welfare using Camera Technology and Machine Learning

Innovative On-Farm Broiler Welfare Assessment Using Imaging Techniques

Flockfocus – Developing Automated Surveillance Tools to Safeguard Chicken Welfare

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

Environmental Enrichment Effects on Pig Welfare

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

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

FFAR Grant Supports Climate Smart Beef and Dairy Production

Uncovering the Genetic Architecture of Inducible Chemical Defenses in Crop and Wild Sunflower for the Sustainable Control of Pests and Pathogens

Engineering crops for cultivation in controlled environments

The Effect of Farm Management and Floral Foraging Traits on Exposure of Crop Pollinators to The Multiple Interacting Stressors of Pesticides, Parasites and Inadequate Nutrition

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Next-generation tools and strategies for genetic improvement of farmed oysters

Harnessing the soil microbiome to increase soil health and plant productivity

Open Market Consortium: Creating Economic Opportunities for Small and Mid-size Growers

FFAR Funds Novel Supply-Demand Technology, Connecting Institutional Buyers to Specialty Crop Farmers

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FFAR Grant Examines Carbon Farming Effect on Soil Health

FFAR Grant Addressing Surface and Groundwater Pollution on Farms

Kirchner Food Fellowship 2020-21 Cohort

Kirchner Food Fellowship 2019-20 Cohort

Kirchner Food Fellowship 2018-19 Cohort

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FFAR and NYSTAR Grant Helps RIT Examine Degradable Mulching Films

Growing Policy From The Ground Up: Building, Deploying, and Testing Networks to Strengthen Urban Food Systems

Precision Irrigation Scheduling for Specialty Crops

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

A community-based microfarm aggregation model for transforming agricultural production and enhancing asset-based economic development in post-industrial urban areas

FFAR Grant Provides Technical Training to Enhance Soil Health

Evaluation of Best Management Practices for Bumble Bee and Monarch Habitat

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Metagenomic Probes for the Rapid Identification of the Microbiome Community in A Wheat Rhizospheremodel System

A Systematic Approach to Improve Heifer Selection and the Sustainability of Beef Production.

Improving the Nutritional Quality of Tomatoes

Harnessing Multi-Trophic Chemical Ecology to Obtain Sustainable Pest Control and Improved Soil Health

Tools to Detect and Understand Spread of African Swine Fever Virus

Age Susceptibility and Lateral Transmission of Turkey Arthritis Reovirus

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

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

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

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

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

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Spatializing the Environmental Impacts of US Dairy Supply Chains

Development of Prevention, Detection and Response Strategies for the Asian Lognhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)

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

Effects of Multiple Stressors on Pollinator Health in the Southern Plains

Neglected honey bee interactions: neonicotinoids, Varroa destructor, and Best Management

A Pipeline for Streamlined Development and Testing of Novel Controls for the Honey Bee Parasitic Mite Varroa Destructor

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

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

Developing Tools for Selection and Management of Landscapes to Promote Healthy Bee Populations

Lawns-to-Wildflowers: A Citizen Science Movement for Pollinator Health

FFAR Awards $9.4 Million to Spur Next Leap in Agriculture: Improved Soil Health to Optimize Economic and Environmental Results for US Farmers

Cover Crop Germplasm & Breeding in Support of New Cultivar Development

Evaluating Food Access Strategies in Austin, Texas

Identifying Short-term Solutions for Managing Allium Leafminer in Allium

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

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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 dairy sector. University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers are combining interventions addressing breeding, data on milk composition and rumen microbes to selectively breed 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. This methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gases in the beef and dairy sectors. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers are studying how diets and different additives affect hydrogen production, which is essential to producing enteric methane, and how changes in hydrogen 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, Canada

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.

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

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $5,150,000

Total award amount   $10,300,000

Location   Falls Church, VA 

Matching Funders   Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Grantee Institution   Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

The agriculture sector contributes about 11% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which impacts climate change. FFAR invested in the Ecosystem Services Market Research Consortium for research that creates sound social, economic and environmental outcomes to benefit producers, local communities, supply chain companies and consumers through the expansion of Eco-Harvest, an ecosystem services market program.