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

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471 Grants found

Decreasing pulmonary-associated mortality in feedlot cattle using refined case definitions and predictive analytics: emphasizing acute interstitial pneumonia and late day BRD

Lungs as a potential source and relationships of ruminal, colonic & fecal concentrations of fusobacterium necrophorum to liver abscesses in feedlot cattle

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Antimicrobial resistance & use tracking through swine production flows on farms in the upper Midwest of the US

Protecting the U.S. Dairy and Poultry Industries: Utilizing Ultraviolet Technology to Mitigate Airborne Transmission of Avian Influenza

Dr. James C. Schnable Awarded 2026 NAS Prize in Food & Agriculture Sciences

BPI3Vc-vectored Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) Subunit Vaccine

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

Understanding HPAI Transmission Risk on Dairy Farms

Addressing Red Crown Rot in Soybeans

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Developing a Decontamination Strategy for HPAI-Infected Milk

Reducing Wheat Allergenicity: Paving the Way to Non-Allergenic Wheat

FFAR Fellows Program 2025 Cohort

Protecting Cattle from Asian Longhorned Tick

Pangenome-based Identification of Genetic Variants Conferring Stress Resistance in Tomato Wild Relatives, and Efficient Transfer to Cultivated Tomato

Applied Innovation of Myoinositol to Improve Cattle Fertility & Sustainability of Cattle Production Systems

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

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Transforming Dairy Cattle Lameness Management through a Combination of Artificial Intelligence-Powered Video Analytics & Genomic, Epidemiological & Extension Approaches

Ten H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Awards

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Program Six Awards

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FFAR Vet Fellows Seventh Cohort

New Innovator in Food & Agriculture Research Award

Periodic Table of Food Initiative

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

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Unearthing Maize Genes for Enhanced Nitrogen Use Efficiency & AMF Synergy

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

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Accelerating Coffee Breeding Through Developing Tools to Screen for Critical Disease & Pest Resistance 

Development of a Vaccine for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Virus in Cattle

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)

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

Decision Tools Help Producers Analyze Cost of Swine Mortality for Operations Improvement

Impact of Prairie on Reducing Interacting Stressors on Pollinator Health

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Dr. Hans Coetzee Awarded 2025 NAS Prize in Food & Agriculture Sciences

FFAR Rapid Funding Develops Pest Management Program for Sweet Corn

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool

Advancing Knowledge and Adoption of Climate-Smart Practices in Semi-Arid Perennial Cropping Systems

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

Improving Soil Health on Vineyards

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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Circular Economy That Reimagines Corn Agriculture

Improving Fiber Hemp Quality Through Enhanced Retting Probiotics & Appropriate Harvest Timing

Targeted On-Demand Disease Management Practices/Therapies

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

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Improving Hemp Quality Through Harvest Timing & Enhanced Processing

FFAR Fellows Program 2024 Cohort

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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Addressing On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl

Rapid Response to Novel Resistance-Breaking Strain of Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum in Cultivated Strawberry

Grant Improves Stress Tolerance in Carrots

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Row Crops to Perennial Pasture: Feeding the World, Conserving Water, Enhancing Soil and Safeguarding the Climate

Novel Tools for Engineering Apomixis in Soybean

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort

FFAR-OCP Disruptive Fertilizer Technology Fellowship First Cohort

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Building Agroecosystem Soil Health to Adapt to Climate and Regulatory Realities while Protecting Rural Community Health

Leveraging multi-scale datasets and modeling tools for improved soil health and carbon management

Next-generation Sustainable Weed Management Enabled by Micro-targeted Legged Robots

Exploring Novel Promoter Alleles for Multiple Vitamin Biofortification Using a Calli-Derived Somatic Embryo Platform

Electrochemically Assisted Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Distributed & Sustainable Fertilizer Production

Understanding Plant Parasitic Nematode Virulence Mechanisms: A Valuable Approach to Expedite Breeding Durable & Broad-spectrum Crop Resistance

Novel Biobased Antiviral Treatments for Bee Pollinator Health

Developing Multifunctional & Durable Agro-based Food Packaging to Reduce Toxic Plastic Waste & Sustainably Advance a Bioeconomy

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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Water & Soil Sustainability for Nutritious Rice Production

Perennial Grain Staple Foods Program

Determinants of Persistent Cover Crop Adoption and Dis-Adoption to Inform More Effective Farmer Incentives for Durable Adoption

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

Decreasing Pulmonary-Associated Mortality in Feedlot Cattle Using Refined Case Definitions & Predictive Analytics, Emphasizing Acute Interstitial Pneumonia & Late Day BRD

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

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FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (Indiana)

FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (Arizona)

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

Better Deal for Data

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest

Protecting Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pests

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FFAR Grant Addresses Emerging Pine Needle Diseases

 Integrated Food Waste Measurement & Predictions Supported by Agent-Based Models (IFWASTE)

Food Waste Challenge, Florida

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 An Innovative, Accessible & Flexible Approach for Household Food Waste Measurement

 Smart Compost Bin for Measuring Home Food Waste

A Novel Cell-Surface-Receptor Strategy for Mitigating Mycotoxins

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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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

ICASA Grant Analyzes Antimicrobial Data on Farms

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Transforming Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer

Transforming Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer

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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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FFAR Grant Protects Wheat Yields from Wheat Stem Sawfly

Elucidating the Genetic Basis for Sub-Tropical Flowering in Hemp

Breeding & Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain & Fiber Hemp

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Researchers Investigate the Promise of Food Procurement

Development of Metrics to Identify Cattle Predisposed to Feedlot Heart Failure

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

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

A Multi-Source Remote Sensing-Based Framework & Decision-Support Tool for Flash Droughts & Floods Under Climate Change

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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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

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

Using Solar Panels to Enhance Groundwater

Integrating On-farm Solar Arrays to Enhance Groundwater Resources, Produce Energy & Diversify Farm Income

Evaluation of the Efficacy, Agronomic Fit & Environmental Fate of Biopesticides for Management of Economically Important Diseases & Arthropod Pests of Hemp

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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Developing Tomato Lines Resistant to Broomrape, a Critical World-wide Pest

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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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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Food Waste Challenge, Oregon

Food Waste Challenge, Ohio

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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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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Developing an Innovative Approach for Objective & Reliable Characterization of Particulate Matter In & Surrounding Swine Facilities

Size Segregated Bioaerosol Characterization & Particulate Matter Source Attribution In & Near Swine Production Facilities

Protecting Florida Corn from Tar Spot Outbreak

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

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

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

Field trial of gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Identifying Proteins Required for Immunity to ASFV

Analyzing the Efficacy of Live-vectored Prototype ASFV Subunit Vaccines

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

Understanding the roots of soil health

Can Commodity Crop Weed Management Practices Enhance Bee Abundance, Diversity, And Health on Agricultural Land?

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Multistate Characterization of Agronomic Performance of Hemp Cultivars, Including Sterility of New Triploid Cultivars

Impact of Spectra & Intensity of LED Supplemental Lighting on Morphology, Growth, Flower Yield & Phytochemical Content of Cannabis Sativa

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Breeding & Genetics of Disease Resistance, Flowering Time & Cannabinoid Content in Hemp

Analysis of Terpenes & Neutral Cannabinoids Using Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry & Genotyping of Hemp Using the SureSelect System

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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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Performance-Based Financing Models for Sustainable Water Management in the Great Lakes Basin

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

Cotton-Based Precision Irrigation Improves Sustainability

Plant-Based Precision Irrigation Management for Improved System-Level Sustainability

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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: Improving the efficacy of vaccination against mycoplasma hyosynoviae by identifying optimal application times

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

Grant Quantifies Farm Risk Mitigation Through Improved Soil Health

Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Research in the U.S. Northern Great Plains

Integration of Small Farmers into Technology-enabled, Rapid-response Fresh Food Supply Chains

A Coupled Natural-Human System Approach to Solving Locust Plagues

Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing Research in the U.S. Southeast

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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

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

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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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

Holistic Irrigation Strategies for Climate-Smart Agriculture

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Predictive model development to promote science- based, strategic metaphylaxis administration in beef operations

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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

Evaluation of Dietary Tylosin Intake on Incidence and Severity of Liver Abscesses in Feedlot Cattle

FFAR Grant Improves Soil Health Through Phosphorus Management

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Tribal Agriculture Fellowship Inaugural Cohort

Noninvasive Wellness Monitoring of Broiler Growout Using Continuous Audio Analytics (2022)

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 in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains

FFAR Research Tackles Peanut Allergy

High protein aquatic plants for controlled environment indoor farms

Mitigating antibiotic use in aquaculture through vaccination

AgMission/Precision Conservation Management MOU

Strategic Fallowing for Sustainable Water and Thriving Agriculture

FFAR Grant Examines Management Practices Effect on Soil Health

More Beans (MB): A Next Generation Legume for Healthy Urban Food

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

Creating Science-Based Strategies for Gene Editing Communications

Reinvigorating Soybean Yield for 21st Century Agriculture

A Novel Platform Technology for Biologicals with Antimicrobial & Regenerative Properties Based on the Stem Cell Repertoire of Secreted Biomolecules

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

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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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

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)

The Real-time Pen-side Detection of Bovine Respiratory Disease by Chemical Analysis

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

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

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Field-deployable biosensors for antibiotic stewardship

A rapid chute-side antibiotic resistance detection tool to improve antimicrobial stewardship and optimize risk management while controlling bovine respiratory disease

Development of a science-based management strategy to reduce the use of antimicrobials in high-risk beef cattle

FFAR Grant to Develop Vaccine for Tilapia Lake Virus

ICASA Grant to Identify Causes of Bovine Respiratory Disease in Cattle

Identifying potential causes of late-day bovine respiratory disease in high-performing feedyard cattle

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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

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

Smart Monitoring of Broiler Welfare using Camera Technology and Machine Learning

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 Quantifies Organic Carbon to Improve Agricultural Productivity

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

A Development of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Vision and Internet of Things for Livestock Health Monitoring

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

Multidimensional Spectral Mapping for Sex Determination of Avian Eggs

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

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Spatializing the Environmental Impacts of U.S. Dairy Supply Chains

FFAR and OFRF Promote Soil Health and Profits for Organic Farmers in the Northern Great Plains

Blackfeet Innovation Pathways to Food Sovereignty: Sustainability through Indigenous Applied Research Partnerships

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FFAR and OFRF Award Two Grants That Tackle Soil Health Challenges

Direct Linkage of Dietary Components with Metabolizers in the Microbiota

Protein-Based Thermotolerance Markers for Sustainable Legume Protein Production

Automated Individual Poultry Vaccination to Aid in Antibiotic Removal

Closing the Gap in Delivery of Fruit and Vegetable Benefits

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Addressing future global dairy demand: Targeting the gut-liver axis to promote heat stress resilience in dairy cattle

Reducing Food Waste by Reshaping Consumer Behavior Using Data-Informed, Dynamic Economic Incentives

Value-Added and Nutritionally Superior Extruded Foods from Agricultural Waste Streams

Using Eye Tracking to Better Understand Food Choices

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Crops in Silico 3.0

Crops in Silico 1.0

Diet, the human gastrointestinal microbiome and metabolic health

Innovation at the Nexus of Computational, Membrane and Plant Biology

Renewal: RIPE: Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency for Sustainable Increases in Crop Yield

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Crops of the Future: Corn Drought Resistance

Effects of Asymptomatic Listeriosis on Dairy Cattle Fecal Microbiota

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Employing Regional Produce Cooperatives to Enhance Household Nutrition and Reduce Food Insecurity

Evaluation of feed additives to mitigate the risk of viral-contaminated feed to pigs

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Research: Elizabeth Ainsworth

Feed the Future Fall Armyworm Tech Prize

National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Research: Edward Buckler

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

Effects of Multiple Stressors on Pollinator Health in the Southern Plains

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

Bioindicators for A Sustainable Future: Dancing Honey Bees Communicate Habitats’ Ability to Feed Pollinators

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

Advanced Harvest Techniques Facilitate Food Safe Soil Health Practices in Almond Orchards

Crops of the Future Initial Project: Leafy Greens

A novel desiccant system enables energy-efficient drying to reduce postharvest loss of agricultural commodities and foods

An Open Source Plant Chemogenomics Set

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

Advances in Water Limited Irrigation Management

Going Back to the Roots To Transform Soil Health into Yield

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Automated Computer Vision System for Tracking Individual Pig Activity and Locomotion in Nursery/Finisher Group Housing

An Integrated Approach to Improve Whole Herd Pig Survivability

❮ ❯

Assessing & Expanding Soil Health for Production, Economics, & the Environmental Benefits v2

Assessing and Expanding Soil Health for Production, Economic and Environmental Benefits

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Development of Environmental Conditioning Practices to Decrease Impacts of Climate Change on Shellfish Aquaculture

Development of a Farmer-Focused Disease Prevention and Preparedness Tool

Developing CRISPR-Cpf1 Genome Editing Technologies for Crop Improvement

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

Ecology and Evolution of Bacterial Leaf Streak of Maize

Irrigation Innovation Consortium

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Harnessing Endophytes to Improve Crop Efficiency and Production

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

Innovations in the Food Supply Chain to Reduce Food Waste

Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood

Maximizing the Delivery of Water-Soluble Substances While Minimizing the Impact of the Carrier Particles on Fish Larvae

Maine Scallop Aquaculture Initiative

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

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

Prairie Strips for Healthy Soils and Thriving Farms

Improving Simulations of Water Dynamics and Crop Yield in the Corn Belt

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Plant-Soil-Water Nexus: Agricultural Systems Research on Tribal Lands

Optimizing Water Use in Agriculture by Stacking Conservation Practices

Red Seaweed

Sustainable Control Tactics for Spotted Wing Drosophila in Tart Cherry

Building Soil Health Through Rotational Diversity and Soil Microorganisms

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Towards Production of Residue-Free Healthy Fruit Crops

Toward Responsible Pacific Bluefin Tuna Mariculture in the United States: Captive Reproduction, Hatchery Research and Product

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

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

Evaluating Food Access Strategies in Austin, Texas

Identifying Short-term Solutions for Managing Allium Leafminer in Allium

A Novel Bioassay for Culturing and Characterizing Fastidious Phytopathogens

Cover Crop Germplasm and Breeding in Support of New Cultivar Development

Breakthroughs 2030: Developing and Implementing a New Strategy for Food and Agricultural Research

Developing Massively Parallel Sequence for Agricultural Surveillance

Defining Stressors to Manage Plasticity & Quality in Leafy Greens

Enhancing Animal Protein through Crops and Cattle

Fostering Innovative, Sustainable Urban Farming Methods to Meet Food Needs

Plant-Nanoparticle Hybrids: Optimize Crop Engineering and Nutrient Delivery

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Individually-targeted incentives, diet quality and health outcomes among adults

Mitigation of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus in Kansas and U.S. High Plains

Investing in our future: training taxonomists and wild bee conservation

Stolen Kiss – an advanced breeding solution for the animal welfare trait of genetic castration

Shielding U.S. Palm Industries from the South American Palm Weevil Invasion

Using Active Organic Matter Tests to Help Predict Crop Nutrient Needs

The Validation of a Novel qPCR Assay for the Detection of Brucella suis

Xprize Visioneers

Enhancing Crop Pollination, Pest Control and Yield in Urban Agriculture

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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.

Accelerating Coffee Breeding Through Developing Tools to Screen for Critical Disease & Pest Resistance 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $752,946

Total award amount   $1,554,198

Location   Portland, OR

Matching Funders   World Coffee Research

Grantee Institution   World Coffee Research

Coffee breeders need faster, lower-cost ways to identify plants that can withstand major diseases and pests. This project is developing genetic screening tools that help researchers spot disease-resistant traits earlier, creating a new set of genetic markers for robusta coffee and training breeders around the world to use these tools in their own programs. By making breeding more precise and efficient, the research can shorten the time it takes to develop stronger, more productive coffee varieties and help researchers respond more quickly to changing growing conditions. That can lower production risk, reduce losses from disease and pests and support a more stable coffee supply.

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.

Dr. Hans Coetzee Awarded 2025 NAS Prize in Food & Agriculture Sciences 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Location   Ames, Iowa

Matching Funders   Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Grantee Institution   Kansas State University

Dr. Hans Coetzee of Kansas State University is the recipient of the 2025 NAS Prize in Food & Agriculture Sciences for his groundbreaking research on safe and cost-effective pain management practices in livestock, which have transformed animal welfare. 

Award Winner

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.

Flockfocus – Developing Automated Surveillance Tools to Safeguard Chicken Welfare (2025) 

Year Awarded  2025

Total award amount   $399,616

Location   Belfast, Northern Ireland

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald's Corporation and in-kind support from multiple partners

Grantee Institution   Queen’s University Belfast

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. This research provides additional funding from phase I of the SMART Broiler program to transfer intelligent surveillance techniques used for tracking humans to provide real time monitoring of individual birds within a flock. This camera-based technology, called FlockFocus, represents a significant improvement to monitoring technology currently available to the industry and has the potential for revolutionizing animal welfare in other sectors.

OpticFlock: Automated Monitoring of Chicken Behavior That Prioritizes Animal Welfare – Part II 

Year Awarded  2025

FFAR award amount   $271,865

Location   Oxford, United Kingdom

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   McDonald’s Corporation

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. This research provides additional funding from Phase I of the SMART Broiler program to refine and extend the testing of a novel camera and computer system called OPTICFLOCK to compare key welfare outcomes, including hockburn, foot pad lesions and lameness, in commercial flocks. Additionally, this project incorporates strategies to facilitate producer adoption of OPTICFLOCK technology.