Grants Archive

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

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

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $338,613

Total award amount $677,230

Location Orlando, FL

Program Pollinator Health Fund

Matching Funders University of Manitoba, University of Central Florida Board of Trustees

University of Central Florida researchers are helping citizens convert their lawns into native wildflowers and collect data on pollinator abundance and diversity using a mobile app.

Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $5,000,000

Total award amount $10,000,000

Location Fort Collins, CO

Matching Funders Aqua Engineering Inc., Colorado Corn, Colorado State University, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI), Fresno State Center for Irrigation Technology, Irrigation Association (IA), Jain Irrigation, Kansas State Research and Extension - Kansas State University, Lindsay Corporation, Northern Water, Rubicon Water, Senninger Irrigation Inc., Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Valmont

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium is a joint initiative between private, public and university organizations to address water scarcity in the western U.S. and worldwide.

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

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $321,127

Total award amount $643,447

Location Corvallis, OR

Program Pollinator Health Fund

Matching Funders Oregon State University, The Nature Conservancy

Oregon State University researchers are examining how livestock grazing, invasive species and fires used to control those invasions influence native bee health.

Protein-Based Thermotolerance Markers for Sustainable Legume Protein Production

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $941,689

Total award amount $1,890,189

Location Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders Benson Hill Biosystems, North Carolina Soybean Producers, Golden Leaf Foundation, United Soybean Board, VIB

Extreme weather devastates soybean crop yields and nutritional content. USDA researchers are leveraging the natural genetic diversity of soybean plants to improve the sustainability, nutrition and flavor profiles of crops in response to climate change.

Prairie Strips for Healthy Soils and Thriving Farms

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $746,204

Total award amount $1,492,409

Location Ames, IA

Matching Funders Iowa State University, Roeslein Alternative Energy, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Walton Family Foundation

Midwestern farms produce a quarter of the world’s corn and soybeans, yet this bounty drains nutrients from the soil, reducing future yields and undermining profitability. Iowa State University researchers are identifying integration practices that restore soil health.

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

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $299,607

Total award amount $599,215

Location Fayetteville, AR

Matching Funders Indigenous Food & Agriculture Initiative, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Tribal Reservations only have basic information about soil and limited access to conservation programs that are available to other producers in the U.S.. These communities also have the highest incidence of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, which are linked to food insecurity. USDA-ARS researchers are closing agricultural technology and data gaps, particularly for basic soil information to improve agricultural productivity on Tribal Lands. This project leverages an innovative digital soil mapping process to provide first-ever soil maps and interpretations on Native America tribal lands to promote water and nutrient-smart agriculture.

Optimizing Water Use in Agriculture by Stacking Conservation Practices

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $300,000

Total award amount $600,001

Location Logan, UT

Matching Funders USU CAES, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, E&I Conservation District, Unitah Conservation District, North Cache Conservation District, Senninger Irrigation, Central Iron County Water Conservancy District, USU RGS

Concerns about water scarcity are mounting due to rapid urban growth, depleting groundwater supplies and water shortages from climate trends. Utah State University researchers are assessing the combined effectiveness of several methods of water optimization in agriculture, including more efficient water application and management and advanced crop genetics.

Neglected Honey Bee Interactions: Neonicotinoids, Varroa Destructor and Best Management

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $282,709

Total award amount $615,351

Location Auburn, AL

Matching Funders Auburn University, Swiss National Science Foundation, University of Georgia, California State Beekeepers’ Association

Pesticides and Varroa mites, a parasite that attack honey bees, both have been shown to negatively impact honey bee reproduction. Auburn University researchers are investigating whether beekeepers can take advantage of honey bees’ multiple partner mating behavior to increase intra-colony diversity and improve resistance to pesticides

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

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $590,000

Total award amount $1,564,276

Location Ithaca, NY

Matching Funders Department of Food Science at Cornell University, New York State Dairy Promotion Order, Chobani

Consumers often mistakenly interpret “best-by” labels as an expiration date and prematurely discard food that is safe for consumption. Cornell University researchers are developing models that predict milk spoilage and shelf life, as well as the effectiveness of interventions that predict when food spoils and how to prevent consumers from disposing of items that are still safe.

Red Seaweed

Year Awarded 2018

FFAR award amount $50,000

Total award amount $291,000

Location New York, NY

Matching Funders Elm Innovations, Schmidt Family Foundation/The 11th Hour Project, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Skaaren Trust, Silicon Valley Community Foundation

During digestion, cattle emit methane, which contributes to climate change. University of California, Davis researchers are evaluating whether feeding cows red seaweed reduces methane emissions and if the additive impacts milk production and quality.

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

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

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

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

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

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

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

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

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

Increasing Motivation and Promoting Persistence in Farmer Conservation

FFAR Grant Develops Premium Strawberry Flavors for Indoor Growing Environments

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

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

Kirchner Food Fellowship HBCU 2023-2024 Cohort

Kirchner Food Fellowship Inaugural HBCU Cohort (2021-22)

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

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

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

Food security in the Anthropocene in Islander Communities

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