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

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92 Grants found

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FFAR Grant to Develop Vaccine for Tilapia Lake Virus

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $790,326

Total award amount   $1,830,312

Location   Gainesville, FL

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Curtiss Healthcare

Tilapia provides protein for billions of people each year. These fish are under threat from tilapia lake virus, a highly contagious virus that causes high mortality rates among tilapia and poses a global threat to food security. University of Florida researchers are developing a vaccine delivery system that will prevent the spread of tilapia lake virus and other diseases in the aquaculture industry.

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

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $748,545

Total award amount   $1,497,641

Location   Gainesville, FL

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Acceligen, The Semex Alliance

Cattle, if not adapted to heat, can exhibit an extreme physical reaction to heat stress, including reductions in feed intake and milk production, slowed growth and increased disease susceptibility. Acceligen researchers are examining how genetic alterations can improve heat resistance in cattle. By introducing naturally occurring gene variations into breeds of cattle that are not adapted to heat, researchers can better understand how to control heat stress and ultimately improve animal health, well-being, fertility and economic return for producers.

Biological Control of Cattle Fever Ticks in South Texas

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $25,000

Total award amount   $50,000

Location   San Antonio, TX

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation

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

Noninvasive Wellness Monitoring of Broiler Growout Using Continuous Audio Analytics

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $180,000

Total award amount   $445,000

Location   Oxford, United Kingdom

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Tyson Foods, Fielddale Farms, Amazon

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. AudioT researchers are developing audio-based monitoring tools that analyze bird vocalizations and alert farmers to broiler welfare and behavior concerns. This grant was awarded through our SMART Broiler research initiative.

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

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $350,000

Total award amount   $513,214

Location   Knoxville, TN

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Peco Foods, Inc., University of Tennessee AgResearch

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

Smart Monitoring of Broiler Welfare using Camera Technology and Machine Learning

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $499,639

Total award amount   $1,000,039

Location   Vejen, Denmark

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Scio+, SKOV A/S

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

Innovative On-Farm Broiler Welfare Assessment Using Imaging Techniques

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $500,000

Total award amount   $610,000

Location   Wageningen, Netherlands

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Plukon Food Group, CLK GmbH, Utrecht University

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring which can be inaccurate and time consuming. Wageningen University researchers are using an affordable camera-based system and artificial intelligence that automatically and continuously monitors broilers’ ability to walk and other activities. This grant was awarded through our SMART Broiler research initiative.

Flockfocus – Developing Automated Surveillance Tools to Safeguard Chicken Welfare

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $310,738

Total award amount   $310,738

Location   Belfast, Northern Ireland

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Moy Park

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

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

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $232,063

Total award amount   $232,063

Location   Oxford, United Kingdom

Program   SMART Broiler

Matching Funders   Munters, Tyson Foods

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

FFAR Grant Supports Climate Smart Beef and Dairy Production

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $200,000

Total award amount   $603,500

Location   Greenfield, MA

Matching Funders   Australis Aquaculture

Methane is a potent climate pollutant that has more than 40 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide when released into the atmosphere. Ruminants, such as sheep, goats and cattle, release enteric methane from normal digestive processes primarily through “burps.” Previous research has shown that feeding a red seaweed, Asparagopsis taxiformis (AT), to cattle can dramatically reduce enteric methane emissions; however, AT is not readily available in large quantities for livestock. To address this challenge, the we awarded a $200,000 grant to Greener Grazing, LLC, a subsidiary of Australis Aquaculture, LLC, to develop the world’s first seed bank and ocean cultivation techniques for AT.