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

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205 Grants found

Control of Emerging Avian Metapneumoviruses by Evaluating Efficacy of Imported Commercial Vaccines & Advancement of U.S. Strain-based Live Attenuated Vaccine for Sustainable U.S. Poultry Production

Development of a Novel Multivalent Vaccine to Protect Cattle Against New World Screwworm

Life After Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment: Mitigating Early Season Corn & Soybean Pest Damage through Field Practices

An Integrated Approach to Improve Whole Herd Survivability 2.0

Breaking the Barrier to Mass Sterilization in Finfish Aquaculture With Natural Sterility Technology

A Novel Approach to Interception of Avian Flu Virus Transmission

Repurposing a Human Drug to Fight the Invasive New World Screwworm

Six SHIC/FFAR Co-Funded Research Project to Advance Swine Disease Monitoring & Mitigation 

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

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

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Assessment of Animal Hosts’ Vulnerability to New World Screwworm Reemergence in the United States

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

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Unraveling Species-Specific Antiviral Mechanisms to Improve Avian Influenza Control

Unlocking Avian Flu Resistance: Investigating Genetic Resilience in Fayoumi & Commercial Chickens

Development & Evaluation of Precision-guided Sterile Insect Technique (pgSIT) Strains for Biotechnology-enhanced Control of Screwworm

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

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

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

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

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

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FFAR Rapid Funding Develops Pest Management Program for Sweet Corn

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool

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

Leveraging landrace genomics to rapidly engineer thermotolerant cassava

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

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

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

Improving Hemp Quality Through Harvest Timing & Enhanced Processing

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

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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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Novel Tools for Engineering Apomixis in Soybean

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort

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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

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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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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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

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Elucidating the Genetic Basis for Sub-Tropical Flowering in Hemp

Breeding & Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain & Fiber Hemp

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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

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

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

Enabling African Scientists: The African Plant Breeding Academy CRISPR Course

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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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FFAR Vet Fellows Fifth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Fourth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Third Cohort

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

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

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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FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

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

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

ICASA: Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

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

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

Development of Metrics to Identify Cattle Predisposed to Feedlot Heart Failure

High protein aquatic plants for controlled environment indoor farms

Mitigating antibiotic use in aquaculture through vaccination

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

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

Consumer Understanding of Advances in Animal Welfare

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

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

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Breeding drought & heat tolerant wheat

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

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

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

Genome Editing Wheat for Durable & Sustainable Disease Resistance

Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

Biological Control of Cattle Fever Ticks in South Texas

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

Smart Monitoring of Broiler Welfare using Camera Technology and Machine Learning

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

FFAR Grant Supports Climate Smart Beef and Dairy Production

Epidemiology & Management of Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus

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

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

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

Tools to Detect and Understand Spread of African Swine Fever Virus

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

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

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

Feed the Future Fall Armyworm Tech Prize

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

Crops of the Future: Corn Drought Resistance

Effects of Asymptomatic Listeriosis on Dairy Cattle Fecal Microbiota

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Crops in Silico 3.0

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

Crops in Silico 1.0

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

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

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

Sustainable Control Tactics for Spotted Wing Drosophila in Tart Cherry

Red Seaweed

Protein-Based Thermotolerance Markers for Sustainable Legume Protein Production

Automated Individual Poultry Vaccination to Aid in Antibiotic Removal

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Maine Scallop Aquaculture Initiative

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

Harnessing Endophytes to Improve Crop Efficiency and Production

Ecology and Evolution of Bacterial Leaf Streak of Maize

Crops of the Future Initial Project: Leafy Greens

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

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Developing CRISPR-Cpf1 Genome Editing Technologies for Crop Improvement

Development of a Farmer-Focused Disease Prevention and Preparedness Tool

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

An Integrated Approach to Improve Whole Herd Pig Survivability

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

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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

Identifying Short-term Solutions for Managing Allium Leafminer in Allium

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

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

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

Plant-Nanoparticle Hybrids: Optimize Crop Engineering and Nutrient Delivery

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

Enhancing Animal Protein through Crops and Cattle

Developing Massively Parallel Sequence for Agricultural Surveillance

A Novel Bioassay for Culturing and Characterizing Fastidious Phytopathogens

Enhancing Crop Pollination, Pest Control and Yield in Urban Agriculture

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FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort 

Year Awarded  2024

Total award amount   $10,000 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 2024 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.

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Brookings, SD

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   South Dakota State University

Grantee Institution   South Dakota State University

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a highly contagious virus causing respiratory and reproductive disorders in poultry, leading to significant animal welfare concerns and economic losses. South Dakota State University researchers are developing a diagnostic tool and vaccine for the virus.

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $137,441

Total award amount   $274,882

Location   Belle Glade, FL

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   Bedner Growers, Inc., University of Florida

Grantee Institution   University of Florida

Damage caused by Thrips parvispinus, an invasive insect, is costing vegetable and ornamental plant producers millions of dollars. University of Florida researchers are evaluating pesticide efficacy in controlling the insect.

A Novel Cell-Surface-Receptor Strategy for Mitigating Mycotoxins 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,727,930

Location   Evanston, IL

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   2Blades, Bayer Crop Science, Mars

Corn is one of the most consumed crops globally; however, crop diseases are a major threat to yield. A danger associated with corn consumption is mycotoxins - chemicals produced by certain fungi that grow within the corn plant that cause illness and death in humans and animals. 2Blades is using new genetic tools to develop corn that has strong, long-lasting resistance to these fungi

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

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $494,956

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Egg-Tech Prize

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution   SenseIT Ventures, Inc.

Commercially, chicks can only be sexed after they hatch, requiring producers to devote time and resources to incubating male chicks, only to cull them. Yearly, over six billion male layer chicks are culled when hatched because there is no commercial use for them. This research team is continuing development of an innovative microchip-based chemical sensor that captures volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from individual eggs as early as eight days into incubation. Machine learning can interpret the VOCs to classify eggs by gender. This research is supporting the integration of microchip sensors with a custom automated egg handling machine that sorts the sexed eggs.

High-throughput in-ovo sexing of chicken eggs using hyperspectral imaging & Raman spectroscopy 

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $499,331

Location   De Klomp, The Netherlands

Program   Egg-Tech Prize

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution   HatchTech Group

Commercially, chicks can only be sexed after they hatch, requiring producers to devote time and resources to incubating male chicks, only to cull them. This research team is using molecular imaging technology to develop a commercially applicable optical technique for sexing hatching eggs by extracting and analyzing small droplets of the embryos’ fluid at the eighth day of incubation.

Grant Outcome

This project tested whether Raman spectroscopy could be used as a non-invasive way to determine the sex of chicken embryos inside the egg, an important goal for avoiding the cost and ethical concerns of culling male chicks after hatching. Although Raman spectroscopy was not found to be a viable approach for commercial in-ovo sex determination, the research addressed an important industry question and generated findings that may inform future innovations in non-invasive embryo sexing technologies.

Project Ella 

Year Awarded  2023

Total award amount   $495,990

Location   Leiden, The Netherlands

Program   Egg-Tech Prize

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution   In Ovo

Commercially, chicks can only be sexed after they hatch, requiring producers to devote time and resources to incubating male chicks, only to cull them. This research is further developing and scaling in-ovo sexing technology that measures a naturally occurring biomarker within the embryos’ waste fluid. This fluid differs between the sexes, allowing sorting the eggs by sex on the ninth day of development with high accuracy.

Grant Outcome

This research showed it is possible to determine the sex of a 12–15-day-old chicken embryo before hatching using In Ovo’s Ella technology that samples fluid from an egg and analyzes sex-specific biomarkers. The method is safe for embryos, works across breeds and aligns with animal welfare standards. In-ovo sexing could offer U.S. hatcheries an efficient way to repurpose male eggs, improve sustainability and reduce the need for chick culling.

Modeling for genomic, blood & microbiological markers for liver abscesses in fed beef cattle 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $633,462

Location   Lubbock, TX

Matching Funders   Genus ABS, Hy-Plains Feedyard, LLC, Texas Tech University, Veterinary Research & Consulting Services, LLC

Grantee Institution   Texas Tech University

Liver abscesses in cattle are a significant problem for beef and dairy cow producers, jeopardizing animals’ health and costing producers approximately $30 million annually. The condition occurs when bacteria cross from an animal’s gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream and accumulate in the liver. This research is investigating genetic markers and biomarkers that contribute to the formation of liver abscesses to allow producers to make more informed breeding and management decisions to reduce susceptibility in cattle and reduce reliance on antimicrobial treatments.

Grant Outcome

Researchers found that liver abscesses in cattle, which significantly reduce the animals’ carcass value, are not strongly linked to genetics. Instead, they are more likely caused by environmental and management factors. This means improving feeding and management practices will be key to reducing disease incidence. As a result, producers can reduce economic and production losses while improving animal health.

Understanding liver abscess pathogenesis & risk-factors of feedlot cattle reared in conventional beef versus dairy management systems 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $600,340

Location   Canyon, TX

Matching Funders   West Texas A&M University

Grantee Institution   West Texas A&M University

Liver abscesses in cattle are a significant problem for beef and dairy cow producers, jeopardizing animals’ health and costing producers approximately $30 million annually. The condition occurs when bacteria cross from an animal’s gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream and accumulate in the liver. This research is evaluating liver abscess development in feedlot cattle reared in conventional beef versus dairy management systems to provide insight into liver abscess pathogenesis and identify biomarkers that assess the risk of liver abscessation.

Metabolomic analysis of blood plasma to identify unique biomarkers indicative of liver abscesses 

Year Awarded  2023

FFAR award amount   $248,641

Total award amount   $497,282

Location   Manhattan, KS

Matching Funders   Cargill, Kansas State University, Tyson Foods, United Animal Health

Grantee Institution   Kansas State University

Liver abscesses in cattle are a significant problem for beef and dairy cow producers, jeopardizing animals’ health and costing producers approximately $30 million annually. The condition occurs when bacteria cross from an animal’s gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream and accumulate in the liver. This research is evaluating a comprehensive ‘biochemical fingerprinting’ in blood plasma collected from beef cattle with and without abscesses in the liver. Unique biomolecules in the blood of cattle with liver abscesses can help detect the onset and progression of liver abscesses and can aid evaluating antibiotic alternatives for prevention.