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

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81 Grants found

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

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

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

Kernza® Supply Chain from Farm to Fork: Building Systems to Trace the Ecological, Nutritional and Community Benefits of Kernza® Production in Fields and Food Products

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

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

UC Davis Receives FFAR Grant to Help Improve Vineyard Soil Health

Improving Soil Health on Vineyards

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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A Novel Cell-Surface-Receptor Strategy for Mitigating Mycotoxins

Transforming Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer

Transforming Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer

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

Using Solar Panels to Enhance Groundwater

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

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

Uniting Urban Agriculture Operations to Increase Food Security

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

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

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

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

Cotton-Based Precision Irrigation Improves Sustainability

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

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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

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

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

FFAR Grant Improves Soil Health Through Phosphorus Management

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

FFAR Research Tackles Peanut Allergy

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

University of Tennessee Receives FFAR Grant to Help Address Food Waste Challenges

FFAR Grant Addresses Food Waste Reduction Challenges

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Breeding drought & heat tolerant wheat

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

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

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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Grant Supports Production of Sustainable, Cost-Effective Feed Supplements

FFAR Grant to Develop Vaccine for Tilapia Lake Virus

FFAR & Rodale Institute Enhance Soil Health to Increase Crop Nutrients

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

Genome Editing Wheat for Durable & Sustainable Disease Resistance

Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

FFAR Grant Quantifies Organic Carbon to Improve Agricultural Productivity

FFAR Grant Examines Carbon Farming Effect on Soil Health

FFAR Grant Addressing Surface and Groundwater Pollution on Farms

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

FFAR Grant Provides Technical Training to Enhance Soil Health

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

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

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

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

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

Prairie Strips for Healthy Soils and Thriving Farms

Protein-Based Thermotolerance Markers for Sustainable Legume Protein Production

Closing the Gap in Delivery of Fruit and Vegetable Benefits

Automated Individual Poultry Vaccination to Aid in Antibiotic Removal

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

An Open Source Plant Chemogenomics Set

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

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Defining Stressors to Manage Plasticity & Quality in Leafy Greens

Enhancing Animal Protein through Crops and Cattle

An Open Source Framework and Community for Sharing Data and Algorithms

Fostering Innovative, Sustainable Urban Farming Methods to Meet Food Needs

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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

Grantee Institution   Iowa State University

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.

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

Grantee Institution   USDA-ARS

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.

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

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $225,000

Total award amount   $450,000

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Almond Board of California, Bays Ranch Inc., Muller Berry Farms, Ples Due Family Farms

Grantee Institution   University of California Davis

Almonds typically dry out on the orchard floor before being harvested. This practice prevents growers from using manure or compost that could improve the soil but could also contaminate the almonds. University of California, Davis researchers are testing machinery that harvests almonds, leaving the hulls and shells on the ground to improve soil health.

Closing the Gap in Delivery of Fruit and Vegetable Benefits 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $999,716

Total award amount   $2,005,846

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   Dole Foods Company, Standard Process Inc., NC State University

Grantee Institution   NC State University

An estimated 87 percent of Americans do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables per day. North Carolina State University researchers are identifying breeding practices to improve the nutritional density of common fruits and vegetables in consumer products. This research is helping food companies develop products that more effectively deliver the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.

Defining Stressors to Manage Plasticity & Quality in Leafy Greens 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $994,035

Total award amount   $1,989,030

Location   Newark, NJ

Matching Funders   AeroFarms

Grantee Institution   Aerofarms

While current plant breeding research focuses on adapting plants to their environments, AeroFarms, Rutgers University and Cornell University, are investigating how to harness environmental conditions indoors to improve characteristics in plants. The project is improving the quality, taste and nutrition of leafy greens crops.

Enhancing Animal Protein through Crops and Cattle 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,402,000

Location   Lincoln, NE

Matching Funders   UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Platte River-High Plains Aquifer

Grantee Institution   University of Nebraska

The availability of land for livestock foraging has decreased as farms move toward monocultures. University of Nebraska researchers are integrating livestock and crop production systems. Researchers are investigating various outputs including yields, soil health, greenhouse gas emissions and the economic feasibility of adopting these new practices to improving land use efficiency.

An Open Source Framework and Community for Sharing Data and Algorithms 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $1,066,348

Total award amount   $2,134,079

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Winfield United, Centricity, AgGateway, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Purdue University

Grantee Institution   Purdue University

Farmers gather data on millions of acres of active farmland, but much of that data is not integrated into decision-making tools to better manage the land. The industry is unable to take full advantage of the vast amounts of data available today. Purdue University researchers are converting agricultural data and algorithms into actionable tools for farmers. This project is translating this wealth of data into real-world applications in agriculture through a community-driven, open source framework.

Fostering Innovative, Sustainable Urban Farming Methods to Meet Food Needs 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $294,988

Total award amount   $590,189

Location   Berkeley, CA

Matching Funders   The Regents of the University of California

Grantee Institution   University of California Berkely

Ensuring urban agriculture can sustainably feed urban populations in the future requires understanding current urban agriculture challenges from a policy and systems perspective. University of California, Berkeley researchers are improving the sustainability and resilience of urban farms by building soil health, conserving water and promoting beneficial insects. The project will also evaluate the effectiveness of existing food access and food distribution methods for meeting food needs of urban food insecure communities and develop policy recommendations in collaboration with community stakeholders.

An Open Source Plant Chemogenomics Set 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $1,000,000

Total award amount   $2,320,000

Location   Davis, CA

Matching Funders   UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Structural Genomics Consortium, AgBiome and Promega

Grantee Institution   University of California Davis

Drought is a significant concern for farmers, especially rice growers. University of California, Davis researchers are studying genes responsible for drought tolerance in rice. The project is developing and implementing a screening strategy to identify new gene that effect root traits and drought tolerance in rice.

Automated Individual Poultry Vaccination to Aid in Antibiotic Removal 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $800,000

Total award amount   $1,600,292

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   Merck Animal Health

Grantee Institution   Applied LifeSciences & Systems (ALS-S)

Commercial hatcheries often spray vaccines on chicks to prevent disease. This method is imprecise and leaves about 5-20 percent of chicks vulnerable to disease. When disease breaks out, producers must then use antibiotics to treat secondary infections, which reduces overall productivity. By using imaging and robotics technology, Applied Lifesciences & Systems Poultry Inc. is developing a device for vaccinating newly hatched chickens, enhancing bird health, increasing poultry production and reducing the need for antibiotics.