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

Refine Results
Challenge Areas & Initiatives
Consortia
Program
    See more
Scientific Workforce Programs
Continent
Location
    See more
Year
    See more
Order

93 Grants found

Hide map

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

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $877,007

Total award amount   $1,754,067

Location   Seattle, WA

Matching Funders   Jamestown S’Kallam Tribe, University of Washington, Baywater Shellfish Company, University of Rhode Island

University of Washington researchers are improving Pacific geoduck clam production by altering environmental conditions at key stages of the life cycle and identifying genetic markers associated with optimal traits.

An Integrated Approach to Improve Whole Herd Pig Survivability

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $999,772

Total award amount   $1,999,772

Location   Des Moines, IA

Matching Funders   National Pork Board

An estimated 30-35 percent of pigs die before reaching the market and mortality rates are increasing. An interdisciplinary team is studying the causes of swine mortality on commercial farms and finding methods to improve pig survivability.

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

Year Awarded  2018

FFAR award amount   $49,999

Total award amount   $99,998

Location   Des Moines, IA

Matching Funders   University of Nebraska

Technological advances allow livestock producers to capture unprecedented amounts of data about pigs in their care. An interdisciplinary team is developing technology that continually tracks individual pigs and logs information about their activities for future analysis and selection.

Identifying Short-term Solutions for Managing Allium Leafminer in Allium

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $65,000

Total award amount   $130,000

Location   Ithaca, NY

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   New York Farm Viability Institute

Grantee Institution   Cornell University

The Allium Leafminer (ALM), an invasive fly species, threatens Allium crops such as onions, garlic, leeks, scallions and chives. The emerging pest has the capacity to devastate entire fields. Cornell University researchers are identifying effective insecticides and tactics for controlling pest in Allium crops for both organic and conventional Allium production. The project is also developing best practices for predicting and scouting for ALM and arming growers with the latest information to prevent crop damage.

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

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.

Consumer Understanding of Advances in Animal Welfare

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $50,000

Total award amount   $100,000

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Food Marketing Institute Foundation and the Animal Agriculture Alliance

Consumers are demanding cage-free egg production and slow-growth broiler chickens and farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses are responding. However, producers must first understand consumer knowledge, beliefs and willingness-to-pay for these attributes. Purdue University researchers are employing choice modeling techniques to estimate diversity in consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for cage-free eggs and slow-growth broilers now and in the future.

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

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $215,999

Total award amount   $431,999

Location   Davis, CA

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Keel, or breastbone fractures are a prevalent concern when raising hens in cage-free housing systems. University of California, Davis researchers are exploring the impacts of poultry housing design, particularly vertical space, on the prevalence of keel bone injuries in egg-laying hens.

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.

A Practical Phenotypic Solution to Reduce Keel & Skeletal Bone Damage in Laying Hens

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $243,296

Total award amount   $486,594

Location   Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Keel, or breastbone fractures, which cause pain and decrease egg production, are a challenge to raising hens in cage-free housing systems. To improve the health and productivity of egg-laying hens and prevent these fractures, University of Edinburgh researchers are developing an x-ray-based measurement system for on-farm use to breed hens with stronger bones.  

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

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $499,443

Total award amount   $514,675

Location   St. Paul, MN

Matching Funders   DNA Genetics LLC and Open Philanthropy Project

Male piglets are castrated to improve the quality of meat for consumers, but this practice is also a concerning animal welfare issue. Recombinetics/Acceligen and Hendrix Genetics are using a genome editing method to create swine that remain in a pre-pubertal state, thus eliminating the need for surgical castration. The project aims to eliminate the need for surgical castration and improve animal health, management and meat quality.