Cultivating Thriving Production Systems

Our Production Systems research supports animal and crop systems by increasing productivity, combating pests and diseases, supporting animal welfare and safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods.
Our Production Systems research supports animal and crop systems by increasing productivity, combating pests and diseases, supporting animal welfare and safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods.

Contact Information:

science@foundationfar.org

Partnerships & Development Contact:

Lauren Hershey
lhershey@foundationfar.org

Production Systems Research Themes:

Crop Resilience & Productivity

This theme advances research that delivers crop productivity and resilience against biotic and abiotic stress.
Angus cows on green pasture

Integrated Animal Health, Welfare & Productivity

This theme supports research that improves animal health and welfare while maintaining or increasing productivity.

Economically Viable Systems

This theme supports research that designs and assesses adaptive, resilient production systems to advance farmers’ and ranchers’ profitability now and into the future.
Chicken in a green pasture

Environmental Sustainability

This theme advances research to cultivate efficient animal and crop systems that protect and regenerate natural resources.

Production Systems Consortia

Production Systems Grant Programs

Accelerated crop research banner.

Accelerated Crop Breeding

This research increases the transferability of advanced breeding methods to accelerate the development of diverse crop species suited to sustainable agriculture and improved human nutrition.

EggTech program banner.

Egg-Tech Prize

The Egg-Tech Prize seeks to revolutionize global egg production by offering up to $6 million in prizes to develop a technology that determines an egg’s sex before it hatches.

Woman in white lab coat and protective eyewear in a research lab at a computer with a virus on the screen

H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program

Proactively enhancing prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the U.S. swine herd.

Rice farmer dealing with drought conditions.

Increasing Climate Resilience in Crops

Our Increasing Climate Resilience in Crops Program is developing solutions to increase crops’ tolerance for higher temperatures.

Close up of one white pig seated behind and standing in front, against blurred background of ground, staring at viewer

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Research Program

Proactively protecting the health of the U.S. swine herd by enhancing the prevention, preparedness and response capabilities for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a transboundary disease risk for U.S. introduction.

Cage-free layer hen

Layer Hen Keel Bone Health Program

Bone fractures, which cause pain and decrease egg production, are one known challenge to raising hens in cage-free housing systems and are particularly prevalent in the keel, or breastbone. To address this issue, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Open Philanthropy are launching the Keel Bone Health program to decrease the occurrence of keel bone injuries and improve welfare in commercial laying hens.

Hands in a pile of red lentils.

Plant Protein Enhancement Project

Our Crops of the Future Consortium’s Plant Protein Enhancement Project is creating the necessary tools to feed the growing demand for plant-based proteins.

Veterinarian examining pigs.

Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

The ROAR program supports research and outreach in response to emerging threats to the nation’s food supply or agricultural systems.

Man planting a seed in a field

Seeding Solutions

Seeding Solutions is our annual grant program that funds research pioneering science in each of our Research Priorities. We specifically support projects that convene unique partners from across the food and agriculture sector to solve bold challenges.

SMART Broiler program banner.

SMART Broiler

The SMART Broiler research initiative is offering multiple grants to develop technologies that objectively assess broiler chickens’ welfare in commercial facilities.

Many white piglets coming down a concrete aisle in a commercial setting

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Proactively enhancing wean-to-harvest biosecurity will help control the next emerging disease in the U.S. pork industry and improve U.S. swine herd health.

Two scientists analyzing vegetables

USDA-FFAR Innovation Challenge

Production Systems Grants

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Program Six Awards

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $661,355

Total award amount   $1,322,710

Location   Manhattan, KS

Program   Japanese Encephalitis Virus Research Program

Matching Funders   Swine Health Information Center

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

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $333,516

Total award amount   $667,032

Location   Raleigh, NC

Matching Funders   Bast Fibre Technologies, Inc., IND HEMP, NC State University

Addressing On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $148,111

Total award amount   $300,222

Location   Davis, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   AgriNerds Inc.

Grantee Institution   AgriNerds Inc.

The Latest

Insights

Our Insights highlight unique perspectives from across the food and agriculture community.

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The Aim For Healthy, Productive & Environmentally Friendly, Southeastern Beef Calves 

Federico Tarnonsky

FFAR Fellow (2022-2025), University of Florida

Time Teaches Biosecurity Importance 

Kevin Schulz

Kevin Schulz

Editor, The Farmer/Farm Progress

Greener Cattle Initiative is Game Changer for Dairy’s Future 

Dr. Juan Tricarico

Dr. Juan Tricarico

Senior Vice President, Environmental Research, Dairy Management Inc.

Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Dairy Cattle 

Francisco Penagaricano headshot

Dr. Francisco Peñagaricano and Dr. Guillermo Martinez Boggio

Let’s Raise a Glass on National Milk Day to the Power of Agriculture Research 

Krysta Harden headshot

Krysta Harden

President and CEO U.S. Dairy Export Council

Building Team Chemistry: The Bigger Picture Behind Cows & Climate 

Conor McCabe headshot

Conor McCabe

Animal Biology Graduate Student, UC Davis

Insight on Livestock Methane Mitigation 

Dr. Rod Mackie

Dr. Rod Mackie, Professor, Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Champaign, IL

Indigenous Farmers are Leading a “New Green Revolution” Focused on Hemp 

James DeDecker, Director, Michigan State University – Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center Mary Donner, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians – Ziibimijwang Farm Executive Director and Tribal Citizen

FFAR Vet Student Fellow Research Spotlight 

Agricultural study in progress.

Anna Schaubeck

2021 FFAR Veterinary Student Research Fellow

Celebrating Innovation on National Egg Day 

Paul Montgomery

Paul Montgomery

Director of Communications, United Egg Producers

Going Nuts: Nut Crops as Climate Resilient Protein Alternatives for the Future 

Matt Davis

University of California, Davis

How Heat Stress Impacts Swine Health 

Portrait of Lauren Anderson.

FFAR Fellow, Lauren Anderson

North Carolina State University

Building Tools for Plant Genome Editing 

Portrait of Simon Sretenovic.

FFAR Fellow, Simon Sretenovic

University of Maryland, College Park

Tackling Malnutrition with Biofortification 

Portrait of Aicha Waziri.

Aichatou Djibo Waziri

Washington State University

Wheat: already delicious and now nutritious 

Portrait of Addy Carroll.

Addison Carroll

FFAR Fellow

Dusting the Soil for Fungus-Prints: Spinach Seed Production and One of its Greatest Threats 

Portrait of Batson.

Alex Batson

Washington State University

A day on the Battlefield: Searching for Perennial defenses in wild places 

Portrait of Kelsey Peterson.

Kelsey Peterson

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Heavy Metal and Chocolate: Not the Best Pairing   

Portrait of Zachary Dashner.

Zachary Dashner

2018-2021 FFAR Fellow

Dairy Cattle Metabolic Capacity: Milking It for all It’s Worth 

Portrait of Linda Beckett.

Linda Beckett

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

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FFAR & AAVMC Open Applications for 2025 FFAR Vet Fellows 

FFAR Grant Seeks to Decrease Corn Inputs, Increases Climate Resiliency 

Seeding Solutions Grant Helps Develop Corn Resistant to Fungal Disease 

SHIC/FFAR Fund Six Japanese Encephalitis Virus Research Projects 

Grant Improves Hemp Fiber Processing & Quality 

FFAR Research Addresses On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl 

SHIC, FFAR & Pork Checkoff Announce H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program & RFP 

ROAR Funding Protects Strawberries from Dangerous Pathogen 

FFAR Aims to Help Farmers Manage Manure More Sustainably & Profitably 

Hemp Research Consortium Grant Examines Biopesticides for Hemp Treatment 

Seeding Solutions Grant Developing Tomato Resistance to Parasitic Weed 

Crops of the Future Grant Improves Stress Tolerance in Carrots 

ICASA Award Addresses Antimicrobial Stewardship for Bovine Respiratory Disease 

Swine Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Funds Additional Research 

FFAR Names Sixth Cohort of Veterinary Fellows 

U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef & FFAR Announce Focus Group Series to Develop Sustainable Beef Research Roadmap 

FFAR-Funded Research to Prevent African Swine Fever Virus 

Greener Cattle Initiative Opens Call for Enteric Methane Emission Research 

FFAR & AAVMC Open Applications for 2024 FFAR Vet Fellows 

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Research Protects U.S. Swine 

Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

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Unlocking Genetic Heat Tolerance in Cattle 

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

Accelerating Crop Development with Improved Haploid Fertility 

Breakthrough for Accelerated Development of Crops of the Future

Radiography could transform poultry breeding 

Breakthrough for 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

Research Pinpoints Why Dairy Cows Produce Less Milk in Warm Weather and Develops Nutrition-Based Solution 

Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures

Getting to the Root of the Problem: Fastidious Pathogens 

Breakthrough for A Novel Bioassay for Culturing and Characterizing Fastidious Phytopathogens

Feed Additives Stop Viral Disease Spread, Researchers Find 

Breakthrough for FFAR-Funded Research Finds Feed Additives Stop the Spread of Viral Diseases

Initial Successes in Ending Surgical Castration of Swine 

Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $500,000 Grant to Improve Swine Health and Well-Being

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