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FFAR & Rodale Institute Enhance Soil Health to Increase Crop Nutrients 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $997,455

Total award amount   $2,001,761

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Dickinson College Farm, Iowa State University, L&M Farms, Lakeview Organic Grain, the Pennsylvania State University, Quinn Farm & Ranch Rodale Institute, Stroud Water Research Center, the University of Delaware, and West Virginia University

Grantee Institution   Rodale Institute

Despite greater production of whole foods like grains, beans, nuts and vegetables, the average diet may be nutritionally deficient. Developing agricultural practices that improve the quality of soil and increase the availability of nutrients in crops is essential to ultimately enhancing human health.

OFRF and FFAR Fund Research to Enhance Organic Potato Nutrition 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $16,590

Total award amount   $16,590

Location   Moscow, ID

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of Idaho

Dr. Popova and her team are evaluating the efficacy of mustard seed meal extract (MSME) on inhibiting weed seed germination (pre-emergent) and killing aboveground weed growth (post-emergent) while also determining the influence of MSME application on soil health in the field.

OFRF and FFAR Fund Research to Enhance Organic Potato Nutrition 

Conservation of an Endophytic Insect-pathogenic Fungus for Plant Protection in Organic Cropping Systems. 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $19,468

Total award amount   $19,468

Location   State College, PA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   Penn State University

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to Pennsylvania State University researchers examine how to promote and conserve the beneficial soil fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. This fungus can increase plant growth and tolerance to environmental stresses, which are expected to increase with climate change.

Cover Crops for Soil Health: Demonstration of On-Farm Trial 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $19,620

Total award amount   $19,620

Location   Rio Grande, TX

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of Texas Rio Grande

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to the University of Texas at Rio Grande to evaluate whether cover crops can restore soil health, suppress weeds and reduce pest populations. This research provides farmers with information on cover crop selection and management that improves the long-term sustainability of organic agriculture systems.

Biosolarization: Harnessing the Sun and Organic Matterfor Weed Control 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $17,337

Total award amount   $17,337

Location   Sacramento Valley, CA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   National Center for Appropriate Technology

Weeds, pests and diseases devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to The National Center for Appropriate Technology to measuring the efficacy of biosolarization—an innovative weed control that combines soil solarization (trapping solar radiation under a plastic tarp) with biofumigation (using biologically-active plant substances to suppress soil-borne pests and pathogens) – to prove that biosolarization provides weed control in a better and more timely manner.

Developing Public-Private Partnerships to Address Organic Research Needs 

Convening Event Virtual

Image from an Organic Center event.

FoodShot Global Challenge 

OFRF and FFAR Announce Grants to Advance Soil Health Research 

FFAR & OFRF Grant to Enhance Soil Health