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

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $150,000

Total award amount   $300,000

Location   Riverside, CA

Program   Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research

Matching Funders   UCR, ISCA, California Date Commission, Bard Valley Medjool Data Growers Association

Grantee Institution   ISCA Technologies Inc.

The South American Palm Weevil is threatening California's palm trees and date palm trees. ISCA Technologies and UC Riverside researchers are developing environmentally-friendly pest controls to curb the spread of weevils.

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

Grantee Institution   Recombinetics, Inc.

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.

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

Grantee Institution   University of California Davis

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.

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.

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

Grantee Institution   Purdue University

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.

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

Grantee Institution   University of Edinburgh

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.  

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

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $490,093

Total award amount   $490,093

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Open Philanthropy Project

Grantee Institution   Purdue University

Keel, or breastbone fractures are painful and decrease egg production and are a common concern for cage-free hens. Purdue University researchers are assessing the impact of nutritional interventions on the gut microbiome and testing management interventions to reduce keel bone fractures in laying hens housed in cage-free systems.

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

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $15,000,000

Total award amount   $45,000,000

Location   Urbana-Champaign, IL

Matching Funders   Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID), University of Illinois

Grantee Institution   University of Illinois

Crops are inefficiently at photosynthesis, the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) is engineering staple food crops to more efficiently turn the sun’s energy into food to sustainably increase worldwide food productivity.

Plant-Nanoparticle Hybrids: Optimize Crop Engineering and Nutrient Delivery 

Year Awarded  2017

FFAR award amount   $300,000

Total award amount   $600,000

Location   Berkeley, CA

Matching Funders   The Regents of the University of California

Grantee Institution   University of California Berkely

Genome editing has revolutionized our ability to modify living systems and meet the growing demand for food. However, genetic engineering of mature plants remains a challenge. The Regents of the University of California, Berkeley are optimizing crop engineering and nutrient delivery tools to produce sustainable and high-yielding crops.