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National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food & Agriculture Research: Zachary Lippman 

Year Awarded  2020

Total award amount   $100,000

Location   Laurel Hollow, NY

Matching Funders   Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Grantee Institution   Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Dr. Zachary Lippman was awarded the 2020 National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture for his work to increase crop productivity in the face of declining agricultural land and population growth through novel gene editing techniques.

2020 FFAR Fellows Cohort Announced 

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

Portrait of Linda Beckett.

Linda Beckett

2019-2022 FFAR Fellow

Dairy Farming: Beating the Heat 

Portrait of Ananda Fontoura smiling.

Ananda Fontoura

2018-2021 FFAR Fellow

FFAR Announces New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Awardees 

Combating Herbicide Resistance 

Portrait of Abby Barker.

Abby Barker

2018-2021 FFAR Fellow

Field-deployable biosensors for managing animal health 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $450,000

Total award amount   $950,000

Location   West Lafayette, IN

Matching Funders   Purdue University

Grantee Institution   Purdue University

Bovine respiratory disease is an ailment that causes annual losses of almost $1 billion dollars to the beef cattle industry. Dr. Mohit Verma’s research is producing a rapid biosensor diagnostic test that detects viruses that cause bovine respiratory disease, delivering these results in less than 30 minutes. This test will guide veterinarians and cattle producers to the best methods for prevention and treatment of the disease. Results of the research will include less use of antibiotics, reduced losses from the disease, increased quality and productivity of beef cattle and improved animal welfare.

An Integrative Approach to Biofortification of Staple Crops 

Year Awarded  2020

Total award amount   $444,444

Location   Ft. Collins, CO

Grantee Institution   Colarado State University

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutritional disorders worldwide and is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children under the age of five. Dr. Davina Rhodes’ research is integrating plant breeding, cereal chemistry and nutrition to develop sorghum grain with high concentrations of carotenoid, plant chemicals that help combat vitamin A deficiency. This approach could be used as a model for biofortification efforts in a broad range of nutrients and crops.

Digging deeper: Removing the barriers to soil compaction mitigation 

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $449,601

Total award amount   $588,961

Location   Pullman, WA

Matching Funders   Washington State University

Grantee Institution   Washington State University

Soil compaction diminishes soil health and damages soil ecosystems, leading to lower crop yield and decreased resilience in the face of climate change. Dr. Haly Neely’s research is mitigating soil compaction, which occurs when soil particles are pressed together making soil less healthy and resilient, by measuring and mapping compaction with a newly developed visible and near-infrared spectroscopy tool. Neely is linking these measurements to soil ecosystem components such as crop yield and using these findings to improve growers’ knowledge of soil compaction mitigation strategies.

Uncovering the Genetic Architecture of Inducible Chemical Defenses in Crop and Wild Sunflower for the Sustainable Control of Pests and Pathogens 

Year Awarded  2020

Total award amount   $450,000

Location   Orlando, FL

Grantee Institution   University of Central Florida

Crops plants face a wide variety of threats from pests and pathogens, yet for many such threats there is no simple genetic source of full resistance in the plant immune system, necessitating growers’ reliance on pesticides. Dr. Chase Mason’s research is determining the genetic control of induced chemical defenses, a mechanism by which plants produce chemical compounds to protect themselves upon detecting harmful pests or pathogens. Mason is also identifying sources of enhanced forms of this protection in a variety of species to reduce reliance on pesticides.