Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

Call Directions Website

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Scientists collaborate with us to generate agile solutions that once seemed impossible.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) connects funders, researchers and farmers to pioneer the next frontier of agriculture innovation to provide every person access to affordable, nutritious food grown on thriving farms. FFAR builds public-private partnerships to multiply the US’s public research investment and accelerate actionable solutions to urgent food and agriculture challenges. The private sector partners with us to fund pioneering public research for the betterment of all. Farmers engage with us to ensure these solutions address their challenges, benefit consumers, sustain growing populations and help farms thrive. We convene scientists, funders and farmers to tackle food and agriculture’s biggest challenges.

Congratulations to Dr. Kaiyu Guan, a FFAR grantee, on being named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow!Dr. Guan, a researcher at the ...
10/15/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kaiyu Guan, a FFAR grantee, on being named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow!

Dr. Guan, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is advancing agricultural innovation through artificial intelligence, satellite technology and advanced computing.

His groundbreaking research is helping scientists and farmers better understand agricultural systems and develop data-driven solutions to some of agriculture's most pressing challenges.

Congratulations Dr. Guan on this prestigious recognition from the MacArthur Foundation!

Across the United States, industrial hog production relies heavily on a lagoon-and-sprayfield system.That system has rem...
10/13/2026

Across the United States, industrial hog production relies heavily on a lagoon-and-sprayfield system.

That system has remained largely unchanged for decades.

"Wastewater from barns is flushed into large anaerobic lagoons, where solids settle, and the liquids are eventually sprayed onto nearby cropland as fertilizer. On paper, this is often described as a closed-loop nutrient recycling model, where waste from hogs fertilizes the crops that feed future hogs. However, this system is nothing but open. Nutrients leak, odors persist, and large volumes of nitrogen and phosphorus escape into the surrounding environment."

Read all about FFAR Fellows at Auburn University , Vivian Usha's research into biochar as a missing remedy for closure of this system.

(in the comments)

10/07/2026

Research funding does more than generate new discoveries. It also prepares the people who will shape the future of animal agriculture.

ICASA projects provide graduate students hands-on experience while working to solve real-world challenges facing producers.

At a time when fewer students are pursuing advanced training in agricultural sciences, these opportunities strengthen the pipeline of future veterinarians, researchers and industry leaders.

In this video, ICASA grantee Dr. Kendall Samuelson, associate professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University , explains why supporting research is essential to developing a strong agricultural workforce.

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research is investing $750K in the next phase of the PIG LIVABILITY PROJECT, building ...
10/06/2026

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research is investing $750K in the next phase of the PIG LIVABILITY PROJECT, building on 5 years of research that identified practical ways to improve pig livability.

The The Pork Checkoff and other industry stakeholders are providing an additional $893,357, bringing total funding for the next phase to more than $1.64 million.

The project is led by Iowa State University in collaboration with Kansas State University.

WHAT WAS LEARNED: In one trial at a 4,800-sow operation, earlier health assessment and lameness treatment reduced sow mortality by 4.9%. Using tools the team developed to calculate mortality costs, this mortality reduction saved producers $240,000. These tools are the first free and publicly available resources that provide farm-specific estimates for operations covering breeding through weaning and weaning through market.

WHAT COMES NEXT: Seven new research projects will look at sanitation, nutrition, anemia, transportation and other factors affecting pig livability.

We’re sharing both what the first 5 years accomplished and what researchers are tackling next.

Links in the comments.

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Ag Is America

10/05/2026

Liver abscesses jeopardize cattle health and cost producers approximately $30 million annually.

Liver abscesses affect roughly 20% of United States beef cattle, reaching as high as 70% in some groups.

Antibiotics are commonly used to prevent and control liver abscesses, but the condition is still highly prevalent.

To prevent liver abscesses from forming, current control methods involve treating entire groups of animals with antibiotics at the same time.

As a result, healthy animals are often administered antibiotics, as it is difficult to determine which animals are infected. This method is costly and can increase antibiotic resistance in cattle, making them susceptible to other lethal conditions.

As part of our efforts to curb antibiotic use in animal husbandry through the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA), we awarded Dr. Kendall Samuelson of West Texas A&M University University a research grant to understand more of this prevalent disease.

Hear what she has to say about her research...

While the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low, demand for beef is increasing. Breakthroughs like this one from an ICASA...
10/01/2026

While the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low, demand for beef is increasing. Breakthroughs like this one from an ICASA-funded grant offer producers timely new management practices to keep cattle healthy, reduce antibiotic use and produce beef more efficiently.

A new study of beef-on-dairy cattle led by Dr. Dale Woerner of Texas Tech University linked liver abscesses to changes in the rumen, rather than inherited traits.

The findings suggest that supporting rumen health may be more effective than selective breeding in reducing rumen abscesses.

Researchers also developed blood tests to predict abscesses with 80% accuracy, potentially enabling earlier detection, improving cattle health and lowering costs for producers.

Learn more below in the comments!

09/29/2026

Research funding does more than generate new discoveries. It also prepares the people who will shape the future of animal agriculture.

ICASA projects like the one here, supporting Dr. Kendall Samuelson's research on liver abscesses in cattle, at West Texas A&M University , provide graduate students hands-on experience while working to solve real-world challenges facing producers.

At a time when fewer students are pursuing advanced training in agricultural sciences, these opportunities strengthen the pipeline of future veterinarians, researchers and industry leaders.

Future leaders like Macie Weigand.

More to come!

With the U.S. cattle herd at a 75-year low, demand for beef is increasing...We have a new breakthrough from our Internat...
09/24/2026

With the U.S. cattle herd at a 75-year low, demand for beef is increasing...

We have a new breakthrough from our International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA) that could offer new management practices to keep cattle healthy, reduce antibiotic use and produce beef more efficiently.

Recent studies estimate that Bovine Respiratory Disease causes more than $1 billion in annual losses for U.S. beef operations alone.

Because treating an entire group is costly not just on their margins, but also with the risk of creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, producers must weigh the costs of treating entire groups of cattle upon arrival.

Researchers led by Dr. Brad White of Kansas State University developed models that predict which groups of cattle are most likely to benefit from preventive antibiotic treatment.

Learn more about this project in the comments!

Catfish, trout and tilapia accounted for most of the nearly $820 million in sales generated by U.S. fish farms in 2023.E...
09/17/2026

Catfish, trout and tilapia accounted for most of the nearly $820 million in sales generated by U.S. fish farms in 2023.

Even so, we imported about 7.4 billion pounds of fish that same year, highlighting an opportunity for domestic aquaculture to supply more of the fish we Americans eat.

This research could help fish farmers raise healthier, more productive fish, while protecting wild populations and natural ecosystems by preventing escaped fish from reproducing.

Led by Michael Phelps, an associate professor at Washington State University , the research builds on his 2021 FFAR New Innovator Award, which found that rainbow trout could be sterilized by preventing reproductive cells from developing.

With matching funding from Troutlodge, the team is investigating two promising and scalable approaches that could turn a better profit, while protecting our wild resources. Ag Is America

Farmers are facing increasing pressure to maintain crop yields amid rising fertilizer costs and increasing ecological im...
09/16/2026

Farmers are facing increasing pressure to maintain crop yields amid rising fertilizer costs and increasing ecological impacts.

They need science-backed guidance for practical solutions that improve nutrient use efficiency in real-world conditions.

Our Efficient Fertilizer Consortium was formed with various key crop sectors such as Cotton Incorporated , to ensure the research reflects practical production needs and real-world applicability.

Today we're announcing the 2026, $9.3M investment to improve nutrient use efficiency across different agricultural systems.

Listed below are the 2026 Efficient Fertilizer Consortium awardees:

Dr. Dorivar Ruiz Diaz of Kansas State University is evaluating multiple fertilizers across divers cropping systems and climates of Kansas.

Dr. Charles White of Penn State is testing the performance of novel biofertilizers under different soil moisture conditions.

Dr. Daniel Quinn of Purdue University , is generating location-specific data to refine best fertilizer management practices for Midwestern corn farmers.

Dr. Pedro Andrade Sanchez of The University of Arizona is creating a research platform to test the performance of nitrogen fertilizers in irrigated desert soil conditions.

Dr. Andrew Margenot of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is measuring how nitrogen fertilizers perform in tile-drained corn systems.

Dr. John Jones of University of Illinois is conducting field-scale evaluations of phosphorous fertilizers and their ability to prevent nutrient runnoff.

Dr. Nutifafa Adotey of University of Tennessee, Knoxville is evaluating how fertilizers and cover crops affect nitrogen balances in corn-soybean rotations.

Dr. William Frame of Virginia Tech , is improving nitrogen and phosphorous efficiency in southern U.S. cropping systems with enhanced-efficiency fertilizers and cover crops.

Dr. Craig Drury of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is studying the agronomic, environmental and microbial impacts of fertilizers combined with placement methods, conversation tillage and cover crops.

Dr. Benjamin Ellert of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada is determining how effectively nitrogen moves from applied fertilizers to the crop.

Dr. Sander Bruun of Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen is studying how enhanced efficiency fertilizers and cover crops can work together to improve nitrogen use efficiency and enhance crop productivity.

Dr. Ran Erel of the is assessing innovative fertilizer technologies for diverse crop rotations in irrigated dryland regions.

Address

401 9th Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20004

Telephone

+12026240700

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Sponsored

Share

Category