Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

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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 challen

ges. 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.

06/10/2026

Our latest Impact Report is live!

Looking back at the last year, we're focused on results. We're responding to emerging threats, elevating farmer perspectives, evaluating the success of our programs and building the strong and necessary partnerships that make our public-private partnership model work!

Linked below, you will find an exciting and interactive format, new to this year's Impact Report. Featured are some exciting stories of commercial successes, food and ag research perspectives and interactive graphics like our awarded research map pictured.

Check it out! We're excited to share more of some of these exciting stories in the near future...

06/04/2026

What we (or cows) eat may be having immense impacts on how well our immune system functions.

Haylee Reisinger, a FFAR Fellows at Michigan State University is diving deep into digestion, gut health and its effect on the dairy cow's immune system. She's particularly interested in the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and their counter-responses to inflammation.

Another interesting source of anti-inflammation they're looking into? Extracts from tart cherry pits... A byproduct of Michigan's tart cherry industry.

Read more below about this interesting and accessible research happening from a FFAR Fellow in Michigan!

06/02/2026

Yesterday at the Capitol, we partnered with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association to host a panel of experts from industry, academia and commodity groups to discuss our International Consortium for Antibiotic Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA).

ICASA is a valuable model of using public-private partnerships that allow industry and commodity groups to address research questions that directly impact the livestock supply chain, and that no individual entity can solve alone.

Moderated by our Executive Director, Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin, the panel featured:

Dr. Kathy Simmons, Chief Veterinarian, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Dr. Joel Nerem, Director of Industry Relations, Pipestone - Helping Farmers
Dr. Kendall L. Samuelson, Associate Professor of Animal Science, West Texas A&M University

06/01/2026

Request for applications!

This is a friendly reminder that pre-applications are due June 10, 2026.

We're looking to fund research with our returning and new industry partners to provide U.S. and producers with the tools and information they need to use antibiotics responsibly.

The end goal is to develop practical solutions, technologies and practices that promote judicious antibiotic use while improving animal health and welfare, increasing transparency in food production practices and helping American farmers with their bottom line.

Help us spread the word and find the most cutting edge research out there!

Details below through the comments...

Made possible by the power of public-private partnerships!

National Cattlemen's Beef Association
National Pork Board
Pipestone - Helping Farmers

Yum! Brands

05/29/2026

The beef and dairy industries have committed to reducing methane emissions, but one of the biggest challenges remains enteric methane, produced naturally through cows’ digestive processes.

That’s where the Greener Cattle Initiative (GCI) comes in.

GCI is an industry collaborative funding bold, practical research to reduce enteric methane emissions through scalable, commercially feasible solutions. To date, GCI has invested nearly $10 million in five projects to help producers access tools and strategies that work in the real world and support the beef and dairy industries’ sustainability goals. Learn about those projects below in the comments.

Now, the consortium is building on that momentum by inviting a select group of researchers to apply for GCI funding to advance the next generation of solutions to help reduce enteric methane emissions at scale.

GCI is unable to extend additional invitations for this funding round. However, there may be future opportunities for engagement.

Please subscribe to our news (linked below) so GCI and other FFAR funding opportunities are sent directly to your inbox in the future.

05/22/2026

What does it take to move from broad goals to measurable progress in the regenerative agriculture space?

Food and agriculture production is facing more pressure than ever, from extreme weather and supply chain disruptions to changing markets and a growing need for practical, long-term solutions.

Next week, food and beverage industry leaders will gather at The Future of Food and Beverage Forum USA in Minneapolis, MN to take a practical look at how the sector is responding to today’s challenges and preparing for what comes next.

Our Scientific Program Director, Kathy Boomer will moderate the panel “Regen reality check: How far are commitments translating to real world investment, impact and ROI?”

We're proud to help steer the industry into a more resilient future!

Learn more about the forum below.

05/21/2026

Improving nitrogen use efficiency starts with collaboration.

Supported by FFAR and The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT), stakeholders representing producers, scientists, government, foundations and corporations gathered at North Carolina State University to collaboratively shape a research program focused on fertilizer and nitrogen cycle innovation on U.S. farms.

The discussion builds on the Agricultural Nitrogen Use Efficiency Platform, a large-scale effort to coordinate nitrogen measurement, analysis and modeling across agricultural systems.

Better understanding nitrogen use can help improve productivity, strengthen environmental stewardship and support more informed farm management decisions.

By bringing together expertise across sectors, we're accelerating research that delivers practical, scalable solutions for U.S. agriculture.

05/20/2026

Request for applications!

We're looking to fund research with our returning and new industry partners to provide U.S. and producers with the tools and information they need to use antibiotics responsibly.

The end goal is to develop practical solutions, technologies and practices that promote judicious antibiotic use while improving animal health and welfare, increasing transparency in food production practices and helping American farmers with their bottom line.

Preapplications are due June 10, 2026.

Help us spread the word and find the most cutting edge research out there!

Details below through the comments...

Welcome to our new partners in funding this crucial research!

National Cattlemen's Beef Association
National Pork Board
Pipestone - Helping Farmers

Yum! Brands

05/19/2026

What do we do when 95% of our country’s grain production is becoming increasingly at risk to more extreme weather patterns and erratic rainfall distribution?

American farmers plant around 90 million acres of corn each year (95% of U.S. grain). Many farmers across the corn belt rely on seasonal rainfall as the sole source of water for their crops.

That’s why in 2019 we funded research led by Shawn Kaeppler at University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a more drought-tolerant corn seed variety.

An external evaluation of our crops research portfolio shows that the downstream results of this innovation show an up to $274/acre value for America’s corn producers if adopted today.

Learn more about this grant and others dealing with drought tolerance in commodity crops, in the button below.

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