Bold science for big challenges.
Washington, DC
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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 @KState developed models that predict which groups of cattle are most likely to benefit from preventive antibiotic treatment.
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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 @WSUPullman , 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 @TroutlodgeInc, the team is investigating two promising and scalable approaches that could turn a better profit, while protecting our wild resources.
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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 @CottonInc , 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:
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Dr. Craig Drury of Agriculture & 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.
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Dr. Sander Bruun of 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 Volcani Institute is assessing innovative fertilizer technologies for diverse crop rotations in irrigated dryland regions.
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Our very own, Dr. John Reich was named in the Bioeconomy 500 for his leadership in transforming the bioeconomy!
John currently manages our Bolstering Healthy Food Systems research priority area and is responsible for creating FFAR's first consortium.
Well done John!
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New World Screwworm. The fight continues.
The latest screwworm outbreak in Texas alone is estimated to cost $1.8 billion in livestock losses, veterinary expenses, and labor costs.
$1.8 Billion.
We've been frontlines along with the @USDA in selecting and equipping researchers with novel ideas, the funds to provide needed breakthroughs, quickly.
We've awarded our 3rd grant in our series of NWS research grants, to Dr. Lee Haines and Dr. Álvaro Acosta-Serranoto of @NotreDame , to evaluate whether an existing drug can be repurposed to kill screwworm larvae.
Reports of reduced effectiveness of some commonly used treatments in South America, combined with the limited number of approved control options, underscore the need to evaluate new approaches.
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Here are the first two grants:
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As drought conditions increase in frequency and severity, researchers and farmers aim to increase adoption of practices and systems that lower the risk for losses during dry conditions.
But, there is little empirical correlation between good soil health practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage and crop rotations and their impact on crop yields.
As a result, agricultural lenders and insurers who price risk do not currently factor in incentives for the risk reduction generated by improved soil health management practices.
Partnering with @landcoreUSA , we're bridging that gap in empirical data for crop yields regarding soil health practices.
Their team is examining over 17 years of data on corn and soybean fields in the U.S. Midwest and translating that data into a model capable of predicting the likelihood of reduced financial risk at field, county and state levels for corn and soybeans.
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Initial modeling results for the state of Illinois are also available to view in an interactive, online tool that can help inform agricultural stakeholder decision-making. illinois-soil-health-tool.or…
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Protecting agriculture production, maintaining U.S. competitiveness and bolstering national security in a rapidly changing world takes more than new technologies; it takes people.
NIA winner, Dr. Gustavo Machado of @NCState is one of those people...
A disease outbreak can devastate the U.S. swine industry, yet producers often lack the complete picture of how animals and disease move between farms.
Dr. Machado and his team analyzed nearly 200,000 pig shipments across 20 states to map these connections and model how diseases like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and African Swine Fever (ASF) could spread.
Machado found that targeted action can make a major difference.
Focusing control efforts on the busiest 25% of farms could limit disease spread to less than 2% of the network.
They translated these findings into the Rapid Access Biosecurity (RAB) app, giving farmers and officials a practical tool to guide safe animal movement during outbreaks.
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"I prepared extensively using lab-reared insects and existing protocols. Everything worked smoothly. Then the field insects arrived, and nothing worked. I could not get a single pair to mate.”
When the Path Changes but the Questions Stay the Same
Alexis Alsdorf, @FFARFellows and Ph.D. candidate at @NCState, is actively studying Bt corn as a tool against the pervasive pest, corn ear worm.
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