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.

09/02/2026

FFAR Fellows Mostafa Kamyabi is 'Clearing the Air' on wildfire smoke's effects on dairy cattle and dairy farmers.

Amidst another devastating fire season across the American West, and Canadian fires that blanketed Eastern dairy regions this summer, this research is more important than ever.

"My research at the University of Idaho focuses on understanding how wildfire smoke affects respiratory health, immune responses, and metabolic function in dairy cattle.

At a milk price of $0.44 per kg, this corresponds to an average estimated revenue loss of ~ $0.71 per cow per day. For a 1,000-cow herd, this translates to approximately $10,000 in total milk revenue losses over two weeks."

08/27/2026

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 Land Core , 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.

https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.31220/agriRxiv.2024.00244

08/18/2026

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 NC State University 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.

08/11/2026

"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, FFAR Fellows and Ph.D. candidate at NC State University, is actively studying Bt corn as a tool against the pervasive pest, corn ear worm.

In this engaging story, she discusses the perseverance required when intended research outcomes don't fall into place as anticipated, and how community, our social resources, are some of our most valuable assets to overcome challenges.

Read all about it through the link below...

08/05/2026

Food safety is fundamental to a resilient food system.

Last week, FFAR, Dairy Management Inc. and Fermented Food Holdings (FFH) brought together leading researchers and industry experts to identify the research priorities needed to advance the safety and quality of fermented foods.

From microbial safety to product quality and emerging research needs, discussions highlighted the importance of cross-sector collaboration to address today's challenges and advance fermented food innovation.

At FFAR, we're committed to investing in food safety research because resilient food systems begin with safe, trusted food. Convenings like this help identify research gaps and foster partnerships needed to accelerate scientific discovery and deliver solutions that benefit producers, industry and consumers alike.

Thank you to our outstanding speakers and participants for sharing your expertise and helping move this important work forward. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

08/04/2026

The navel orangeworm can cause nut growers more than $800 million in losses annually and threatens consumers' supply of pistachios and almonds.

That's why the Almond Board of California and us are funding research by Flyttr to develop a biological tool that reduces the pest’s threat.

The project aims to cut crop losses for growers and ensure food safety for consumers. Find out more in the link in the comments.

08/03/2026

The U.S. food and agriculture system is facing complex challenges, from increasing input costs to evolving market demands, and meeting them will require a new generation of skilled scientists.

NIA winner, Dr. Mohit Verma of Purdue Agriculture is one of those emerging leaders...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a costly and complex problem for cattle producers. The virus is hard to detect and treat as it is caused by a combination of stress, viral infections and bacterial pathogens rather than a single agent.

Researchers led by Verma developed a portable, paper-based biosensor that detects 10 BRD-associated viruses in under an hour.

This tool allows farmers and veterinarians to test cattle directly in the field and make faster, more informed decisions, highlighting the value of real-time detection.

07/28/2026

As demand for protein rises, chickpeas offer strong nutritional value, but farmers struggle to produce them competitively. Long growing seasons, higher input costs and processing challenges limit chickpea’s role in the alternative protein market.

With our support, NuCicer set out to change that.

NuCicer expanded chickpea’s genetic diversity and improved specific traits to create a more competitive, scalable crop (NC-1) which is now patented and planted over 15,000 acres this year with clear economic advantages across the value chain.

Farmers benefit from lower seed costs and reduced inputs, including eliminating the need for desiccants, while improving yields.

Processors gain efficiency from the higher protein content and lower fat, enabling more protein output with fewer resources and creating opportunities for premium-priced products.

An independent analysis projects that, even at moderate adoption levels, the NC-1 variety could generate $41.5 million in economic benefits for growers by 2035.

07/23/2026

Partnering with several different livestock species' producer groups, we're arming Kansas State University researchers with a Rapid Outcomes grant to deepen our understanding of how we can most efficiently address New World Screwworm.

Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro and Dr. Andrea Dixon, of K-State are leading these efforts which will provide producers and animal health officials with evidence-based tools to prioritize surveillance, producer preparedness and improve response efforts in the U.S.

https://foundationfar.org/news/ffar-research-to-strengthen-u-s-new-world-screwworm-preparedness/

07/22/2026

In the U.S., a simple shift in what farmers plant and what poultry eat can transform an entire agricultural system.

We partnered with Clemson University and Carolina Seed Systems to turn an early scientific insight into a scalable solution benefitting farmers and poultry integrators.

Researchers identified sorghum hybrids with compounds that suppress poultry disease. With our support, the team advanced this discovery beyond the lab through large-scale screening, on-farm grower pilots and controlled feeding trials with industry partners.

The benefits are immediate.

Economic analysis confirms cost savings for farmers who adopt the new sorghum varieties, at base adoption levels, a 10-year return on investment (ROI) of $95 to $138 for every $1 we invested in this project.

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