Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)

@BiovIntCIAT_eng @CSUAgSci bit.ly/3OSyV4d

We’re always on the lookout for innovative research ideas that could have weighty commercial value. A few years back, partnering with @BiovIntCIAT_eng , we awarded Dr. Jan Leach of @CSUAgSci a grant to develop reliable markers of stress-response in DNA sequences in rice crops to speed up the development time of new varieties that are more heat tolerant and disease resistant. A recent external evaluation of our crops research portfolio discovered Dr. Leach’s research turned up 4 different innovations all starting with a hypothesis and moving into full commercialization! Selecting and moving along ideas that could turn into crucial innovations in the marketplace is what bold, innovative funding bodies are for. Learn more about this exciting portfolio’s evaluation results in the link provided below!

It's possible to have your wine and drink it too! Regenerative agriculture and the support for soil health is capturing a lot of buzz lately, especially around viticulture. But growers need solid science to show adopting these different practices are profitable first and foremost. We partnered with @JFW to fund a research team led by Dr. Cristina Lazcano of @ucdavis to provide farmers with an in-depth understanding of how soil management practices drive soil health while connecting the dots between changes in soil carbon, soil health and grape quality. With a recent publication in @ASEVtweets, they show that regenerative practices such as no tillage, compost use, and livestock integration result in similar levels of profitability relative to conventional practices assuming no change in yields. bit.ly/4cGilwh

Next time you take a bite of an apple, think about the bees that pollinated that tree, enabling it to produce fruit. Then think about the all the farmers adopting pollinator-friendly practices to support those bees. Then the scientists collecting and analyzing all the data to find what practices truly work, then...maybe just enjoy that apple! Research programs like our Pollinator Health Fund have contributed to a 47% increase in honey bee populations worldwide. Why is that significant? Since the 1990's, scientists began noticing honeybee populations in decline worldwide. Bees are essential pollinators for many of the crops that feed the world. Without the bees, the food is at risk as well. Our Pollinator Health funded work had such an impact on food and agriculture research that it led to 75 peer-reviewed studies, over 15 public datasets and the development of several practical tools to equip farmers, landowners and policymakers. One of those multidisciplinary projects led by Lisa Shulte Moore of @IowaStateU, showed prairie strips had dramatic success for fostering bee population health. So much so that these findings influenced the adoption of pollinator-friendly practices on 140,000 acres of farmland across 14 states. Learn more about what we've done for our agroecosystems through pollinator health below! bit.ly/4czUXk8 #EarthDay #EarthWeek

In 2023, partnering with @McDonaldsCorp we funded a crazy idea... Livestock grazing that supported rancher's ecological health just as much as their bottom lines. Peter Byck of @ASU led a multidisciplinary research team to document the effects of what has been called Adaptive Multi-paddock grazing (AMP) on several farms across the southeast. The research produced clear data showing that AMP grazing increases carbon sequestration and soil life, held more water in the soil preventing catastrophic flooding events and helped restore declining grassland bird populations. Perhaps most importantly, AMP grazing also greatly benefited ranchers... The healthier soil on AMP-grazed farms can save farmers $50,000 or more per year on nitrogen and fertilizer. After they learned the results of the study, four out of five conventional ranchers in the study asked to learn more about AMP grazing from the team’s experts. Three of them have since adopted AMP grazing on their operations, while a fourth is in the planning stages to begin using AMP grazing. Byck's team @CarbonCowboys produced a documentary series, capturing the entirety of the project. Watch the trailer and learn more bit.ly/4cDeccD #EarthWeek #EarthDay

This Thursday! Tune in for Part 2/3 of our engaging webinar series on Integrated Pest Management. 'Latest Advances & Challenges in Developing & Implementing IPM' Speakers include: Thomas Green, IPM Institute Jeana Cadby, Western Growers Association Clint Pilcher, Corteva & Global Sustainability Leader, Dan Sonke April, 23rd, 3-430pm ET Register and watch part 1 bit.ly/4sJ4Ulq

@UWMadison @msstate bit.ly/4thrVwM

How do practices that are shown to have both ecosystem and economic benefits to farmers get adopted? Research has shown that farmers prefer to learn from other farmers about what works and what doesn't in regards to practices. That's why researchers from @UWMadison , @msstate & @universityofky, led by UW's Jenny Seifert, used a FFAR grant focused on outreach for conservation practices, to distribute mini-grants to farmers to implement the practices and provide videos explaining their results. The results? These interventions reduced nutrient and sediment runoff, conserving resources so that farmers spend less on inputs like fertilizer and water. The practices also help preserve the health of local rivers and streams, and ultimately the Mississippi River. The project became a whole media clearinghouse called @GoodIdeaFarm farmer-to-farmer learning, enabling widespread practice adoption. #EarthDay #EarthWeek bit.ly/42k6qzu

Solutions to be discovered in the wilds... Olufunke Robinson-Nweye, a @FFARFellows at @HonorWSU , is on a mission to solve micronutrient malnutrition through one of the world's most staple crops. She's breeding modern wheat varieties, optimized for economic productivity, that are more nutritious by crossing them with native relatives. A holistic blending of farmer-centric productivity and human health. Check it out! bit.ly/4tmN5Ka

"As a farmer, I seek out the tools we need to make sure we're prepared." One of our newest Board of Directors, Ambassador and farmer Kip Tom, spoke on the Hill yesterday about the importance of agriculture research investments in the face of threats to U.S. national security interests. From developing vaccines for devastating diseases like African Swine Fever before it arrives on American shores to identifying crop varieties that require fewer inputs, FFAR-funded research is seeking ways to increase the resilience of the U.S. food supply. Ambassador Tom was joined by @CGIAR 's Dr. Ismahane Eloufai, @ClemsonUniv 's Dr. Jagger Harvey and @ADMupdates 's Bryan Dierlam for this bipartisan lunch-n-learn event for congressional staff. Thanks to our friends at the @FarmJFoundation for putting together this timely and insightful conversation.

Great to see FFAR Scientific Program Director Kathy Munkvold sharing how cross-sector collaboration is accelerating real-world solutions in ag genomics at the AGBT Agricultural Meeting 2026. At FFAR, we’re committed to bringing researchers, industry, and partners together to drive impactful, scalable breakthroughs in crop innovation. #AGBTAg26 #AgGenomics #CropInnovation #FoodSystems #AgResearch

To effectively address the emerging threats producers face, they need ag research designed to bring commercial appeal. This ensures it remains relevant and valuable outside of the lab, in the hands of growers. Our crops research portfolio has shown to be an essential catalyst for providing marketable solutions to producers’ needs. Over half of these projects are commercially adopted and one already has a patent approved (so far)! Here’s the patented innovation: Dr. Kranthi Mandadi led researchers to successfully culture and replicate Candidatus Liberibacter spp., a previously uncultured pathogen which causes billions in crop losses due to diseases like citrus greening annually, using hairy root systems. Equipped with this innovation, researchers can more efficiently develop solutions to diseases like citrus greening, with a ready supply of pathogens in a laboratory setting. Now growers facing problems with Candidatus Liberibacter spp. can work with researchers to develop disease management strategies, preventing crop and economic losses.

Thank you to everyone who turned out last week in Kansas City, MO, as well as online for our ICASA Research Symposium! For those of you who don't know, ICASA is an international consortium focused on advancing antimicrobial stewardship research in animal agriculture. The symposium highlighted cutting-edge research, collaborative partnerships and innovative strategies driving responsible antibiotic use in livestock production. Through panel discussions, lightning talks and networking opportunities, participants explored emerging scientific advances and future directions for antimicrobial stewardship research. Thanks to our partners for showing up and contributing! @AllianceBeef @McDonaldsCorp @BeefUSA @PorkandHealth @yumbrands @timloretangeli @Cactus_Feeders @JBSFoodsUSA @nobleresinst @TysonFoods @USRSBeef @Cargill @Zoetis @PurdueAg @KSUCVM @wtamu Check out our symposium photos on our ICASA page! foundationfar.org/consortia/inte…

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 armers across the corn belt rely on seasonal rainfall as the sole source of water for their crops. Erratic rainfall and drought patterns can have very detrimental effects. If there is drought with young plants, their roots are underdeveloped and they suffer nutrient density loss. If drought happens during flowering, there is yield loss. That’s why in 2019 we partnered with , @KWSUnitedStates and to fund research led by Shawn Kaeppler at 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 our exciting crops portfolio results below in the comments!

Learn more about our external evaluation of this portfolio here: bit.ly/4sM7KqC

We took a $9.9M taxpayer investment and set it in motion to accumulate an additional $23.6M from industry and academia…That’s the power of public-private partnerships! We invested $9.9M into a selected body of our crops research portfolio, with the goal of improving crop diversity, resilience and overall farm profitability through improved genetics. That investment springboarded 17 grants to researchers with novel, commercially valuable innovations which (so far) have resulted in 24 innovations across 11 commodity crops with over half of them already commercially adopted. One of these innovations has an approved patent. This is how America’s farmers continue to have the cutting-edge innovations they need to be competitive on the world stage.

This Friday! Stay up to date on the latest insights into Integrated pest management. Speakers include: Larry Elworth, Center for Agricultural Partnerships (Moderator) Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Katherine Drake Stowe, United Soybean Board Todd DeKryger, Nestlé North America Shane Sampels, Sysco April 3, 2026 from 1-230 p.m. EDT. Register and share with those in your network who would benefit! bit.ly/3OayAtk

What's the beef (and swine) with antibiotics? For those involved with animal production, antibiotics are essential tools for preventing, treating and controlling diseases. Ensuring they remain effective and do not encourage more antibiotic-resistant bacteria means we need to continue research to ensure producers have the most up-to-date knowledge that they're being used properly and judiciously for maximum efficacy. As part of our ongoing research efforts in this arena, with the help of our partners we've awarded some new research grants: Dr. Francisco Cabezon of Pipestone, is tracking antibiotic-resistant bacteria on Midwestern pig farms. Dr. T.G. Nagaraja of Kansas State is investigating the bacteria that cause liver abscesses in feedlot cattle, a common and costly condition affecting animal health and production. Dr. Brad White of K-State is leading a multidisciplinary research team to examine why some feedlot cattle develop deadly lung problems after getting bovine respiratory disease, and how to better predict which animals are at risk. Check out the world of antibiotic research we've been supporting through here:bit.ly/4degCAs