Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Crop-Animal Systems Research Program

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Crop-Animal Systems Research Program is sponsored by Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR). Supports innovative research into the interconnections between crop and animal systems to advance both systems simultaneously.

Crop-Animal Systems Research RFA - Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Your browser does not support the video tag. FFAR » Crop-Animal Systems Research RFA Crop-Animal Systems Research RFA rcomella@foundationfar. org Applications are under review Much of the research on the crops and animals that make up our food supply tends to focus on each system independently.

However, crop and animal systems are deeply interconnected, whether located on the same land or not, through a range of factors, including feed and nutrient management, among others. The Crop-Animal Systems Research Request for Applications (RFA) supports innovative and transformative research that explores these interconnections to advance both crop AND animal systems.

FFAR seeks projects that foster innovation with the potential for transformative impact to crop and animal systems. At FFAR’s discretion, we will award up to $4,000,000 in FFAR funding through the Crop-Animal Systems RFA. Individual awards must range from U.S. $300,000 to $1,000,000 of FFAR funds plus matching funds.

All grants funded through this opportunity require matching contributions from an entity other than the U.S. federal government. Dairy Management Inc. and the United Soybean Board are interested in exploring the potential to offer matching funding for relevant research projects.

Please read the RFA for more details and email the designated contacts to discuss your proposals and evaluate their capacity to provide matching funding support. FFAR hosted an informational webinar about this opportunity on May 20, 2025. Frequently Asked Questions What are the program priorities and requirements?

Research Themes Supported FFAR seeks projects that foster innovation with the potential for transformative impact to crop and animal systems. Through the Thriving Production Systems Priority Area , FFAR funds crop and animal systems research to develop knowledge and tools that support the following themes: Crop Resilience & Productivity – Advances research that delivers crop productivity and resilience against biotic and abiotic stress.

Integrated Animal Health, Welfare & Productivity – Supports research to improve animal health and welfare while maintaining or increasing productivity. Economically Viable Systems – Advances research that designs and assesses adaptive production systems to advance farmers’ and ranchers’ profitability now and in the future.

Agricultural Stewardship – Supports research to cultivate efficient crop and animal systems that protect and restore natural resources. Research Areas of Interest Supported The objective of this RFA is to simultaneously advance crop and animal systems. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate how their proposed research aligns with one or more of the above themes to advance both systems.

Cross-disciplinary collaborative teams that leverage the strength and expertise of diverse scientific fields are essential to both crop and animal research.

Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following: Resource-efficient animal feed Improved animal nutrition Bioaccumulation of environmental contaminants (e.g., per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, etc.) in crop and animal systems Efficient cycling of nutrients between crops and livestock Optimal rotations of crops with grazing periods to maintain soil health, control pests and maximize forage availability for livestock Incorporation of circular agriculture principles Other relevant topics that advance crop and animal systems FFAR will not consider applications addressing: Research that addresses only crop or animal systems, but not both Teams bringing expertise in only one of the two systems Research that fully overlaps with the research foci of FFAR’s existing Greener Cattle Initiative (GCI) and the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA) Research that is not relevant to the U.S. food and agriculture system Who is eligible to apply?

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) may apply to the Crop-Animal Systems RFA through their home institution or organization. FFAR welcomes applications from all domestic and international higher education institutions, nonprofit and for-profit organizations and U.S. government-affiliated research agencies.

The following principles guide FFAR’s international engagement under this RFA: The proposal must identify a clear benefit to the U.S. food and agriculture system and a clear pathway to deploy the technology or solution in the U.S. FFAR will prioritize research that delivers broader benefits across geographies and production systems.

FFAR will not support research that addresses a challenge primarily limited to another country or region outside the U.S. or where the technology or solution is not broadly relevant to the U.S. Is there guidance regarding cross-disciplinary teams? FFAR recognizes that cross-disciplinary collaborative teams are needed to examine and advance crop-animal systems. Applicants must outline their team’s crop AND animal systems expertise.

FFAR will prioritize transformative research to benefit U.S. agriculture and our food supply. What is the funding availability? At FFAR’s discretion, we will award up to $4,000,000 in FFAR funding through the Crop-Animal Systems RFA.

Individual awards must range from U.S. $300,000 to $1,000,000 of FFAR funds plus matching funds. Projects must have planned durations ranging between 24 and 60 months. Successful projects will receive annual disbursements.

Are matching funds required? Matching funds are required for this RFA. All grants require matching contributions equal to or greater than the FFAR funding request.

Matching funds must come from an entity other than the U.S. Federal Government. Any excess match is welcome, but it will not influence the potential success of an application. Matching funds cannot supplement or supplant preexisting funds for projects initiated before or during 2024.

Matching funds must correspond to line items in the full application budget. At least 50% of matching funds must be a cash match per FFAR’s definition of cash. The remainder may be an in-kind match per FFAR’s definition of in-kind.

The following commodity groups have expressed potential interest in exploring opportunities to provide matching support for relevant research projects. If interested, please email the designated contacts to discuss your proposals and whether matching funds may be available: Contact: Dr. Keenan McRoberts, Vice President, Strategic Alignment Kmcroberts@unitedsoybean.

org Contact: Dr. Tim Kurt, Senior Vice President, Environmental Research Strategy & Group Lead More information is available in the RFA. Applicants must submit a pre-application using FFAR’S Grant Management System. All information provided will be treated as confidential.

The most innovative, rigorous and cutting-edge projects with significant potential for advancing FFAR’s mission will be invited to submit a full application. Applicants must submit a pre-application to be invited to submit a full application. Only pre-applications submitted by the deadline through FFAR’s Grant Management System will be accepted and considered eligible for evaluation.

To be fair to all our applicants, FFAR will not grant extensions to applicants who missed the deadlines posted in the Key Dates section. Who can I contact for more information? For questions related to the online submission system, please contact FFAR’s Grant Management team at grants@foundationfar.

org or register to attend one of FFAR’s monthly virtual Applicant Office Hours. For questions related to the Crop-Animal Systems RFA, please email Ryan Comella at rcomella@foundationfar. org and Nikki Dutta at ndutta@foundationfar.

org . FFAR only accepts scientific or programmatic grant inquiries by email. We strive to respond to inquiries within two business days, but our response time depends on the volume of questions received and the complexity of the questions asked.

Please note that we do not monitor this mailbox on evenings, weekends or federal holidays. FFAR offers Grants Management Office Hours for FFAR pre-applicants.