Cooperative Agreement AID279LA1400001

This $181,500 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Project Grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, will support Padma Agrobotics LLC's development of an automated robotic harvester for cilantro and other specialty crops harvested in bunches. The company aims to reduce labor costs for farms by 40-50% through automating the labor-intensive harvesting process, which currently accounts for up to 50% of total production costs. Phase I will focus on...

Under a $100,000 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (CFDA 10.001 - Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research), the University of Wisconsin System will conduct research on the "Strategic Integration of Perennials in Annual Crop Production Systems". The 4-year project, running from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027, will focus on discovering new agricultural research approaches and providing scientific technical information...

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded a 5-year, $12,000,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Center For State Enforcement Of Antitrust And Consumer Protection Laws, Inc. to provide administrative services and facilitate the work of the USDA's Agricultural Competition Partnership with state attorneys general. This award is funded through the Market Protection and Promotion program (CFDA 10.163), which aims to prevent mislabeled seeds from moving in interstate commerce...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) awarded a $603,483.98 Specialty Crop Block Grant to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA). This grant, under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (CFDA 10.170), will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in South Carolina through a variety of activities and projects. Key focus areas include leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops, assisting producers with research and...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program provides $451,000 in funding to Clemson University to develop a networked cyber-physical system (CPS) for controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). The key objectives are to reduce energy consumption and costs while optimizing crop production efficiency in CEA facilities. The project will integrate advanced data analytics, renewable energy, and energy...

Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs received a $300,000 project grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective March 1, 2026 through February 29, 2028. The award funds development of CROP-SIM, an advanced virtual training tool designed to address workforce training gaps in controlled environment agriculture, specifically targeting teen-leaf...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) awarded a $1,000,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (CFDA 10.618) to the California Agricultural Export Council, Inc. The funding is intended to support the awardee's market development activities aimed at fostering expanded exports and market diversification for U.S. agricultural commodities and products. The grant will fund activities to develop, maintain, and expand diverse...

The Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Kansas City Commodity Office awarded Elevated Foods Inc. a $20 million Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project Grant to expand markets for climate-smart fruits and vegetables in 11 states and the Navajo Nation from April 2023 to April 2028. Under the award, Elevated Foods will employ Croptrak's FarmAdvisor platform and modules to manage producers' land and assets and document their climate-smart practices and acreage. Decade Impact...

The California Department of Agriculture will receive $31.6 million under a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service from September 2021 through September 2025. The grant funds will support efforts to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in California through activities such as marketing and promotion, research and development relevant to specialty crops, and addressing challenges facing specialty crop producers. Consistent with 2020 stimulus funding...

This $250,000 project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program supports an interdisciplinary research effort led by the University of Virginia to develop a networked cyber-physical system for controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). The project aims to optimize crop production and energy efficiency in CEA facilities to address global food security challenges. Key aspects of the research include: 1) integrating...