Project Grant 20243882142102
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Iowa State University of Science and Technology $650,000 on March 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop large language model artificial intelligence software that integrates genomic datasets to accelerate identification of causal mutations in livestock. The project addresses a critical gap in precision breeding: while genome-wide association studies have generated...
- The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Georgia Research Foundation $635,000 on March 1, 2026, to develop artificial intelligence-driven computer vision systems that detect broiler chicken welfare indicators and evaluate management strategies to improve bird well-being and productivity. The project, funded under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310), addresses labor-intensive manual welfare assessments by...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $1.15 million to the Board of Regents of Nevada System of Higher Education (University of Nevada, Reno) on March 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI, CFDA 10.310) to develop genomic, microbiome, and behavioral prediction tools for sheep producers. The recipient will integrate economic data, on-farm records, DNA and microbiome samples, and electronic feeder measurements from research and...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Oklahoma State University $749,978 through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on August 1, 2026, to develop a weather-informed cattle positioning decision support tool that mitigates grazing-related degradation of freshwater quality, stream health, and soil health in grazinglands. The recipient will conduct field monitoring of cattle locations, stream water quality, stream health, and soil health in...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Iowa State University of Science and Technology $591,484 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program on February 1, 2026, to develop machine learning and artificial intelligence methods integrated with genomic selection for crop improvement and climate-resilient cultivar development. The project will leverage newly developed neural network structures, examine embedding strategies and...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Iowa State University of Science and Technology $727,888 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) on February 1, 2026, to develop an artificial intelligence-driven system for identifying agricultural pests, including insects, weeds, and diseases, and to integrate pest classification with operational monitoring and prediction tools. The project develops a multimodal, smartphone-enabled pest...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $750,000 to the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. on April 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop and deliver hands-on educational experiences for high school students in Georgia and North Carolina through 4-H and FFA programs. The project addresses the gap between rapid advancement in food technologies—including biotechnology, nanotechnology, and food...
- This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $274,866 to Myaniml, a minority-owned small business, aims to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect bovine respiratory disease in cattle early on. The proposed solution involves an app that can automatically take pictures of cattle, use AI to analyze the muzzle, and immediately notify the cattle owner of any infected...
- Project Award Summary Colorado State University's Sponsored Programs division received a $957,085 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) under the Open Data Standards program (CFDA 10.233), awarded September 30, 2025, with completion scheduled for September 29, 2027. The award funds TerraSCOPE, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven soil health modeling system designed to integrate grower-reported data with scientific...
- The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the University of Wyoming $300,000 on March 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop and validate a wearable sensor that continuously monitors gases produced by cattle and sheep to provide real-time indicators of animal health, productivity, and disease risk. The project will use methane as a model gas to validate the sensor technology and identify additional gas...
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** BIG DATA ANALYTICS (BDA) AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) HAVE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION. SMALL RUMINANT (SHEEP AND GOAT) PRODUCTION IS A GROWING INDUSTRY IN THE U.S., BUT IS SEVERELY LIMITED BY INFECTION WITH INTERNAL PARASITES, INCREASED PREVALENCE OF ANTHELMINTIC-RESISTANT GASTROINTESTINAL NEMATODES, AND LACK OF PRODUCER ACCESS TO EXPERT INFORMATION ON FORAGE AND PARASITE MANAGEMENT. RESEARCH AND OUTREACH INITIATIVES ARE UNDERWAY AT FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY (FVSU) AND COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS USING AI AND MACHINE LEARNING (ML) TO DEVELOP CELLPHONE APPS FOR AUTOMATED ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING AND SITE-SPECIFIC ANTI-PARASITIC FORAGE MANAGEMENT DECISION SUPPORT, BUT PROFESSIONALS TRAINED IN THESE DISCIPLINES (AI, BDA, ML) RELATED TO PLANT AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY, AND AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION ARE CURRENTLY LACKING. IN THIS PROJECT, A DIVERSE TEAM OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS PROPOSE TO DEVELOP AN ON-LINE BDA AND AI CURRICULUM TO INCREASE PROFICIENCY OF STUDENTS AT FVSU AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN THE REAL-WORLD APPLICATION OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES, WITH A GOAL OF DEVELOPING A WORK FORCE PREPARED FOR CAREERS IN AI-RELATED FIELDS. COLLABORATORS ON THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP ON-LINE TEACHING MODULES ON BDA, AI, AND ML, AND THEIR APPLICATION TO PRECISION BIOACTIVE FORAGE AND ANIMAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, AND WILL PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH EXPERIENTIAL RESEARCH AND OUTREACH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT THEIR INSTITUTIONS AND ON-FARM. FARMERS AND OTHER CLIENTELE GROUPS WILL ALSO BE TRAINED IN THE USE OF ANIMAL HEALTH MONITORING AND SITE-SPECIFIC BIOACTIVE FORAGE (SERICEA LESPEDEZA) MANAGEMENT CELLPHONE APPS IN PRODUCER WORKSHOPS AND FIELD DAYS.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $750.0k | 3/29/24 |