Ammonia, a toxic byproduct of animal waste, poses significant challenges in animal agriculture, affecting animal welfare, worker safety, and environmental health

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. $181,459 on September 15, 2025, under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 10.212) to advance a compact, low-cost, energy-efficient ammonia monitoring system for enclosed livestock housing.

The project addresses ammonia emissions from swine and poultry barns, which damage animal respiratory tracts, reduce growth rates, increase feed costs, and expose workers to eye, skin, and lung irritation. Current monitoring systems are either prohibitively expensive and power-intensive or limited to single-point manual measurements, making real-time continuous monitoring impractical. Intelligent Optical Systems will refine its previously USDA-funded ammonia monitoring system by adding a modular design that enables simultaneous measurement of temperature and humidity alongside ammonia levels. In collaboration with CTB, Inc., the company will validate the technology in a poultry barn to demonstrate market-readiness and prepare the system for commercial deployment within smart farming applications.

Place of performance is Gardena, California. The period of performance runs through November 14, 2026.

High ammonia levels in swine and poultry barns can damage respiratory tracts, reduce growth rates, and increase feed costs, leading to lower productivity and economic losses for farmers. Workers are also at risk, with exposure causing eye, skin, and lung irritation. Beyond the farm, ammonia emissions contribute to environmental pollution, making IT a concern for public health and climate change. Addressing this issue is critical for improving farm operations, protecting workers, and safeguarding the environment.maintaining proper ventilation in livestock housing is important to manage ammonia levels, but current systems face a difficult balance. Over-ventilation, while effective at reducing ammonia concentrations, is expensive and energy-intensive, wasting resources and increasing operational expenses. Under-ventilation, on the other hand, leads to the health and productivity problems associated with high ammonia levels. Effective, real-time monitoring is necessary to ensure healthy barn conditions without unnecessary energy consumption.current ammonia monitoring systems are either prohibitively expensive, bulky, and draw significant power, or limited to single-point manual measurements, making them unsuitable for real-time, continuous monitoring. To bridge this GAP, intelligent optical systems, INC. Is advancing our compact, low-cost, energy-efficient ammonia monitoring system previously developed for enclosed livestock housing with USDA funding. This system features real-time monitoring capabilities and a modular design that allows simultaneous measurement of other environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity, which are now monitored separately. In collaboration with CTB, INC., we will validate the technology in a poultry barn to demonstrate market-readiness.when integrated into smart farming systems, this sensor will enable more efficient operational management through data-driven decision-making and automated responses to changing barn conditions. The insights provided by these sensors are invaluable for optimizing barn operations and have the potential to significantly reduce ammonia emissions, addressing a major environmental pollutant in agricultural settings. By analyzing long-term trends in ammonia production, farmers can implement targeted strategies to minimize emissions and improve their environmental stewardship. This technology not only benefits the immediate farm environment but also positions agricultural operations to more easily comply with environmental regulations. The proposed ammonia sensor offers significant benefits: improved animal welfare through optimized living conditions, improved worker safety, reduced energy consumption via precise ventilation control, and lower environmental emissions. By enabling farmers to maintain ideal barn conditions effi, ciently, this technology reduces waste, cuts costs, and supports sustainable farming practices. Ultimately, IT represents a transformative step toward smarter, more efficient agricultural operations that benefit both producers and the broader public.