This $1,150,000 Project Grant award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program supports the development and assessment of a data-driven system to optimize individualized feed formulations for dairy farms. The objectives are to: Complete development of an anomaly detection system that uses real-time animal performance data to discover individual amino acid requirements and formulate custom diets, Evaluate the...
This $650,000 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) federal grant program will fund research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to improve feed efficiency in dairy cows. The University will leverage an ongoing FFAR grant to study differences in mitochondrial efficiency, protein turnover, mammary nutrient extraction, and biomarkers between high and low residual...
The Regents of the University of Minnesota, doing business as the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration, was awarded a $300,000 project grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program. The project aims to improve the sustainability of the U.S. dairy industry by evaluating the genetic influences on feed utilization and growth parameters of dairy heifers, as well as comparing methane production and energy...
This $10 million project grant from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) federal grant program (CFDA #10.310), funds research to develop algae-based feed supplements for dairy cattle. The goal is to improve feed efficiencies, milk yields, and reduce environmental impacts of dairy production through recapturing nutrients and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The lead awardee, Colby College, will...
The University of Vermont & State Agricultural College received a $798,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) project grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CFDA 10.310) to investigate how early-life calf management affects long-term behavioral development, emotional states, and physiological stress biomarkers in dairy cattle. The 5-year project will compare the impacts of enhanced nutritional, social, and cognitive environments versus conventional calf management...
This $650,000 project grant from the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on optimizing dairy calf management practices to improve long-term milk production. The grant period is from June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2027. Specifically, the university will determine the individual and combined effects of pre-weaning heat stress...
This four-year, $650,000 project grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) will fund research at Cornell University to understand how dairy cow intake, inflammation, and immune system activation impact calcium regulation and milk production. Specifically, the researchers aim to critically assess the long-held belief that all mild hypocalcemia experienced by dairy cows...
This $650,000 federal grant awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) supports a research project at the University of Wisconsin - Madison to improve livestock feed efficiency. The key objectives are to: Determine if nutrient metabolism is coordinated across tissues to contribute to whole-body feed efficiency in dairy cows. Evaluate the fatty acid composition and metabolic activity of different adipose...
The San Diego State University Research Foundation received a $300,000 Project Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) CFDA 10.310 program. The grant supports research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with dairy farming through the use of precision bacterial fermentation to produce milk proteins for sustainable food production. The research aims to develop an alternative method for producing...
This $650,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Project Grant, awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (CFDA 10.310), aims to improve the reproductive success of high-producing dairy cows. The research project has two main objectives: 1) understanding the nutritional needs of dairy cow embryos, particularly differences between lactating cows and younger heifers, in order to identify ways to better support embryo development; and 2) examining how oxygen and...