Federal Grant Award Summary

Washington State University received a $299,985 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), effective June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2029. The project delivers livestock production antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) services through field-based necropsies and antibiogram development across Washington State. The primary deliverables include: (1) conducting field necropsies of livestock to document underlying and proximate causes of death using standardized necropsy protocols and death certificates; (2) establishing regional livestock antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns by creating antibiograms based on standardized assessments of six bacterial species (Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella multocida, Hemophilus somnus, and Mannheimia haemolytica) cultured from fecal, lung, and pathologic lesion samples; and (3) developing and implementing a structured extension program demonstrating best practices in needs assessment, program design, implementation, and evaluation.

The grant emphasizes demonstrating the utility of comprehensive postmortem examinations for improving animal health and welfare management while building capacity through veterinary student and practitioner participation in the extension program. By utilizing necropsies as a mechanism to illuminate AMS value, the project aims to address documented barriers to AMS implementation in veterinary medicine, including lack of personnel, time, and financial incentives, thereby supporting improved sustainability of the food production system through evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship practices.