Federal Project Grant Summary

Iowa State University of Science and Technology received a $299,987 Project Grant award effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, from the Institute of Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program (CFDA 10.310). The project addresses critical deficiencies in pig barn ventilation management by combining field research with practical outreach to pork producers. The primary deliverables include multi-state field measurements of energy consumption across commercial farms, evaluation of ventilation practice impacts on barn environmental conditions and resource efficiency, and development of region-specific management guidelines that quantify economic and environmental benefits of various ventilation strategies.

The project's intended outcomes support improved profitability and sustainability across the U.S. pork industry by reducing operational costs, enhancing animal welfare, and lowering energy consumption. The research will generate evidence-based guidelines to replace outdated management practices, enabling producers to make cost-effective ventilation decisions that mitigate stress-related productivity losses in swine operations while reducing environmental impacts. These deliverables directly address the AFRI program's priority areas of animal health and production, bioenergy and natural resources, and agriculture economics and rural communities.