Tuesday April 2 Ag News

USDA provides support to Nebraska

During one of the worst weather events in Nebraska, the citizens of Nebraska have come together and helped each other in tremendous ways.  With neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger and people from out of state sending supplies and donations to help rebuild, the resilience of Nebraskans shows through.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also on the ground to help Nebraskans as they recover and rebuild.  There are many programs available to everyone, including farmers and ranchers.  For a list of all the programs available, please go to https://www.usda.gov/topics/disaster.

In Nebraska, USDA has several crews conducting aerial surveillance in the federal designated disaster areas looking for stranded livestock.  If you see stranded or deceased livestock, please report it to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality at 877-253-2603.  USDA has contractors in place to remove livestock carcasses.



Nebraska Farm Service Agency Announces Livestock Indemnity Program Application Deadline for Producers Impacted by Extended Cold, Precipitation

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Nancy Johner today announced that producers who suffered livestock losses due to a combination of extended cold and above-normal precipitation during the months of January, February and March may be eligible for assistance under the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The deadline to submit a LIP Notice of Loss due to these weather circumstances is April 29, 2019.

“The Livestock Indemnity Program provides producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the financial impact of extreme or abnormal weather,” said Johner. “Extended cold combined with above-normal precipitation during the months of January, February and early March created an adverse weather event that has had a significant impact on some livestock producers. We encourage them to reach out to our office by the April 29 notice of loss deadline.”

LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to an adverse weather event. The payment rate is based on 75 percent of the average fair market value of the livestock.

A livestock producer must file a notice of loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is first apparent. Due to the abnormal conditions in January, February and March 2019, producers with livestock losses attributable to the combination of extended cold and above-normal precipitation have until April 29, 2019, to submit a notice of loss to FSA county offices. Livestock producers must provide evidence that the death of livestock was due to an eligible adverse weather event or loss condition.

Once a Notice of Loss is completed and approved by FSA, an application for payment can be completed by submitting supporting documents regarding beginning inventory and losses. This may include documentation showing the number and kind of livestock that died, photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents.

Producers may apply for LIP benefits at their county FSA office. For more information on LIP, or to locate a county FSA office, visit www.farmers.gov.



LENRD Coffee & Conversation event coming to Pender

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) is partnering with the Pender High School FFA Chapter to host a free, public event to test the nitrate levels in private well water.

“Coffee & Conversation” will be held next Wednesday, April 10th from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Welsh’s Pizza in Pender.  Participants can bring samples of their private well water to be tested for nitrates.  Samples should be about 1-2 cups and must be collected within 24 hours in a clean, sealed container and kept cool before testing.  If a water treatment system is used, a sample should be taken before and after treatment.  All test results are kept confidential.  LENRD staff will be present to answer any questions you may have about nitrates in your water, the conservation tree program, or the recent flooding that has devastated many parts of Nebraska.  Stop by and see them!  Coffee and rolls will be provided.



Bipartisan Group Urges Prompt Livestock Disaster Payments

North Dakota's Senator John Hoeven joined a bipartisan group of senators, led by Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), in urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) assistance as quickly as possible. The senators also requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) delegate LIP approval authority to Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees. The senators stressed that the county committees are the most familiar with local weather, disaster events and the livestock management practices of area farmers and ranchers.

"The extreme conditions our ranchers faced this winter led to real losses," said Hoeven. "These payments are needed to help ranchers recover and maintain their operations. That's why we're pressing Secretary Perdue to ensure the payments are issued as soon as possible, and delegating this authority to the FSA County Committees is an important step in making that happen."

The letter follows a series of severe weather events in the Plains, Rocky Mountains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes regions that have led to devastating livestock losses. The senators also urged Perdue to prioritize LIP regulatory updates as USDA implements the 2018 Farm Bill, revisit and broaden weather-related LIP eligibility criteria and adhere to the management protocol changes outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill.

In addition to Hoeven and Thune, the letter was signed by Senators Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).



Farmers Need Disaster Relief Now
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall

“Farms and ranches across the country have endured an incredibly difficult year in 2018 and the trend continues in 2019 with historic hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and wildfires. Losses total more than $8 billion, and the full impact of recent flooding in the Midwest is still being assessed. But we know that many farmers are facing near-complete losses of their crops, livestock and farm infrastructure. At the same time, Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis continues and reauthorizing the Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico program at $600 million is critical.

“In times of unprecedented natural disaster, our nation always has stepped up to help farmers and ranchers recover from circumstances beyond their control and to restore their farms to productivity, so we can get back to the business of feeding our people and our economy. Farm Bureau urges U.S. senators to support farmers and ranchers and the rural communities impacted by these catastrophic weather events by moving past this political impasse. 

“Our nation always has come together in times of difficulty. That’s what we must do now. We ask all senators to set aside political concerns and prioritize concern for our nation’s food producers.”



USDA Study Shows Significant Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Ethanol Compared with Gasoline

A new study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finds greenhouse gas emissions from corn-based ethanol are about 39 percent lower than gasoline. The study also states that when ethanol is refined at natural gas-powered refineries, the greenhouse gas emissions are even lower, around 43 percent below gasoline.

“These new findings provide further evidence that biofuels from America's heartland reduce greenhouse gases even more than we thought, and that our farmers and ethanol plants continue to become more efficient and effective,” said Secretary Sonny Perdue. “President Trump has made it abundantly clear he is unleashing the full potential of American energy production as we retake our rightful place as the world’s leader. Expanding the sale of E15 year-round will provide consumers with more choices when they fill up at the pump, including environmentally friendly fuel with decreased emissions. I appreciate EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler moving expeditiously to finalize the E-15 rule before the start of summer driving season.”

Background:
The study, led by Dr. Jan Lewandrowski of USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, and published in the journal Biofuels, supports findings of other research that ethanol has a significantly better greenhouse gas profile than previously estimated.

The study, titled “The greenhouse gas benefits of corn ethanol—assessing recent evidence,” attributes much of these additional benefits to revised estimates of the impacts of land-use change as a result of demand for ethanol. Where previous estimates anticipated farmers bringing additional land into production as a result of increased corn prices, recent analysis finds only modest increases in crop acreage. Additional improvements at ethanol refineries, combined with on-farm conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as reduced tillage and cover crops, have further decreased emissions associated with corn ethanol. The study projects that with added improvements in refineries and on farms, a reduction of over 70 percent in lifecycle emissions is possible by 2022.

The study is available for download. More information on the greenhouse gas profile of biofuels is available at https://www.usda.gov/oce/oeep.



New USDA Study Underscores Ethanol’s Critical Role in Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an independent analysis that shows how ethanol continues to significantly reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by up to 47 percent by 2022. The study notes that ethanol use in fuel transportation reduces GHGs by 43 percent, and projects that, based on current trends, the reductions will increase 4 percent in just three years.

Growth Energy welcomed the report findings, and CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement:

“This new USDA study further supports that ethanol is a win-win for all Americans,” said Skor. “Higher ethanol blends provide not only tremendous health and environmental benefits, but economic benefits as well for rural America and our farmers. Our industry remains committed to cleaner fuel options for all drivers, and ethanol’s role in reducing GHGs is among the reasons why. We look forward to drivers experiencing these benefits and more when they soon have access to E15 year-round.”



The Climate Corporation and Lindsay Corporation Partner to Deliver Data-Driven Irrigation Management Insights for Farmers

The Climate Corporation (Climate), a subsidiary of Bayer, and Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation technology, today announced a platform agreement that will establish two-way data connectivity between The Climate Corporation’s Climate FieldView™ digital agriculture platform and Lindsay’s FieldNET platform. Through the collaboration, mutual farmer customers will be able to make faster, more-informed field and irrigation management decisions.

“As global water use for crop production increases, farmers are adopting more efficient irrigation practices to sustainably improve their productivity,” said Mike Stern, CEO of The Climate Corporation and Head of Digital Farming at Bayer. “Like Climate, Lindsay recognizes the benefits of helping farmers leverage their field data to optimize and simplify all their management decisions. Through this new partnership, we look forward to helping farmers seamlessly connect their data between both systems to gain more precise irrigation and water use insights to get the most out of every acre.”

With Climate FieldView, farmers across more than 60 million paid acres are experiencing fast, easy field data collection and the ability to gain analytics-based insights from their data for increased productivity. With the addition of Lindsay as a platform partner, shared farmer customers will see additional values, streamlined data transfer, more precise irrigation monitoring and the ability to visualize and analyze irrigation data. Combining this information alongside other important field data layers in the FieldView platform will unlock new insights about field performance. 

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with The Climate Corporation to help more farmers harness the power of their data to more efficiently manage water use for improved productivity, “ said Tim Hassinger, President and CEO at Lindsay. “At Lindsay, our goal is to make water and energy-savings accessible to all farmers through our best-in-class irrigation scheduling solutions. Through this collaboration with Climate, we’re making significant strides towards that goal.”

The Climate Corporation’s mission is to help all the world’s farmers sustainably increase their productivity through the use of digital tools. First launched in the United States in 2015, the Climate FieldView digital agriculture platform is on more than 60 million paid acres across the United States, Canada, Brazil and Europe. It has quickly become the most broadly connected digital platform in the industry and continues to expand into new global regions.

FieldNET by Lindsay is a leading, global irrigation management platform, enabling farmers to remotely monitor and control their irrigation system from anywhere. Through FieldNET, farmers have access to FieldNET Advisor, the world’s first turn-key, cloud-based irrigation scheduling tool that delivers automated, daily irrigation recommendations, helping farmers decide precisely when, where and how much to irrigate. For more information about FieldNET and Lindsay Corporation, please visit the Company’s website at www.lindsay.com.

As innovation in digital agriculture continues to accelerate rapidly around the globe, Climate continues to explore partnership opportunities to provide farmers with the insights they need to improve their productivity. To date, Climate has announced partnerships with more than 60 platform partners globally. For more information about the Climate FieldView platform, contact a local FieldView dealer, or visit climate.com. If you are interested in partnering with The Climate Corporation, please visit climate.com/partners.



Leading Farm, Conservation, and Wildlife Groups Unite in Support of Protecting Conservation Funding

Having succeeded in protecting funding for the Conservation Title in the 2018 Farm Bill, more than 140 leading farm, conservation, and wildlife groups are once again joining together to protect those hard-fought conservation funds and programs in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations process.

In a letter delivered today, the groups, which include the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), National Farmers Union (NFU), National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and American Farmland Trust (AFT), called upon appropriators to respect the funding decisions made in the 2018 Farm Bill and reject any cuts to farm bill conservation funding through the appropriations process.

Farm bill conservation programs, including the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), play a vital role in helping farmers, ranchers, and landowners to keep their lands sustainable and profitable for generations to come.

“America’s farmers and ranchers worked hard to ensure that the 2018 Farm Bill included support for the conservation programs they rely upon,” said Alyssa Charney, NSAC Senior Policy Specialist. “The Agriculture Committees listened when farmers told them what they needed to thrive, and now we are asking congressional appropriators to do the same. The farm bill process is closed; appropriators should seek to build upon the foundation laid by the 2018 Farm Bill, not attempt to undercut it. Appropriators have protected these programs in their last two funding bills, and we now ask them to continue to do so in FY 2020.”

“As America’s farm and ranch families endure significant environmental and economic challenges, it is as important as ever that we maintain funding for voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs,” said Roger Johnson, President, NFU. “Congress just last year passed a farm bill with strong provisions and mandatory funding for conservation programs. Appropriators should reject changes that were settled in the process of crafting the Farm Bill and provide adequate funding to NRCS staff to fulfill their important role in ensuring the sustainability of family farms across the country.”

“Farm Bill conservation programs are critical to addressing America’s wildlife crisis,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “We call on lawmakers to reject any efforts to cut mandatory funding for Farm Bill conservation programs. These effective and widely supported programs give farmers and ranchers the tools they need to voluntarily restore important habitat for wildlife across America’s working lands and proactively recover at-risk wildlife populations.”

In their letter, the 146 organizations also urged appropriators to protect funding for conservation technical assistance.

“Ensuring full funding of CTA and farm bill programs will continue to allow conservation districts to work hand-in-hand with NRCS at the local level to deliver conservation on America’s landscapes,” NACD President Tim Palmer said. “Farm bill conservation programs are essential to our nation’s producers, as well as the consumers of their products. We urge Congress to protect and sustain conservation funding to allow our producers to continue providing a safe, reliable food supply while emphasizing locally-led conservation solutions to improve the quality of our nation’s soil, water and natural resources.”

The wide range of organizations signed on to the letter speaks to how significantly any cuts to conservation programs and technical assistance would be felt across the country.

“Farm Bill conservation programs are critical to the efforts of farmers and ranchers across this country to voluntarily protect their land from development and implement environmentally sound farming practices,” said John Piotti, President & CEO of American Farmland Trust. “At a time when we are losing three acres of farmland per minute, it is absolutely necessary to save every last dollar for these programs and serve as many farmers and ranchers as possible.”

AFT, NACD, NFU, NSAC, and NWF stand united with the more than 140 co-signed organizations in urging appropriators to protect funding for critical conservation programs and technical assistance in FY 2020.



Study Identifies a Key to Soybean Cyst Nematode Growth

The soybean cyst nematode, one of the crop's most destructive pests, isn't like most of its wormy relatives. Whereas the vast majority of nematodes look like the microscopic worms they are, the female soybean cyst nematode shape-shifts into a tiny lemon after feeding on soybean roots. In a new EvoDevoarticle, a University of Illinois research team explains how it happens and why.

"We think the soybean cyst nematode has evolved this body shape so that they can produce a lot more offspring," says Nathan Schroeder, assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and corresponding author on the new study. "If you compare the most closely related species that stay long and skinny, they have a lot fewer babies than this lady does."

The round shape allows female soybean cyst nematodes to retain about two-thirds of their fertilized eggs inside their bodies. As embryos develop, the mother's body hardens to become a protective cyst. Schroeder says these adaptations have allowed the soybean cyst nematode to become as successful as it is.

From previous research with a different species, the scientists suspected seam cells were responsible for the shift from long and skinny to fat and round. Seam cells, which have stem-cell-like properties, run the length of these worms and divide to enlarge the epidermis every time the worms molt.

"Normally, there's one division for each molt, creating one new set of nuclei in the multinucleated epidermis. We found that with soybean cyst nematode, they divide multiple times after infection, molt, divide even more times, molt, divide even more times. You have exponential growth which leads to this fat, round beast that has lots and lots of these epidermal nuclei," Schroeder explains. "Between the last juvenile phase, which is long and skinny, and the reproductive adult phase, the number of nuclei increase forty-fold."

The research team also investigated the division pattern in other plant-parasitic nematodes and found similar seam cell proliferation in several others, despite not being closely related to soybean cyst nematodes. Essentially, they found evidence of convergent evolution, or the appearance of similar traits to meet the same needs in distantly related species. The common example is wings in butterflies and bats, but now nematode body shape can be added to the list.



NCGA Releases Pollinator Protection Guide

The National Corn Growers Association – in partnership with the Honey Bee Health Coalition – is releasing new best management practices (BMPs) to protect bees and other pollinators in and around cornfields.

At roughly 92 million acres, field corn covers more land than any other row crop in the country, and in the Midwest Corn Belt, corn often makes up to 40 percent of the landscape or more. The BMPs presented in the NCGA’s new guide identify potential effects of agricultural practices on bees at each stage of production and recommend ways to mitigate those impacts.

The digital publication showcases specific strategies such as reducing dust and drift while planting pesticide-treated seed.

“While corn does not rely on honey bees for pollination like some crops, bees depend on neighboring plants for forage,” said Nathan Fields, NCGA vice president of production and sustainability. “As good stewards of the land, corn growers can follow these BMPs to help protect honey bee health, ensuring productive agricultural systems for all.”

Corn farmers who rotate with soybeans could also see added benefit from their pollinator stewardship because bees can increase soybean yields by up to 18 percent, according to a 2005 study.

Planting time is a key time for farmers to map out a bee-friendly strategy, and the NCGA Best Management Practices guide features season-long BMPs for growers. It also contains information for beekeepers who often work in concert with farmers on healthy bee populations.

A summary of key practices includes:
-    Communicating about beehive locations, crop management practices, and coordinating with beekeepers.
-    Checking extension recommendations, considering multiple strategies for pest control, and verifying in-field needs before applying pesticides.
-    Planting and preserving flowering plants in non-crop areas.

“Making adjustments in how we spray and what time of day we spray can yield positive results for pollinators,” Roger Zylstra, a Lynnville Iowa farmer and chairman of NCGA’s Stewardship Action Team said. “And better communications between farmers and beekeepers to reduce bee exposure to pesticides in the spring and summer can provide big benefits.”

To date, the NCGA and two other Honey Bee Health Coalition member organizations – the U.S. Canola Association and United Soybean Board – have worked with the Coalition to develop and distribute BMP guides specific to corn, canola and soybean.

The Honey Bee Health Coalition brings together beekeepers, growers, researchers, government agencies, agribusinesses, conservation groups, manufacturers, and consumer brands to improve the health of honey bee populations both generally and around production agriculture by addressing hive pests and disease, forage and nutrition and exposure to crop pesticides.

Each set of best practices, available online for free download, was developed by an expert team of agronomists, entomologists, beekeepers, extension and regulatory agents and reviewed by farmers, crop consultants, agribusiness representatives, retail suppliers, conservation NGOs and other stakeholders.



 DFA URGES LEGISLATORS TO KEEP U.S.-MEXICO BORDER OPEN

In a letter to members of the House and Senate, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Smith urged “immediate action to ensure the U.S.-Mexico border remains open to U.S. dairy exports.” The communication to Congress is a reaction to a proposal by the administration to close the United States’ southern border, which would negatively impact an already struggling U.S. dairy industry.

DFA, owned by 14,000 dairy farmers across the country, expressed concern that the recent announcement risks the largest destination for American dairy products, accounting for more than one-quarter of all U.S. dairy exports.

“The dairy industry has worked together closely for more than two decades to grow and strengthen the market for U.S. dairy products in Mexico,” Smith said. “In the volatile dairy industry, strong dairy export markets are crucial for our farmer-owners, who have suffered years of financial stress on the farm. Mexico remains a key customer for our dairy farmer-owners, and we are asking Congress to work with the administration to keep our border open and quickly ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to ensure our robust trade partnership continues.”

Closing the border could put the future of the USMCA in peril and further strain key trading relationships that are already fragile as a result of recently imposed tariffs.

“We are in the worst rural economic recession since the 1980s,” Smith added. “Our farmer-owners need strong dairy markets, both at home and abroad to recover and continue providing wholesome dairy products for generations to come. The Mexican export market is critical to the longevity of our industry.”



USDA, EPA, and FDA Recognize April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) kick off Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month by calling for greater collaboration with public, private, and nonprofit partners as well as state and local officials to educate and engage consumers and stakeholders throughout the supply chain on the need to reduce food loss and waste.

In the U.S., more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Food is the single largest type of waste in our daily trash. In recent years, great strides have been made to highlight and mitigate food loss and waste, but the work has just begun. When food is tossed aside, so too are opportunities for economic growth, healthier communities, and environmental prosperity – but that can change through partnership, leadership, and action. Further elevating the importance of this issue, today’s announcement follows a Presidential Message from President Trump acknowledging the month of April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month and encouraging public action and participation from all sectors.

“USDA alone cannot end food waste, it will require partners from across the supply chain working together on innovative solutions and consumer education. We need to feed our hungry world and by reducing food waste, we can more wisely use the resources we have. I am pleased President Trump identified this issue as one of importance, and I look forward to USDA’s continued work with our agency partners at EPA and FDA to change behavior in the long term on food waste,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

“Reducing food waste and redirecting excess food to people, animals, or energy production provide immediate benefits to public health and the environment. I am proud to join President Trump and my federal partners in recognizing April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “We are working closely with our federal partners and stakeholders across the nation to reduce the amount of food going to landfills and maximize the value of our food resources.”

“With 1 in 6 people getting a foodborne illness every year in the U.S. and up to 40 percent of food left uneaten, it’s understandable why food safety and food waste are major societal concerns,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas. “The FDA is working to strengthen its collaboration and coordination with the EPA and USDA to strategically align our federal efforts between the two issues to better educate Americans on how to reduce food waste and how it can be done safely.”

As part of the month’s observances, on April 9, EPA will host a livestreamed event with USDA and FDA. Additional joint agency actions will be announced at the event regarding the Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative. At the event, a panel of food waste stakeholders will share how state and local communities can join the federal government in reducing food waste and loss.

USDA, EPA, and FDA invite public and private partners to participate in Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month through the following:
-    Join the conversation: Share your efforts with the #NoWastedFood hashtag in your social media posts throughout the month.
-    Educate your community: Learn about USDA, EPA, and FDA programs and resources to reduce food loss and waste.
-    Be a U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion: Join other corporate and business leaders who have made a public commitment to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by the year 2030.

The Winning on Reducing Food Waste Initiative is a collaborative effort (PDF, 579 KB) among USDA, EPA, and FDA to reduce food loss and waste through combined and agency-specific action. Individually and collectively, these agencies contribute to the initiative, encourage long-term reductions, and work toward the goal of reducing food loss and waste in the United States. These actions include research, community investments, education and outreach, voluntary programs, public-private partnerships, tool development, technical assistance, event participation, and policy discussion.

For more information about Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, visit the USDA Food Loss and Waste website.



FFAR Announces $4M Animal Welfare Technology Research Initiative, in Partnership with McDonald's

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) announces the launch of the SMART Broiler, a research initiative offering $4 million for research supporting the development and commercialization of automated monitoring tools that quantitatively assess key animal welfare indicators in broiler chickens. FFAR is excited to partner with McDonald’s Corporation as a cofounder on this initiative. The SMART Broiler program is now accepting applications to improve animal welfare.

Existing methods for assessing animal welfare rely on human observation and subjective scoring. This initiative aims to identify technology solutions to provide objective and comprehensive information about broiler welfare across the supply chain.

“FFAR is committed to improving animal welfare. Developing monitoring tools is critical to understanding and improving animal welfare across the broiler industry,” said FFAR Executive Director Sally Rockey. “The SMART Broiler program will not only improve the accuracy of welfare assessments, but also enhance producer efficiency and profitability.”

The SMART Broiler program will develop tools to quantitatively assess and collect information regarding key welfare indicators such as walking ability and behavior. The Sensors, Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technologies (SMART) developed during this initiative will be tested in McDonald’s suppliers’ commercial broiler facilities, encouraging their adoption on a wide scale. These tools have the potential to improve welfare for 9 billion birds annually in the U.S. and over 20 billion worldwide.

“This work builds on our decades-long commitment and progress on animal welfare. We are excited to partner with FFAR to identify innovative, scalable technology solutions that will allow our supply chain to monitor animals’ behavior and welfare across diverse, global supply chains at commercial scale and ultimately help drive improved welfare outcomes,” Keith Kenny, Vice President of Global Sustainability, McDonald’s.

“FFAR is pleased to partner with McDonald’s to develop tools that improve animal welfare. Testing these tools with one of the largest food companies has the potential to make considerable impact industry wide,” noted FFAR Scientific Program Director, Tim Kurt.

SMART Broiler grants will be awarded in two phases to multiple, cross-disciplinary teams. The research objective is to rapidly develop the hardware components, data management and analytics necessary to assess broiler chicken welfare on the farm. The initial funding phase will award a maximum of four grants, each receiving up to $500,000. SMART Broiler phase I is currently accepting pre-proposals until June 5, 2019. The SMART Broiler website includes information about applying for these grants.

During the second research phase, those awardees whose technology solutions demonstrated promise and delivered value will receive up to $1,000,000 in additional funding to continue to refine and validate their technologies. The end goal of the program is to develop commercially-feasible tools that can deployed worldwide.

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization established by bipartisan Congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill, builds unique partnerships to support innovative and actionable science addressing today's food and agriculture challenges. FFAR leverages public and private resources to increase the scientific and technological research, innovation, and partnerships critical to enhancing sustainable production of nutritious food for a growing global population. The FFAR Board of Directors is chaired by Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum, Ph.D., and includes ex officio representation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Science Foundation.