Dairy Health, Efficiency & Resource Dynamics (HERD) Initiative

The Dairy Health, Efficiency & Resource Dynamics (HERD) Initiative is a funding opportunity launched through a collaboration between the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), and Zoetis. This partnership seeks to advance research that promotes improved animal health and management, ensures economic sustainability for the U.S. dairy industry, and delivers positive environmental outcomes. HERD supports research that quantifies how better dairy cow health can influence greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental efficiency in dairy production systems. The initiative invites proposals that explore economic analyses, such as cost-benefit models evaluating reduced treatment costs and increased productivity in the context of environmental incentives. It also welcomes projects developing or improving predictive and decision-support tools that integrate animal health, economics, and environmental outcomes. Another key area includes empirical research that measures the environmental impact of prevalent cow diseases like mastitis, lameness, and metritis, using standard emissions metrics like kg CO2-equivalent per kg of milk. Applicants may be based at domestic or international institutions, including higher education organizations, government-affiliated research bodies, nonprofits, and for-profit companies. Principal Investigators must submit applications through an affiliated organization. While matching funds are not required, they are encouraged. Projects may span up to two years, and grants between $500,000 and $1,000,000 are available. A total of $1.3 million is allocated for this round. Only up to 10% of a grant may be used for indirect costs. Applications must be submitted via FFAR’s online Grant Management System, where users can save progress and upload required components, including biosketches, budget narratives, and data management plans. The submission must be completed by June 25, 2025, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. An informational webinar for administrative questions will be held on June 11, 2025. The anticipated project start date is Spring 2026, with award notifications expected in Fall 2025. The evaluation criteria place strong emphasis on the proposal’s novelty, scientific rigor, multidisciplinary approach, and real-world impact on U.S. dairy operations. Successful applications must address existing research gaps, provide feasible workplans and methodologies, and demonstrate clear pathways to industry implementation. All awarded projects are subject to annual and final reporting and must adhere to the highest standards of scientific integrity. For technical questions, applicants may contact Dr. Jasmine Bruno at jbruno@foundatoinfar.org. For programmatic inquiries, contact Dr. Tim Kurt at tim.kurt@dairy.org. Applicants are advised to register early for the Grant Management System and allocate ample time to prepare a thorough application addressing all narrative and technical components.

Address all seven encouraged elements (novelty, gaps, stakeholder relevance, etc.) Include multidisciplinary collaboration Justify budget clearly Prepare and submit through FFAR Grant Management System