Iowa State University in Ames. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa State University has been awarded more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out six research projects that will help prevent and combat animal disease outbreaks.Ā
The Iowa awards were part of an announcement from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, of $15.3 million for that enhances preparedness, detection and response to āthe most damaging diseases that threaten U.S. livestock.āĀ
Molly Lee, the associate director of ISUās Center for Food Security and Public Health, said the projects will generate free resources for producers and animal health professionals.Ā
āAnimal disease preparedness is a valuable investment that strengthens our food supply, ensures farmersā livelihoods and protects public health,ā Lee said in a statement. āSupporting animal agriculture with grants like these is a critical and efficient use of federal resources.ā
Some of the projects build on general biosecurity protocol, like āDisinfection 201ā which received $315,000 to further develop an existing online module with disinfection guidance for different species and diseases. The ājust-in-timeā project was awarded $447,000 to develop an on-demand library of information to expedite an outbreak response, and another would make general biosecurity protocol trainings more relevant to small and niche producers.Ā
Enhanced biosecurity has been a common phrase over the past several months as the highly pathogenic avian influenza to impact millions of birds and dairy cattle nationwide. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke RollinsĀ $100 million to fund research around treatment, biosecurity and prevention of the bird flu. That funding, which is open for applications until May 19, is separate from the APHIS National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program, through which the ISU research was awarded.
Another ISU project was awarded $284,000 to develop training materials and workshops for preparedness against the Japanese encephalitis virus, which can infect humans and most domesticated animals, including swine. The is mostly present in Asia and has not been detected in the U.S.
The final two funded projects at ISU would increase biosecurity measures for horses and research around foreign animal diseases that could affect the aquatic animal industry.
The funding is part of the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program which was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill.