(NAFB) – The Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Wednesday announced an investment of $14 million in research to protect agricultural animals from disease.

The grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Diseases of Agricultural Animals program area priority.

NIFA director Carrie Castille says, “This research will help better understand, diagnose, control and prevent diseases in agricultural animals and aquaculture.”

Funded projects will focus on developing new and improved vaccines, diagnostics and antimicrobial alternatives, along with breeding disease-resistant animals, and understanding better ways to manage animals to minimize disease outbreaks.

NIFA recently awarded 31 projects under the program, including $500,000 to an Iowa State University effort to introduce a new approach to Vitamin A and Zinc supplements to help protect cattle against stress and respiratory disease. NIFA also awarded $500,000 to a University of Florida project to examine ways to improve immunity in pigs that can protect them from lung disease and influenza virus infections.