What is the problem this research tackling?
Dairy farmers face increasing pressure from the private and public sectors to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This grant to the Dairy Research Institute (DRI) addresses research gaps in integrated agricultural soil and water management strategies and manure-based fertilizer products that support the dairy community’s Net Zero Initiative, an industry-wide effort to adopt practices and technologies that improve environmental health.
The funding will support the first five years of a six-year project, “Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration: building soil health to reduce greenhouse gases, improve water quality and enable new economic benefits,” that will produce data to be broadly shared among the dairy community to:
- Provide measurement-based assessments of dairy’s greenhouse gas footprint for feed production.
- Set the stage for new market opportunities related to carbon, water quality and soil health.
Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) scientists are leading the project to determine how soil characteristics vary in response to field setting and management practices across different U.S. regions where dairy operations are concentrated. The team is also evaluating the ecosystem benefits of new manure-based fertilizer products. Researchers will investigate how familiar soil health practices interact with water management practices and work with modelers to improve predicted outcomes of alternative management strategies. Through foundational science, on-farm pilots and development of new product markets, NZI aims to create incentives for farmers that will lead to economic viability and positive environmental impacts.