Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the dairy industry in idaho (ranked…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the dairy industry in idaho (ranked 3RD in the nation for total milk production) is concentrated in southern idaho among mature irrigated agriculture, aquaculture, and rural communities. Dairy producers face major challenges handling solid and liquid manure nutrients especially in dairy-dense regions where use of imported feed and fertilizer has concentrated nitrogen and phosphorous at levels that soil or plants cannot sufficiently use. This project will create useful bioproducts from dairy manure that can be transported and used in more distant areas for crop production or for value-added products such as plastics.project research will build on decades of existing work to 1) evaluate dairy manure and compost management; 2) advance technologies to separate and upgrade manure and effluent for use as feedstocks for additional processing or as soil amendments; 3) advance technologies to use hydrochar or biochar to produce higher value soil amendments; and 4) accelerate a technology to produce biodegradable plastics from manure. Soil amendments will be designed for use in dairy feed production and other crops as part of a circular system of nutrient use. Production of polymers that can become plastics from manure in excess of what can be used in crop production will give the dairy production system a high value means of exporting excess nutrients. These technological pathways will be evaluated in terms of their potential role in a bioeconomic system scaled to fully use the nutrients produced by the dairy system. Economic feasibility and economic, social, and environmental impacts of the technologies and potential bioeconomic system will also be evaluated. Extension activities will engage stakeholders in identifying the best use of bioproducts from dairy manure technologies in support of crop production and soil health. Dairy producers will be provided tools to determine their best investment for handling manure sustainably. As part of education activities, students will determine the value and market, and develop business plans and marketing strategies for each bioproduct. Courses on sustainability of agriculture and the dairy industry will prepare students for the dairy and bioeconomy workforce. High tech jobs will be created aiding in employment in rural areas where the dairy industry is located. These jobs will support rural communities in idaho with the opportunities for a bioeconomy likely transferrable to other parts of the united states.