Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** feeding seaweed to cows is…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** feeding seaweed to cows is already common in the organic dairy industry, but currently only wild-harvested, dried, ground rockweed (ascophyllum nodosum) is widely available. The organic aquaculture industry farms numerous different species and has the capacity to process the harvest to significantly impact its dietary quality. The objectives of this proposed program are to work with both the organic dairy industry and the organic aquaculture industry to further develop this collaboration while financially benefiting both markets in a sustainable manner. By working directly with stakeholders, we aim to 1) identify currently perceived benefits and drawbacks of dietary seaweed inclusion in US organic dairy herd diets, 2) characterize organic seaweeds already available in the US that could be scaled up for broad adoption, and assess the impact of different processing methods on the chemical profile of the seaweeds, 3) use in vitro and in vivo methods to quantify the impact of feeding different combinations of seaweed species/processing methods on organic dairy COW health performance, and land nutrient cycling, 4) validate the impacts of dietary seaweed and demonstrate effective use and management of this strategy in partnership with commercial organic dairies, 5) complete a supply chain analysis to identify the potential of this market, and 6) seamlessly intertwine stakeholder and public outreach activities to gain widespread adoption and support for these sustainable organic practices, while creating long-term educational materials that will be incorporated into academic curricula to fuel the passion and skillset development in the next generation of organic stakeholders and scientists.