Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) is tapping into the talents of the best and brightest researchers in the U.S. They’re doing work through eight research institutions in major dairy-producing regions across the country. One of these all-important project partners is Dr. Deanne Meyer, livestock waste management specialist in the Department of Animal Science at… Read more »
A University of Vermont research specialist shared the results from part of her team’s work on the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project at the 2026 No-Till & Cover Crop Conference. Molly Ratliff presented a research poster at the event, which brought together farmers, crop consultants, agricultural businesses and researchers to discuss soil health,… Read more »
The Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project is capturing data in various dairy regions of the country, representing unique climates, soils and agricultural management practices. The Texas A&M AgriLife High Plains Research and Extension Center is conducting research in a semi-arid climate with limited surface water and heavy dependence on the diminishing water in… Read more »
Sam Zipper, Kansas Geological Survey assistant scientist and assistant professor at the University of Kansas Many people say the first principle of soil health is to “know your context” — meaning that a soil health management strategy should be based on a farm’s unique conditions, including its goals, climate, equipment, personnel and economics. However, most… Read more »
The Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project work began in 2021 with sampling of soils on commercial farms in key dairy states across the U.S., representing a wide range of climates, management practices and soil types. More than 1,000 samples from nearly 200 fields were analyzed to create a baseline of soil health and… Read more »
Kansas Geological Survey assistant scientist Sam Zipper is the recipient of the 2025 Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award from the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The award recognizes outstanding contributions to hydrology through research, education or societal impacts. Zipper, who is also an assistant professor at the University of Kansas, is supporting the Dairy… Read more »
Quantifiable data is an essential part of decision-making for dairy farmers who are implementing environmentally sustainable field practices. But that data is limited. To address this challenge, Dairy Management Inc. and the Soil Health Institute initiated the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project in collaboration with research partners at eight institutions to advance progress… Read more »
Eight institutions are conducting research in various dairy-producing regions of the country as part of the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. The semi-arid Snake River Valley in southern Idaho, the third-largest milk producing state, is one of the settings. Soil chemist April Leytem, formerly with USDA, led the research at the agency’s Agricultural… Read more »
Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) research in California served as an illustration of the emphasis placed on real-world applicability of the project by farmers, technical experts and sustainability leaders at the 2025 Dairy Sustainability Alliance Fall Meeting on Nov. 18 in Anaheim, Calif. Adolfo Coyotl, a Ph.D. student researcher at the University of California,… Read more »
Eight research institutions across the country are participating in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration project. University of Wisconsin-Platteville senior scientist Dennis Busch provided an update on what’s happening at the university’s Pioneer Farm. Research focus: At UW-Platteville we are evaluating two dairy-focused crop production systems. One is a soil health management system (SHMS) where… Read more »
in In the News
The University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) named Dr. Joshua Faulkner as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Vogelmann Award, recognizing his groundbreaking work at the intersection of agricultural production and environmental stewardship. Read the full announcement: https://www.uvm.edu/cals/news/joshua-faulkner-honored-hubert-w-vogelmann-award
Research from the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration (DSWR) project was on display when agronomy, crop and soil professionals from around the world gathered Nov. 9-12 for CANVAS 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they discussed ideas and innovation from across the field of environmental sciences. The American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science… Read more »
Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) is tapping into the talents of the best and brightest researchers in the U.S. They’re doing work through eight research institutions in major dairy-producing regions across the country. One of these all-important project partners is Joshua Faulkner, research associate professor at the University of Vermont (UVM). Faulkner also coordinates… Read more »
Field work normally ends before dark, but following a long day of dairy manure application in early May 2023, University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Josh Mirabella worked late into the night to install his soil greenhouse gas (GHG) measurement equipment. The GHG measurements would begin early the next morning, making it essential to deploy the… Read more »
As DSWR provides data to validate environmentally sustainable farming practices, dairy farmers are also looking to the research to identify ways to operate more efficiently. Rob Noble is working closely with Cornell University researchers on trials at his operation, Noblehurst Farms, in western New York. “We’re excited to see the results,” he said. Why do… Read more »
A conversation with Cara Mathers, research soil scientist at the Soil Health Institute Data collected in the DSWR project is helping farmers make confident decisions about sustainable field practices and driving improvements in modeling for soil carbon, greenhouse gas flux and hydrology. Cara Mathers, a research soil scientist at the Soil Health Institute (SHI), a… Read more »
A research farm in a semi-arid region of southern Idaho was the setting for a multifaceted field day held in September featuring the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project along with a number of other studies. The event, held in collaboration with the Idaho Dairymen’s Association and Dairy West at the U.S. Department of… Read more »
Eight research institutions across the country are participating in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension specialist Kevin Heflin and his colleagues provided an update on what’s happening there. Research focus: The Texas A&M AgriLife Research site at Amarillo is focused on developing soil health management strategies to produce high-quality… Read more »
A conversation with Cristine Morgan, Chief Scientific Officer, at the Soil Health Institute As we approach the completion of the fifth year of the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project, data is rolling in, results are being graphed and analyses are underway. This stage of research is exciting as we see the outcome of… Read more »
Researchers and leaders in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project combined progress updates, training, a lab tour and visits to two field sites for a robust annual all-team gathering Aug. 19-21 in Wisconsin. The eight-year project, now in its fifth year, is studying soil health and manure management and their effects on greenhouse… Read more »
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Originally from Bulingtar, Nepal, Asmita Gautam recently joined the Cornell University Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) as a postdoctoral research associate. Read on to learn more about Gautam’s origins and what she hopes to learn from this position. Why did you decide to join NMSP? I joined NMSP because I am very interested in contributing to the Dairy… Read more »
The DSWR project team has released its Progress Update for 2024. The report presents the completion status of the three main tasks in the framework of the eight-year project — baseline data collection, field trials, and outreach and modeling — a looks at key metrics, and findings to date from each of the partnering research… Read more »
The USDA Agricultural Research Station (ARS) in Kimberly, Idaho, one of eight research institutions across the U.S. conducting studies for the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project, will host a field day Sept. 3 to share its latest research and spotlight DSWR. DSWR is an eight-year initiative studying the impact of dairy feed production… Read more »
DSWR is tapping into the talents of the best and brightest researchers in the U.S. They’re doing work through eight institutions in major dairy-producing regions, from California to Vermont. One of these all-important project partners is Dennis Busch, senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Pioneer Farm. Tell us a little bit about you. I… Read more »
Eight research institutions across the country are participating in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. Joshua Faulkner, a scientist at the University of Vermont, provided an update on what’s happening there. Research focus: The DSWR work in Vermont occurs at two different field sites. One site (VB) is located on a commercial farm… Read more »
Victor Green, Director, soil health and crop sustainability, Dairy Management Inc. A variety of novel manure products and technologies are emerging as resources for dairy farmers. Up until now, though, the effects of such products on soil health have received little, if any, field testing. DSWR is investigating the potential environmental and agronomic benefits of these… Read more »
in In the News
Processing manure or combining it with other materials to create a more sustainable or valuable product is a fairly new concept. But researchers are on it to see if novel manure products can work to reduce environmental impact while improving a farm’s bottom line. Since 2021, UW-Platteville has been involved in a national project focused… Read more »
Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) leaders and researchers delved into the challenges and opportunities of the broad data-driven project during a panel discussion May 14 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The discussion was a main-stage feature at the Dairy Symposium, an academic-focused event held by the Dairy Innovation Hub, a state-funded effort to support… Read more »
Aiming to capture real-world data, researchers on the DSWR project are working on both research farms as well as commercial farms. And the studies are not only happening on dairies. Researchers at the University of California Davis are conducting trials at a commercial almond orchard, Due Farms. Adolfo Coyotl, a graduate student at the university,… Read more »
One way DSWR is unique is that this research is being conducted on commercial farms. One of those farms is Osterhoudt Farms in Genoa, New York, a cropping operation that offers custom services to local dairies by providing forages and utilizing dairy manure. Farm representative Andy Miller is working alongside Cornell University researchers to bring… Read more »