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 »
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 Vermont to California. One of these all-important project partners is April Leytem, a research soil chemist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Kimberly, Idaho. Tell us a… Read more »
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From humble beginnings, Erick Amaya’s passion for learning carried him through his undergraduate career to a position with Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP)— first as an intern, then as a research technician. While a part of the team, Amaya gained key skills in research and communication, and made lifelong memories and friends. Read the… Read more »
By Dr. Mara Cloutier, Soil Health Institute The Soil Health Institute (SHI) collaborated with Dairy Management Inc. on the design and development of the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project and is playing a central role in the data-driven project. Dr. Mara Cloutier of SHI shares her perspective on what sets DSWR apart from… Read more »
Eight research institutions across the country are participating in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. Adam von Haden, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provided an update on what’s happening there. Research focus: Our work on DSWR consists of three experiments at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station in south-central Wisconsin. While the… Read more »
Farmers received insights about the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project from its leaders and researchers at the Dairy Strong conference Jan. 16 in Green Bay, Wis. Victor Green, director of soil health and crop sustainability for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), provided an overview of the ongoing eight-year project and moderated a panel discussion… Read more »
The DSWR team has been visiting project sites and working with researchers to produce a series of video shorts showcasing project results and components. The first few videos are now loaded on DSWR’s YouTube channel — follow the project on YouTube to see new videos as they are produced. https://www.youtube.com/@DairySoilWater
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In this episode of DairyVoice, Connie Kuber of Sealpro Silage Barrier Films talks with Tim Kurt, Senior Vice President, Environmental Research Strategy & Group Lead with Dairy Management Inc. on sustainability. They discuss numerous projects and programs, including DSWR. Listen here: https://dairybusiness.com/tim-kurt-of-dairy-management-inc-talks-sustainability
Representatives from three Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration research sites across the country provided farmers, processors, supply chain companies and industry thought leaders insights into the project and a sneak peek at preliminary results at the 2024 Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Minneapolis. Reza Afshar, vice president of soil, feed and water research at Dairy Management… Read more »
The American Society for Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society for America (CSSA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) held their 2024 International Annual Meeting in San Antonio, bringing together soil and crop professionals from around the world to discuss revelations in research and innovation. Several DSWR project team members shared insights and preliminary results… Read more »
Researchers and project leaders from across the U.S. gathered in San Antonio, TX on Nov. 14 to exchange latest insights from their Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration studies. From site updates to publication discussions, DSWR project teams spent the day collaborating and learning from each other. Team members delivered updates about the work at their… Read more »
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Professor Joshua Faulkner and Graduate Student Molly Ratliff discuss work being done by UVM’s Rubenstein School for Environment and Natural Resources (@uvmrubenstein ) and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ (@uvmcals) Extension programs (@UVMExtension) on sustainable dairy practices here in Vermont – and beyond. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMAIdXpkNd0
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University of Vermont Press Joshua Faulkner squats in a corn field, scooping out the insides of a hole. He holds a handful of dark grey soil and squeezes it like a sponge. Beside him, a row of yellowed winter rye shakes in the wind. “It’s a little dry,” Faulkner says. “… But not bad. Everyone… Read more »
Dr. Reza Afshar, vice president of soil, feed and water research at Dairy Management Inc. joined a Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) special webinar series celebrating FFAR’s 10-year anniversary. In this insightful session, titled “The Power of Collaborative Agricultural Research,” Dr. Afshar presented a comprehensive overview of DSWR and emphasized the numerous advantages that arise from fostering… Read more »
Eight research institutions across the country are participating in the DSWR project. Two of them — University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and University of California, Davis — are working together in studies at a commercial dairy farm and an almond orchard. Nicholas Clark, principal investigator for the dairy site, provided an… Read more »
Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration is tapping into the talents of the best and brightest researchers in the country. They’re doing work through eight institutions located in major dairy-producing regions, from Vermont to California. DSWR Dispatch is highlighting these all-important project partners. Today, meet Jasdeep Singh, postdoctoral research associate in Cornell University’s Nutrient Management Spear… Read more »
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A team of DSWR researchers recently published an article, Effect of dairy manure-based fertilizers on nitrous oxide emissions in a semi-arid climate, in Soil Science Society of America Journal. Researchers include Abigail E. Baxter, April B. Leytem, Dan Liptzin, Andrew Bierer, and Reza K. Afshar; the full publication is available at https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/saj2.20751 Abstract Manure treatment… Read more »
As dairy farmers consider climate solutions, they face the challenge of having limited science-backed information guiding them in their journey toward sustainability. Reza Afshar, vice president – soil, feed and water research at Dairy Management Inc., shares how the dairy community is working with research partners to bridge that gap. Read more on the FFAR… Read more »
The DSWR Progress Report provides updates on the six-year project assessing how farming practices affect soil health, greenhouse gases and water quality in dairy feed production. The report includes updates from each research team through a study snapshot and findings to date from 2021 – 2023. Download the Progress Report.
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Join Across the Fence as they visit University of Vermont Associate Professor Joshua Faulkner, Interim Director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Learn about the ongoing research into soil cores to manage agricultural runoff from Vermont farmland with a focus on sampling in the DSWR project. Across the Fence is the longest-running locally-produced program in… Read more »
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Noblehurst Farms is a seventh-generation multi-family dairy farm co-owned by Rob Noble ‘79. Team members from Cornell CALS Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) are working with Noble to improve the sustainability of forage cultivation as part of the nationwide Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project. Read the full article: https://cals.cornell.edu/news/2024/08/making-strides-novel-manure-research-us-dairys-net-zero-initiative Photo caption: Rob Noble,… Read more »
“Demonstrating Soil Health in the Badger State” was held on August 7th, 2024 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW) Arlington Agricultural Research Station. The event was hosted by the Soil Health Alliance for Research & Engagement (SHARE). Seventy-two people were in attendance, including academics, extension staff, and producers. The event included a panel… Read more »
Members of the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) research team attended the North American Manure Expo in Auburn, New York, to share preliminary findings, connect with Cornell University researchers and participating farmers, review study plots and gain insights into project progress. At the event, Victor Green, director of soil health and crop sustainability at… Read more »
Novel manure products are playing a key role in the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration (DSWR) project, a research initiative on working dairies and research farms across the U.S. As part of DSWR, the research team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is evaluating the effects of those manure products and soil conservation practices on greenhouse… Read more »
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As global attention intensifies on the need for climate action, the agricultural sector is increasingly in the spotlight, particularly concerning methane emissions — a potent greenhouse gas with significant impact on global warming. The world’s most preeminent leaders and scientists are converging on immediate and effective actions to mitigate one of the most challenging aspects… Read more »
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The BMO Sustainability Leaders Podcast talked with Dr. Reza Afshar, vice president of soil, feed and water research at Dairy Management Inc., and Bridgett Hilshey, sustainable agriculture project manager for DMI, to discuss DMI’s research work, particularly the Dairy Soil & Water Regenerations project, that enable progress toward the dairy industry’s 2050 environmental goals. https://sustainabilityleaders.bmo.com/en/news-insights/sustainability-leaders/dairy-industry-goals-ghg-neutrality-and-water-management/
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A nationwide research effort continues in determining soil health and manure management within dairy operations, and what that means from both economic and environmental perspectives. Victor Green of Dairy Management Inc., April Leytem of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Mara Cloutier of the Soil Health Institute talked to USDA Radio News. Listen to Broadcast: https://www.usda.gov/media/radio/weekly-features/2024-07-02/collaboration-dairy-resource-management-research
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A six-year multi-state study is measuring the differences between soil management practices. Dennis Busch with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville tells Brownfield they are evaluating how a suite of conservation practices in a soil health management system influence soil health, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and farm productivity. “We measure the total volume of runoff and… Read more »
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Postdoctoral Research Associate Jasdeep Singh of the Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) is researching the impacts of soil health practices on corn silage yield, soil health indicators, and greenhouse gas emissions. In Central New York, Singh and the NMSP team are looking at two field treatments at Osterhoudt Farms. Read on to learn more… Read more »
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Erick Amaya and Carlos Irias, students from Zamorano University in Honduras, came to Cornell University for internships with the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP). As undergraduate seniors they already had strong backgrounds in agriculture before arriving in Ithaca, New York. Their internships at Cornell allowed them to gain more hands-on experience with applied research and… Read more »