By Lori Tyler Gula
The Idaho Sustainable Agriculture Initiative for Dairy, or ISAID, has spent five years developing and testing systems that capture valuable nutrients and byproducts from manure and wastewater. The research was funded in 2020 by a $10 million Sustainable Agriculture Systems Coordinated Agriculture Project.
Idaho, the nation's third-largest dairy producer, has undergone a remarkable transformation, surpassing its 11th position just 25 years ago. However, this exponential growth comes with challenges, particularly in managing the substantial amounts of liquid and solid manure generated by the dairy industry.
As a result, a team of scientists led by the University of Idaho has undertaken a groundbreaking plan to harness nitrogen and phosphorus from dairy production, converting them into valuable bioproducts. These products can be transported and used in other areas for crop production or as raw materials for value-added products like bioplastics.