The Idaho State Board of Education has approved the University of Idaho’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment or CAFE project.
Approval from the board allows the university to purchase land to construct a state-of-the-art milking parlor in southeastern Idaho, a decision that received approval from the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners in September.
UI will use funds from the November 2021 sale of 282 acres of endowment land near Caldwell no longer in use. Proceeds from the Caldwell property will be used to acquire 638 acres of farmland north of Rupert. The university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will use the remaining funds to construct a state-of-the-art milking parlor on that property capable of serving a 2,000-head dairy herd.
University officials say research through the CAFE project will help improve strategies for forage production and nutrient management; improve waste management systems that create valuable byproducts like fertilizers; and develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from animals, housing areas, waste systems and in-field applications, advancing the dairy industry’s nationwide net zero initiative.
