The University of Idaho took a big step on Tuesday in efforts to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and two other statewide-elected officials on the Idaho Land Board approved the university’s plan to use $23 million to buy roughly 640 acres of farmland in south-central Idaho, the heart of the state’s dairy industry, according to the Associated Press.
The state, which is typically known for its potatoes, is also the third-largest dairy producer in the nation, sitting behind California and Washington. The state’s dairy industry has supported the plan to build the new research farm and has donated more than $8.5 million to date, according to state officials.
“The research that we do there is going to help us improve the water quality within the state,” says Scott Green, president of the University of Idaho. “It’s going to help us utilize waste products from the dairy industry in a way that’s beneficial to the environment and to agriculture.”
If the plan is completed as envisioned, the operation would include an experimental farm and 2,000-cow research dairy in Minidoka County. Classrooms, labs and faculty offices would be constructed in Jerome County near where Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 93 intersect. A food processing pilot plant with a workforce training and education facility would also be located at the College of Southern Idaho campus in Twin Falls County.
