Microbial true protein (MTP), produced in a cow’s rumen, is a key protein source, but only about 80% is digestible in the small intestine. Improving this digestibility could enhance nitrogen efficiency and milk protein production. This project aims to identify natural compounds, such as lysozyme, essential oils, and enzymes, that break down microbial cell walls and improve protein absorption. By increasing MTP digestibility, researchers hope to boost milk protein yields and support more sustainable dairy nutrition practices.

Brown midrib (bm) maize mutants are known for their improved forage digestibility, but they often suffer from poor plant growth, limiting their use on farms. This project aims to genetically enhance bm maize by restoring key cell wall traits only where they are needed, supporting healthy growth while keeping the digestibility benefits. Researchers will also explore ways to increase specific root polymers to boost carbon sequestration. The result will be improved maize varieties that offer both nutritional value and environmental benefits for Wisconsin dairy producers.

The preweaning period is one of the most vulnerable stages in a dairy calf’s life, with high rates of illness and death still common across North America. While antibiotics have traditionally been used to prevent disease during this time, growing concerns about antibiotic resistance and limited effectiveness have highlighted the need for better solutions. Early antibiotic use has been shown in other species to disrupt gut development and immune function. Similar effects may occur in calves, but more research is needed to understand how these treatments impact gut health and immunity in young dairy animals.

Whey Protein Phospholipid Concentrate (WPPC) is prone to oxidation during processing and storage, which reduces its quality and value. This project explores a new fluidized bed drying (FBD) method that shows promise in reducing oxidation and improving protein digestibility compared to traditional spray drying (SD). In collaboration with Wisconsin-based AbE Manufacturing, researchers aim to produce higher-quality WPPC with extended shelf life, better nutritional benefits, and potential therapeutic applications for metabolic health.

Whey protein phospholipid concentrate (WPPC), a byproduct of whey protein production, is often discarded or used as animal feed, despite being rich in valuable nutrients like choline. This project aims to evaluate the nutritional benefits and safety of WPPC in postmenopausal women, a group at high risk for choline deficiency. Researchers will assess how well the body absorbs choline from WPPC and monitor potential health impacts, with the goal of transforming this underused byproduct into a valuable, sustainable human food ingredient.

Pregnancy loss after 42 days of gestation is a major barrier to reproductive efficiency in dairy herds, impacting animal welfare, milk production, and farm profitability. This graduate research project will use data from over 2 million U.S. dairy cows to uncover the genetic basis of fetal loss and develop tools to help farmers make informed breeding and management decisions. The ultimate goal is to enhance fertility and support the long-term sustainability of Wisconsin’s dairy industry.

Nitrate contamination in groundwater poses risks to both human and animal health, especially in rural communities. This project will pilot a collaboration between UW–Madison and UW–River Falls to develop a continuous nitrate monitoring system for residential and farm wells in western Wisconsin. By using real-time sensors and data from a farmer-led well-monitoring program, researchers aim to better understand how factors like climate and land use influence nitrate levels. The goal is to create a low-cost, easy-to-use tool that helps communities monitor and manage nitrate exposure year-round.

The principal justification for this project is that FMMO regulation plays a key role in determining milk prices and profitability for the majority of US dairy farms, and we currently lack economic models that can appropriately analyze the implications of proposed changes to FMMOs or their elimination. Given the current status of economic models to assess the impacts of modifications to, or elimination of, FMMOs, we propose to develop a novel dynamic and systems-oriented modeling framework that will allow appropriate analysis of this important dairy policy issue. More specifically, we propose to: 1) Assess the dynamic economic impacts of changes to FMMO pricing formulas and other provisions as appropriate on farm milk prices, farm incomes for farms of different sizes and in different locations of the US, and examine the implications for dairy cooperative organizations and propriety dairy processors and 2) Assess the dynamic economic impacts of the elimination of FMMO with and without transition periods on farm milk prices, farm incomes for farms of different sizes and in different locations of the US, and examine the implications for dairy cooperative organizations and propriety dairy processors.

Several farming practices (e.g., cover crops, no-till) are promoted to improve soil health, sequester carbon (SOC), and enhance crop yields and economic returns. However, the efficacy of such practices is highly variable and remains the subject of considerable debate. We believe the aspirational goal of maintaining or enhancing yield and profit while simultaneously building soil health and mitigating climate change through SOC sequestration can be met, but only when approached holistically through ecological intensification (EI).

We will work at the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST) where a suite of EI interventions was established in 2019. Our goal, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the productivity, profitability, soil health, and carbon sequestration potential of EI in Midwestern dairy-forage and cash-grain systems will be met by 1) Quantifying yield trends in response to six years of ecological intensification; 2) Comparing the profitability of ecologically intensified systems relative to standard management, and 3) Assessing the impact of EI on deep carbon stocks and sensitive soil health parameters.

By taking a holistic approach to assessing the ecological intensification of Midwestern row crop systems, the proposed research directly addresses Dairy Innovation Hub (DIH) priority area “Stewarding Land and Water Resources” while simultaneously addressing DIH priority area “Growing Farm Business and Communities” by enhancing our understanding of the yield and economic impacts of ecological intensification for WI farmers.

Regular engagement with WICST stakeholders (inc. dairy farmers) will guarantee the relevance of our EI interventions and ensure a high impact of our results.

Labor shortages, tightening profit margins, and aging farm populations motivate farmers, practitioners, and policymakers to identify new labor streams and increase long-term farm viability.To explore the future of agricultural labor as related to farm viability, I propose two projects. The first project investigates if and how childcare, as a form of carework, is viewed as part of agricultural labor. Children are viewed as an opportunity to renew future generations’ interest in farming and, eventually, an essential source of labor for family farms. However, when separated as a household issue rather than a farm issue, the need for appropriate childcare can undermine farmer households’ ability to operate viable farms and invest in potential future farmers.

This is part of a larger project entitled “Linking Childcare to Farm Children Safety,” funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The overarching goal of this larger project is to (1) understand what farm parents do with their children while they work on the farm and (2) how different strategies farm parents use may affect both their ability to be productive in agriculture and the safety of their children. This project included focus groups with women farmers, a survey of farm households, a photovoice project (Becot, Inwood, and Buchanan 2023), and a systematic review of farm programming documents (Becot et al. 2022). This particular portion of the project analyzes 36 interviews with key informants related to farm safety and business.

The broad purpose of these key informant interviews is to do the following: (1) Develop a broad understanding of the environment in which farm parents make decisions about childcare and farm work and (2) Understand the types of resources farm parents have access to related to childcare. This project’s analysis focuses on assessing how farm service providers and farm organizations understand carework to overlap with or depart from farm work.