Cargill is donating $500,000 to the University of Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

When completed, the $45 million project will be the nation’s largest research dairy and will have many other components to foster scientific research, agricultural sustainability and consumer education.

CAFE will address the impacts of commercial-size dairies on water quality and efficiency, as well as nutrient management and soil health with interconnected research on animal agriculture and crop agriculture.

In addition, researchers will study additional revenue streams for farmers from emerging bio-based products and carbon credit markets.

“Idaho CAFE presents a viable farm-scale solution for conducting the research needed to address the sustainability of the dairy industry nationwide,” said Michel P. Parrella, dean of the university’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

“Cargill’s investment in this effort underscores the critical need for the research-based solutions that will benefit dairy producers for generations to come. We could not do this without their generous support,” he said.

The research will help bring solutions to dairy farmers in Idaho and beyond for years to come, Cargill said in a press release.

“Supporting the next generation of agriculture sustainability experts and the dairy farmers who will benefit from their advancements is important to our company,” said Julie Abrahamzon, commercial director for Cargill’s animal nutrition business in North America.

“We are making investments in projects like U of Idaho’s CAFE because we believe in the future of the dairy industry,” she said.

The commercial-scale dairy is being built on a 640-acre demonstration farm near Rupert to conduct environmental research and will have a capacity of up to 2,000 cows.

The university plans to begin milking cows at the dairy toward the end of 2024, with the dairy fully operational from a research perspective by 2026.

The research dairy is a partnership between the university, Idaho Dairymen’s Association — which has led the effort for more than 15 years — and the state, with each contributing funding.

Other agriculture groups, processors and individuals have contributed or committed funding for the larger CAFE project, which includes an education and outreach center in Jerome and food science efforts in partnership with the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.