New University of Idaho Agronomy Specialist Looks to Help Dairy, Soil Health

Earlier this year, the University of Idaho hired a new agronomy specialist to help the state’s dairy, cattle, and forage industries.  Pramod Acharya said in his new role he will focus on advancing sustainable, resource-efficient, eco-friendly and economic approaches.

“Basically, my role in Idaho CAFE [Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment] will be to improve the agronomic performance of forage cropping systems," Acharya said.  "And also, I will be collaborating with other experts that are involved in CAFE side to develop multidisciplinary research that will eventually benefit the forage and dairy industries in the region.”

When it comes to both short-term, and long-term goals, Acharya said there are a host of challenges impacting forage and dairy producers alike that need to be addressed.

"We need to work more on crop water use and enhancing the nutrient use efficiencies of cropping systems," he said.  "We need to work more on soil health and nutrient management aspects.  And the overall goal of my project is to disseminate the new science-based knowledge to the stakeholders. That could include the forage and dairy industries, producers, students, extension educators.  And all of this information would be delivered in a timely and accessible manner.”

During his master's work at New Mexico State University in La Cruces, Acharya researched how the use of cover cropping and dairy compost in crop production systems influence soil health, which he feels will provide beneficial information and insight to the dairy industry in Idaho.

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