The University of Idaho wants to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm in south-central Idaho, the geographical heart of the sector.
University President Scott Green and school officials in a presentation to Gov. Brad Little and other members of the Idaho Land Board on Tuesday said the proposed Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, or CAFE, will help support growth of the dairy and other industries.
“CAFE will be a leader (for) water usage and environmental quality challenges while supporting the continued growth of the dairy, livestock, cropland and food processing industries,” Green told the board.
The dairy industry is Idaho’s top agricultural sector and ranks third in the nation behind California and Wisconsin. Idaho’s main dairy products are milk, cheese and yogurt.
The school wants the Land Board to use $23 million from the 2021 sale of 282 acres (114 hectares), in Caldwell, of endowment land benefitting the University of Idaho’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to buy roughly 640 acres (259 hectares) of farmland in Minidoka County north of Rupert. The $23 million is in a fund controlled by the Land Board
The presentation on Tuesday was informational and the board is expected to take action on the plan in September.
Original source can be found here.
