University of New Hampshire
IN-3: Innovation 3

The Organic Dairy Research Farm, the first of its kind at a Land Grant University, is the centerpiece of a NHAES/COLSA sustainable agriculture field station at the Burley-Demeritt/Bartlett-Dudley Farm in Lee, New Hampshire. The Organic Dairy Research Farm at UNH has been developed as a test bed for Sustainable Agriculture in the broadest sense. The farm offers a platform for experimentation and education in many disciplines and allows for rigorous, transparent and replicable development and testing of scientific ideas, new methods, tools, and other new technologies. The research priorities are relevant to both organic and conventional farm operations that are interested in lower input and/or sustainable production practices. An inherent part of the Organic Dairy Research Farm’s mission is the opportunity to provide outstanding research experiences to graduate and undergraduate students. Students are often engaged through formal UNH courses that use the Farm as a living laboratory for class projects and as a field trip destination. Producers, suppliers and citizens also benefit. Local farmers have access to tools and data generated at the farm to help assess the factors involved in sustainable agriculture. Agricultural suppliers may collaborate on projects to test feeds, equipment, management methods and technologies. A byproduct of the farm is the organic milk that is sold on contract to distributors who are meeting the local demand for organic milk-based and other products.