POTSDAM -- Clarkson University will receive $500,000 in federal funding to support research aimed at helping dairy farmers and growers.

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said the funding for Clarkson was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

NIFA grants support research and programs that help dairy producers and growers achieve long-term viability, high yield, and labor efficient production of local agricultural products. Clarkson University will use the funding to advance anaerobic digestion techniques for small-to-medium-scale dairy farmers.

The university will work in conjunction with the Cornell Cooperative Extension farm dairy specialists on farms working to improve manure management.

“Unlike wind and solar, anaerobic digestion (AD) of farm residue is independent of weather conditions; and can be a baseline power source in a mix of renewables. In addition digester effluent contains valuable nutrients and solids can be used for animal bedding. In the U.S., AD technology has been adopted by larger-scale livestock farms. Our researchers have developed an AD design and application, which demonstrates the economic viability of AD technology for smaller dairy farms. We hope that through our educational outreach efforts AD technology will be integrated at smaller-scale dairy farmers recovering energy and valuable resources from agricultural wastes improving farm viability and boosting our North Country economy.”

The USDA NIFA program aims to strengthen local food systems and support farmers growing fruits, vegetables, and nursery crops through research, agricultural extension activities, and initiatives to increase demand and address the needs of America's specialty crop industry.