Tag: curriculum

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Sustainable Approach to Agriculture Education: Making the Most of Dairy Waste Byproducts

Purpose

The purpose of the project has been to develop a scientifically grounded, curriculum-ready educational framework that equips educators, especially those in Idaho, with the knowledge and instructional tools necessary to introduce students to the dairy industry and specifically, the environmental and economic benefits of dairy waste by-products. This project aimed to bridge the gap between industry practices and secondary agricultural education by highlighting sustainable waste management strategies within the dairy sector, including manure management, organic fertilizer production, methane gas utilization for renewable energy, and innovative by-product applications.

By integrating interdisciplinary concepts in agricultural science, environmental sustainability, and economics, we have worked to enhance students’ understanding of circular bioeconomy principles, real-world waste management challenges, and the importance of dairy sustainability in mitigating environmental impact while generating economic value. The ultimate goal is to foster a new generation of agriculturally literate students who can critically evaluate and contribute to sustainable innovations in the dairy industry.

What Did We Do?

We are presenting a comprehensive, two-week educational curriculum designed to equip Idaho educators with a resource on the state’s dairy industry. The curriculum encompasses foundational topics, including an introduction to dairy cattle, dairy nutrition, production facilities, and the processes involved in milk and cheese production. However, its primary emphasis is on the sustainable management of dairy by-products, addressing key environmental challenges associated with dairy operations.

The above figure is an of the instructional framework for the dairy unit, illustrating the progression of concepts in the unit and the layout of including daily objectives and alignment to state and national academic standards.
The above figure is an of the instructional framework for the dairy unit, illustrating the progression of concepts in the unit and the layout of including daily objectives and alignment to state and national academic standards.

This interdisciplinary curriculum explores advanced dairy waste management strategies, including manure management, biochemical conversion into organic fertilizers, and anaerobic digestion for methane gas production. Through hands-on learning and real-world case studies, the curriculum connects industry practices with secondary agricultural education, fostering a deeper understanding of the ecological and economic impacts of sustainable dairy waste repurposing.

What Have We Learned?

Our findings indicate that students are both prepared and capable of engaging with new scientific and industry-specific information when presented through differentiated and interactive instructional methods. A pre-unit assessment was administered on 2/25/2025 prior to introducing the first-time curriculum, with students averaging 59% on the assessment. Following the conclusion of the unit on 3/14/2025, the average score on the same material rose to 89%. We believe even in the initial rollout of curriculum, this significant increase reflects meaningful learning gains, especially when considering the variability in student learning styles and attendance. The incorporation of varied learning modalities—ranging from hands-on applications to case-based discussions—provided sufficient cognitive engagement, contributing to sustained student interest and improved comprehension throughout the unit.

Furthermore, this approach facilitates exposure to specialized aspects of the dairy industry that may otherwise remain unexplored, even by students residing in regions with high dairy production. By integrating diverse educational strategies, the curriculum broadens students’ conceptual understanding of sustainable dairy waste management, reinforcing the applicability of these practices within both local and global agricultural contexts.

Future Plans

Moving forward, the curriculum will be made available to agricultural educators across Idaho and the broader Northwest region, providing a flexible instructional resource that can be implemented in whole or adapted to meet specific classroom needs. By offering the curriculum in a digital format, accessible from anywhere, educators will have the ability to customize content to align with their students’ learning objectives while maintaining the integrity of the scientific and industry-relevant information presented.

This resource serves as a readily accessible tool for high school instruction, facilitating an in-depth exploration of the dairy industry, milk and cheese processing, and the complex sustainability challenges faced by modern dairy operations. By emphasizing the innovative repurposing of dairy by-products into value-added commodities, the curriculum equips students with a critical understanding of the environmental and economic imperatives driving sustainability within the dairy sector.

Authors

Presenting & corresponding author

Melissa A. Renfrow, University of Idaho, renfrow@uidaho.edu

Additional author

Dr. Kattlyn Wolf, Professor, Department of Agricultural Education, Leadership and Communication, University of Idaho

Additional Information

Acknowledgements

This Idaho Sustainable Agriculture Initiative for Dairy project is supported by USDA-NIFA SAS award #2020-69012-31.

 

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2025. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth. Boise, ID. April 7-11, 2025. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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Interactive Nutrient Management Decision-Making Exercise Curricula

preview of map in progress
The curricula contains a map where participants keep track of their progress visually as they work through the different activities.

An educational curricula was pilot tested in 2020 by Extension professionals in Nebraska and Minnesota. It utilizes a table-top sized map game board, six pre-planned scenarios, and interactive planning by small groups to select preferred manure application sites. The original curricula addresses:

    • How far will I need to travel to manage manure nitrogen? Phosphorus?
    • Which fields benefit the most agronomically from manure?
    • How far can I afford to travel?
    • Which fields benefit most from manure’s soil health benefits?
    • What water quality risks are connected with individual fields?
    • How can I use a weather forecast to minimize neighbor’s odor risks?

These activities often lead to lots of peer-to-peer teaching. For example, we have witnessed discussions about minimizing compaction and planning to minimize impacts on community infrastructure and neighbors. As participants work through these discussions, they add visual reminders (i.e. happy and sad face emojis) to the map to weigh the benefits and concerns connected to individual fields.

Over the course of the last several years, the curricula has been expanded. There are now additional activities on the following topics:

    • Crediting nitrogen from all sources to choose a nitrogen rate
    • Determining value of commercial fertilizer nutrients
    • Determining manure availability
    • Observing setbacks and stockpiling manure
    • Reading soil and manure samples
    • Soil health practices for early career farmers and educators (developed by the Soil Health Nexus)

Resources are Available for Adapting to Your State

The curricula includes:

preview of factsheets and worksheets
Fact sheets complement many of the activity’s main worksheets, helping the participants make their decision.
    • Scenarios
    • worksheets for each of the activities, and
    • a facilitator guide to help set up the scenario.

You may download electronic copies of all resources, adapt to your state, and begin sharing a highly interactive and peer-to-peer educational experience.

Downloadable Resources

Thank you for your interest in the curricula. Please fill out the following form to access the files:

Contacts

Leslie Johnson, Amy Schmidt, Christina Curell and Rick Koelsch (retired) 

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Online Bioenergy Training for Extension Educators

Waste to Worth: Spreading science and solutions logoWaste to Worth home | More proceedings….

Purpose

The online Bioenergy Training Center provides educational training resources for Extension educators focused not only on the technical feasibility of bioenergy generation, but also on approaches and processes that assist communities in understanding the comprehensive implications of bio-based alternative energy. The intended outcome of the courses is to bring viable bioenergy projects into communities by providing Extension educators with tools and knowledge they can use to make this happen.

What Did We Do?

Developed three peer-reviewed, research-based online modular courses. Content was developed by experts from across the North Central Region. Included in one of the modules is a bioenergy and renewable energy community assessment toolkit.
Screen shot of the front page of the Bioenergy Training web site.

What Have We Learned?

The curriculum went live on the web in February 2013. We have not received any feedback on it to date. However, based on the reviews of individuals who used the bioenergy and renewable energy community assessment toolkit in 2012, it does a very good job of helping developers and communities objectively assess renewable energy projects.

Future Plans

Use the curriculum as a foundation for distance learning courses targeting other audiences.

Authors

M. Charles Gould, Extension Educator, Michigan State University, gouldm@msu.edu

Over 50 individuals participated in some aspect of curriculum development.

Additional Information

The Bioenergy Training Center web site is being revamped. It will be posted here at a later date.

Acknowledgements

Curriculum materials and training programs of ‘The Bioenergy Training Center’ were made possible through a grant from the National Water Resources Program, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. NIFA/USDA Agreement No. WISN-2007-03790. Project Title: “Energy Independence, Bioenergy Generation and Environmental Sustainability: The Role of a 21st Century Engaged University”.

The authors are solely responsible for the content of these proceedings. The technical information does not necessarily reflect the official position of the sponsoring agencies or institutions represented by planning committee members, and inclusion and distribution herein does not constitute an endorsement of views expressed by the same. Printed materials included herein are not refereed publications. Citations should appear as follows. EXAMPLE: Authors. 2013. Title of presentation. Waste to Worth: Spreading Science and Solutions. Denver, CO. April 1-5, 2013. URL of this page. Accessed on: today’s date.

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