2024 – 2026 CALIFORNIA CARCASS COMPOST RESEARCH Funding granted by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA): $895,253 Researcher: Dr. Michael Payne, UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) CDRF receives direct and in-direct reimbursements for this project, resulting in a positive return for the foundation. CDRF was awarded this grant to conduct comprehensive emergency mortality composting research. This project will demonstrate the use of compost technology to manage both routine and catastrophic animal mortalities as both economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. The primary goal of the project is to measure what potential impacts, if any, occur to the quality of groundwater, surface water and air when appropriate compost methodologies are implemented. A secondary goal of the project is to utilize data and experiences collected during the project to develop mitigation procedures and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for poultry and livestock composting, when rendering services have been disrupted or are otherwise unavailable. A composting research consortium has been created and the project has enrolled four research sites at various locations throughout California. A variety of studies will be performed including: 1) continuous, real-time temperature, salinity, and moisture content of piles; 2) pathogen reduction during composting; 3) infiltration of nutrients and heavy metals into soil ;4) nutrient and heavy metal content of feedstock and finished compost; and 5) air quality emissions during the lifespan of the compost piles. Through this grant, project management and producer outreach will be provided by the University of California, Davis and the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP).
2026 SPLASH! MILK SCIENCE UPDATE Funding granted by the International Milk Genomics Consortium: $50,988 Researcher: Dr. Carl Whithaus, UC Davis Writing Program CDRF receives a management fee from the IMGC, resulting in a positive return.
Each year, over 20,000 new scientific articles are published and indexed with the keyword, “milk” in the major medical and agricultural databases. Given the pace of scientific progress, it is extremely difficult to keep up to date with the latest developments in milk genomics and human health. SPLASH! Milk Science Update provides a bi-monthly e-newsletter, with content mirrored on the IMGC website, to highlight emerging research trends in the scientific research literature and to translate the content of those articles for the non-expert.
CDRF 2026 Proposed Projects and Budget Request
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