Projects
New-
Clivus Multrum Compost Toilet Liquid Fertilizer, Deb Neher is PI on this project funded by Resource Institute for Low Entropy Systems. The goal is to characterize nutrients and microbiology to assess potential use on agricultural soils.
Ongoing and Current-
Bedding Strategies-
- Neher, D.A., Andrews, T.D., Weicht, T.R., Hurd, A., and Barlow, J.W. 2022. Organic farm bedded pack system microbiomes: A case study with comparisons to similar and different bedded packs. Dairy 3: 587-607. doi.org/10.3390/dairy3030042 (open access)
- Bedding strategies that promote udder health and milk quality by fostering a beneficial microbiome on organic dairy farms (9/1/18-present). Deb Neher is co-PI with John Barlow (UVM Animal and Veterinary Sciences) on this project funded by the USDA-NIFA Organic Research Education Initiative. The goals of this research project are to identify economically sustainable bedding management strategies that reduce mastitis risk and promote udder health and milk quality on organic dairy farms, and to develop best management practice recommendations addressing udder health microbiological risks and benefits of common winter housing strategies, with a focus on "bedded-pack" loose-housing systems.
- Andrews, T., Jeffrey, C., Gilker, R., Neher, D.A., and Barlow, J.W. 2021. Survey design and implementation quantifying winter housing and bedding types used on Vermont organic dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science 104 doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-19832 (open access).
Designing Compost-
- Readyhough, T., Neher, D.A., and Andrews, T. 2021. Organic amendments alter soil hydrology and belowground microbiome of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Microorganisms 9: 1561. doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9081561 (open access)
- Designing compost for disease suppression on specialty crops. This is funded by Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station Competitive Hatch, Northeastern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Farmers Advocating for Organic, and Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant programs.
- Neher, D.A., Limoges, M.A., Weicht, T.R., Sharma, M., Miller, P.D. and Donnelly, C. 2020. Bacterial community dynamics distinguish poultry compost from dairy compost and unamended soils planted with spinach. Microorganisms 8(10):1601. doi:10.3390/microorganisms8101601 (open access)
- Neher, D.A., Cutler, A.J., Weicht, T.R., Sharma, M., and Millner, P.D. 2019. Composts of poultry litter or dairy manure differentially affect survival of enteric bacteria in fields with spinach. Journal of Applied Microbiology 126:1910-1922. doi.org/10.1111/jam.14268
