Brandon Boyd
Civil & Environmental Engineering
My research within the ISAID grant and as a PhD student under Dr. Erin Brooks focuses on modeling water use, water quality, and land use changes within southern Idaho’s Magic Valley brought about by the growth of the dairy industry in the region. I would like my research to help land managers, policy makers, and stakeholders better understand and prepare for long-term trends in water consumption as well as identify areas within the Magic Valley that are most vulnerable to water quality impairments brought about by increased applications of manure. I also want to provide farmers with management guides detailing how manure can be used in place of commercial fertilizers. Once I have completed my degree, I hope to continue working with irrigated agricultural landscapes helping improve the management of water and fertilizers.
Looking into the future, it is clear that careful management of water
resources will become increasingly necessary due to more water users and greater variability in yearly water supplies because of climate change. Proper nutrient management is as important as water management on agricultural fields because of potential impacts to crop yields and environmental quality. After completing graduate school I would like to work closely with farmers in improving nutrient management practices on their fields, which in turn will help ensure long-term economic and environmental sustainability of farmland within irrigated regions.
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