Scoular donates $500,000 to CAFE project

University of Idaho news release

TWIN FALLS – Scoular has announced a $500,000 donation to help fund the nation’s largest research dairy center, a sustainability initiative led by the University of Idaho.

“Scoular is proud of our long history of partnering with the dairy industry as well as our commitment to ag innovation and sustainability,” said Scoular CEO Paul Maass. “We are delighted to invest with the University of Idaho and others in this one-of-a-kind opportunity to develop the next generation of dairies.”

Scoular, headquartered in Nebraska, provides agricultural supply chain solutions worldwide and offers custom dairy feed solutions throughout its network.

“Scoular is honored to support the University of Idaho and our valuable dairy customers in this region,” Maass said.

The $45 million university initiative is called Idaho CAFE, or the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. It includes a 2,000-cow research dairy and 640-acre demonstration farm in Rupert, which includes a commodity building that will recognize Scoular’s name in honor of the donation.

The initiative includes a public outreach and education center in Jerome and collaborative food science efforts developed with the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.

“The beauty of Idaho CAFE is the linkage between the research dairy and agronomic production, which makes us a unique facility in the U.S.,” said U of I College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Michael Parrella. “Scoular’s generous investment in this project helps to strengthen that connection and demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of this cutting-edge research.”

Scoular has had a presence in Idaho for almost 25 years. It operates an office in Twin Falls, and a dairy feed blending facility in Jerome, along with grain elevators in southeast and eastern Idaho.

The company recently built a facility in Jerome that manufactures a unique sustainable barley protein concentrate for pet food and aquafeed. The company last year launched a program in Idaho to expand barley as a sustainable rotation crop.

Construction of the research dairy is slated to be completed in 2023, with milking operations beginning in 2024.