ELEVATED LEVELS OF RESISTANT BACTERIA AND RESISTANCE GENES ARE FINDING THEIR WAY INTO THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE LAND APPLICATION OF MANURE ASSOCIATED WITH ANIMAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES. PRAIRIE STRIPS ARE A NOVEL EDGE-OF-FIELD VEGETATIVE SYSTEM, ALREADY DEMONSTRATED AS A COST-EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVING WATER QUALITY IN RUNOFF FROM ROW-CROPPED AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS, WITH MINIMAL IMPACTS ON CROP PRODUCTION. OUR GOAL IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF PRAIRIE STRIPS ON MITIGATING THE SPREAD OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.1. DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRAIRIE STRIPS TO RETAIN AMR FROM MANURE AMENDED CROPLANDS;2. CHARACTERIZE AMR MITIGATION IN AN EXISTING PRAIRIE STRIP;3. CHARACTERIZE AMR FATE AND TRANSPORT IN A MODEL PRAIRIE STRIP SYSTEM TO EVALUATE AND PREDICT PERFORMANCE AND OPTIMIZE DESIGN FOR AMR MITIGATION;4. INTEGRATE EXTENSION AND OUTREACH TOOLS TO ENSURE PRAIRIE STRIPS ARE RECOGNIZED AS A POTENTIAL AMR MITIGATION STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTED FORTHIS PURPOSE.OUR EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN INCLUDES A SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF GENES IN MANURE, SOILS AND WATERS, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE ECOLOGY OF MICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENE RESERVOIRS IN A NOVEL MITIGATION STRATEGY. WE ARE DEVELOPING, EVALUATING AND IMPLEMENTING A NEW PRACTICE TO MITIGATE RESISTANCE AT THE EDGE-OF-THE-FIELD. OUR FINDINGS WILL BE SHARED THROUGH EXTENSION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS AND WILL BENEFIT THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY AND RESEARCHERS.