**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED AS A METHOD TO REDUCE DEPENDENCY ON AGRICULTURAL INPUTS AND INCREASE PROFITABILITY OF SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMS. PROCESSING MEDICAL HEMP FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION USES MOSTLY DRIED FLORAL MATERIAL AND DISREGARDS THE REST OF THE PLANT AS WASTE ACCUMULATING TO 600 POUNDS PER ACRE. USING HEMP WASTE AS MULCH FOR HEMP PLANTS AND SUBSTRATE TO GROW GOURMET STROPHARIA MUSHROOMS WOULD ALLOW SMALLHOLDER FARMERS TO RESTORE FERTILITY DIRECTLY WHILE GENERATING AN ADDED SOURCE OF INCOME. THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO BUILD AN INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT APPROACH THAT PROVIDES ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RETURNS TO FARMERS BY IMPROVING SOIL HEALTH, INCREASING PLANT PRODUCTIVITY, AND BUILDING SOILS SUPPRESSIVE TO DISEASE. THE OBJECTIVES ARE FOUR-FOLD: 1) QUANTIFY MEDICAL HEMP WASTE STREAMS, 2) EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MUSHROOMS TO REDUCE OR REPLACE EXTERNAL SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER INPUTS, 3) ASSESS THE IMPACT ON PLANT DISEASE AND YIELD, AND 4) PERFORM A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS TO ASSESS FEASIBILITY. WE PLAN TO COMPARE THREE ORGANICS RECYCLING TECHNIQUES (I.E., MUSHROOM COMPANIONS, MICROBIAL DIGESTION, RAW WASTE MULCH) WITH A SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER CONTROL AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AND YEARS. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE PROPOSED WORK WILL OFFER NOVEL SOLUTIONS FOR ON-FARM ORGANICS RECYCLING AND ADDRESS TWO USDA STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS: 4) FACILITATE RURAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND 5) STRENGTHEN THE STEWARDSHIP OF PRIVATE LANDS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH. THE PROPOSED STUDY IS PROOF-OF-CONCEPT FOR FUTURE STUDIES THAT WOULD BE A FIRST OF THEIR KIND TO FORMULATE FARM-SPECIFIC WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS USING MUSHROOM COMPANIONS.