Technical Abstract: The on-going trend of consolidation and intensification of animal agriculture requires a greater dependence on purchased feed. Larger livestock farms and more imported feed can result in the excretion of manure nutrients that may surpass the recycling capacity of local land, air, and water resources. In response to these new environmental threats, legislation was enacted to control manure management and gaseous emissions from concentrated animal feeding operations(CAFOs). This paper provides an overview of nutrient cycling processes on dairy farms, and describes key trans-disciplinary dairy nutrition-soil science research findings, including how dairy rations could be modified to not only satisfy the nutritional requirements of healthy, high producing cows, but also produce manure less susceptible to environmental loss. Unnecessary mineral phosphorus (P) supplements were found to be excreted entirely in manure, which increased cropland area needed for compliance with manure spreading regulations, increased soil test P levels, and P loss in runoff from soil surfaces after manure application. Feeding crude protein (CP) above recommended levels and feeding forages high in degradable CP concentrations increases the excretion of N in urine and subsequent ammonia N loss after manure land application. Ration CP and type of forage fed to dairy cows also impacts ammonia N emission and manure N availability to crops. Three main ingredients to successful trans-disciplinary dairy nutrition-soil science research are an immediate and clear need for the information, a willingness and ability of scientists and stakeholders to collaborate, and funding.