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Full-Text Articles in Plant Sciences
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 1, John Sweeten, Ron Miner, Carrie Tengman
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 1, John Sweeten, Ron Miner, Carrie Tengman
Manure Matters (newsletter)
A Brief History and Background of the EPA CAFO Rule
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules affecting animal feeding operations (AFOs) have evolved from the 1972 Federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Section 502 of the CWA specifically defined “feedlots” as “point sources” along with dozens of other industries such as meat processing and fertilizer manufacturing. The goal of the 1972 CWA was to restore “fishable, swimmable” quality of lakes, streams, and estuaries in the United States.
A federal permit program termed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was created for point sources that discharged into “waters of the United …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 2, John Sweeten, Ron Miner, Brent Auvermann
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 2, John Sweeten, Ron Miner, Brent Auvermann
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Alternative Treatment Systems
The February 13, 2003 Federal Register revised the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) “Part 412-Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Point Source Category,” which described the revised Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The regulation applies to manure, litter, and/or process wastewater discharges resulting from CAFOs. Subpart C addresses dairy cows and cattle other than veal calves, which includes dairy operations and beef cattle feedlots. Subpart D addresses swine, poultry, and veal calves. Baseline ELGs in the revised rule prohibit discharge of process waste waters except when rainfall events …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 3
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 3
Manure Matters (newsletter)
New BSE Rule Will Change Re-Feeding of Poultry Litter to Ruminants
The Food and Drug Administration announced on January 26, 2004 several new public health measures, to be implemented, to strengthen significantly the multiple existing firewalls that protect Americans from exposure to the agent thought to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease) and that help prevent the spread of BSE in U.S. cattle. One of those changes will impact how re-feeding of waste to animals is allowed.
To implement these new protections, FDA will publish two interim final rules that will take effect immediately upon …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 8, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 8, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters (newsletter)
The Value of Manure for Crop Production
Manure has value for crop production when it provides nutrients or soil amendments needed for optimal crop yields. Crop producers can in many cases justify paying animal feeding operations to apply manure to their land. A recent extension publication “Calculating the Value of Manure for Crop Production
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 4, Mike Brumm, Al Prosch, Rod Johnson
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 4, Mike Brumm, Al Prosch, Rod Johnson
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Rural Development Through Pork Production: The Nebraska Model
Nebraska’s producers of pork are striving to create systems of production that are environmentally, economically & socially acceptable.
This is no small challenge. While attempting to comply with environmental rules, producers are faced with the rules changing as they implement adoption. Social acceptance varies with locale but is generally less positive than in the past. And, Fewer operations have livestock and fewer people in the rural population rely on livestock for their livelihoods—which makes any livestock production operation less acceptable.
The issues facing all agricultural producers today are more complex and difficult …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 5, Christopher G. Henry, Jeff Arnold
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 5, Christopher G. Henry, Jeff Arnold
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Land Area Available in Cuming County to Expand Livestock Operations based on Zoning Setback Requirement
A GIS was used to study the spatial impact that 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, and 1 mile setbacks have on the area available to the livestock industry in Cuming County, Nebraska. A geographic information system was used to analyze the amount of land available under the current zoning requirements in Cuming county, Nebraska. The colored area of these maps represent the land areas that are excluded from livestock construction or expansion. These maps graphically represent the impact zoning setbacks have on the actual available land …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 6, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 6, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Phosphorous Runoff Risk During Years following Manure Application
Manure application may result in increased water infiltration and reduced runoff but it can also lead to excessive soil P levels and increased P concentration in runoff. Research was conducted to determine the residual effects of composted manure on runoff loss of water, sediment and phosphorus, and to evaluate soil P tests in prediction of P concentration in runoff. The residual effects of previously applied composted feedlot manure were studied from 2001 to the spring of 2004 at a runoff facility established in 1998 at the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center. …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 7, Bahman Eghball
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 7, Bahman Eghball
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Reducing Phosphorus Concentration of Ethanol Distiller Byproducts by Using Low Grain Phosphorus Corn
Ethanol production plants are using about 800 million bu of corn each year to produce ethanol. In the ethanol production system, the starch is converted to ethanol and CO2 and the remaining grain material is called distiller byproduct (wet distiller grain plus soluble or dry distiller grain plus soluble). This byproduct is high in energy, protein, and P contents and is usually fed to feedlot cattle and other livestock. Removal of starch from grain concentrates P in the byproduct and when this high P material is added …
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 9, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters, Volume 10, Number 9, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters (newsletter)
New Manure Use Planning Tools for Nebraska
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 3, Mike Fitzgerald
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 3, Mike Fitzgerald
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Two Key Livestock bills Before NE Legislature
State senators have advanced LB 210 to Select File on a 39-1 vote. The proposed legislation would exempt certain farm and ranch laborers from the Worker Compensation Act. Generally, employers of farm and ranch laborers would be exempt from providing workers’ compensation coverage if their employees are related to the employer and if the total number of employees not related to the employer does not exceed five. In the event an agricultural employer employs six or more unrelated, full-time employees the employer may still be exempt so long as less than 40% of …
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 1, Richard K. Koelsch, Wendy Powers
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 1, Richard K. Koelsch, Wendy Powers
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Integrating Animal Feeding Decisions into CNMP Processes: Part 1
Environmental planning in animal production systems often requires an estimate of nutrient excretion. Standard values published by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (SCS 1992), American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE 1999), and MidWest Plan Service (MWPS 2000) commonly have been used for this purpose. However, these current procedures do not reflect the impact of producers' animal dietary decisions on nutrient excretion. The increasing variety of feed ingredient options, changes in nutritional programs to match improving genetic potential, and feeding strategies designed to reduce nutrient excretion are influencing the amount of …
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 2, Richard K. Koelsch, Wendy Powers
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 2, Richard K. Koelsch, Wendy Powers
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Integrating Animal Feeding Decisions into CNMP Processes: Part 2
This is part 2 of a two part series, part one was discussed in Volume 9, Number 1.
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 4, Richard K. Koelsch
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 4, Richard K. Koelsch
Manure Matters (newsletter)
New EPA Rules Targeting Livestock and Poultry Industry Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972 to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters." Among its core provisions, it prohibits the discharge of pollutants from a point source to waters of the United States except as authorized by an NPDES permit. EPA's regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) under the CWA dates to the 1970s. EPA established effluent guidelines for feedlots in 1974 based on the best available technology that was economically achievable for the industry. CAFO regulations issued in 1976 determined …
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 5, Bahman Eghball, Christopher Bauer, Charles A. Shapiro
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 5, Bahman Eghball, Christopher Bauer, Charles A. Shapiro
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Reducing Spatial Variability of Soil Carbon and Phosphorus by Site-Specific Manure Application
Spatial variability can significantly influence crop performance across a field. Manure, a renewable resource, is an excellent source of nutrients that can be substituted for synthetic types of fertilizers. The carbon (C) and nutrients in manure can enhance the physical and chemical properties of soils, especially infertile soils, hence reducing soil spatial variability. Organic C constitute about 58% of organic matter in the soil (%OM = %OC x 1.724). Manure application not only provides nutrients for crops but also improves soil quality since the organic matter in manure …
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 6, Ron Sheffield, Juli Paschold
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 6, Ron Sheffield, Juli Paschold
Manure Matters (newsletter)
The New CAFO Rules: What is Required in a Nutrient Management Plan?
As a part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Final Rule, all CAFO owners are required to apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Part of the process includes developing and implementing a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP). At a minimum, an NMP must include Best Management Practices (BMPs) and, for large CAFOs, procedures necessary to achieve effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs).
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 8, Laura Hillenbrand
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 8, Laura Hillenbrand
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Excerpt from Seabiscuit
The halcyon days at the Tijuana track came to a spectacular end. On the backstretch early each morning men guided teams of horses on circuits of the barns, shoveling the mucked-out manure into wagons and driving the teams up the hill behind the backstretch, where they would dump it. The pile had been accumulating since 1917, and because the city received little rain to wash it down, it was enormous. “Oh my gosh.” Remembered trainer Jimmy Jones. “ It was as big as the grandstand.” Inside its depths, the manure fermented, generating scalding heat.
To the locals, …
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 7, Christopher G. Henry
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 7, Christopher G. Henry
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Land Application Setback and Buffer Requirements for NPDES Permitted Large CAFOs
Large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) owners/operators are required to implement setbacks, buffers, or an alternative conservation practice on all fields to which manure is applied. This newsletter discusses the federal rules and some guidance on how the rule may be applied to land application sites. The setbacks and buffer requirements apply to large CAFOs only. Most states are authorized to implement the CAFO program and may have additional, more stringent requirements. Check with your state permitting authority to determine the requirements that apply to your operation.
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 9, Christopher G. Henry, Mike Reynolds
Manure Matters, Volume 9, Number 9, Christopher G. Henry, Mike Reynolds
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Low Water Stream Crossings for Cattle (LWSC)
Livestock access to streams, specifically, cattle access to streams in pastures has become of concern in the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). There is very little information available to planners on the contribution of nitrogen, ammonia, phosphorus, and human health-related microorganisms to stream segments from rangeland cattle. A common modeling solution in the development of TMDLs is to exclude livestock from streams in order to reduce nutrient loads. Although this approach seems simplistic, it is problematic for owners and managers of rangeland livestock.
Many producers are now choosing to supply water …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 1, Bahman Eghball, John Gilley
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 1, Bahman Eghball, John Gilley
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Phosphorus Risk Assessment Index Evaluation Using Runoff Measurements
Published by University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s Livestock Environmental Issues Committee. Manure and composted manure are valuable and renewable resources that can be effectively utilized for crop production and soil improvement. However, runoff from cropland areas receiving manure or compost may contribute to increased phosphorus (P) in streams and lakes. The main factors controlling P movement in surface runoff are transport (runoff and erosion) and source factors such as manure or fertilizer application method and rate, and soil P test level. Elevated soil P levels may result from application of manure at …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 2, Christopher G. Henry, Dennis D. Schulte
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 2, Christopher G. Henry, Dennis D. Schulte
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Assessing Odor Risk
Odors from animal production operations are a major concern in rural communities. Pressure from the public and the potential impact on the rural economy has caused strong emotional conflicts. Currently livestock producers and urban planning officials have few tools to objectively evaluate scientifically based setbacks between livestock operations and residential areas. Conversely, livestock producers have few tools available to them to demonstrate how odor control technologies can reduce the risk potential of odor incidents.
Recognizing this concern in Minnesota, the Minnesota Legislature provided funds to their University to develop a tool to help predict offsite odor movement …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 3, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 3, Charles S. Wortmann
Manure Matters (newsletter)
How much can you pay to have manure applied to your land?
Livestock feeders often need more land for manure application to avoid excessive buildup of soil phosphorus. In some cases, they request payment to reduce transport costs. When is manure a good buy for crop production?
Manure supplies the full complement of nutrients needed by crops and often helps to improve soil biological and physical properties such as the rate of water infiltration. Because of these soil improvements, crop yield is often more with manure application than with fertilizers.
One way of estimating the value of manure is to …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 4, Michael Brumm, Charles A. Shapiro, William Kranz
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 4, Michael Brumm, Charles A. Shapiro, William Kranz
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Nitrate contamination of groundwater was first detected in Holt County, Nebraska in the mid- 1960’s. From 1976 to 1990, nitrate-N concentrations increased in 90 percent of the wells sampled by the Natural Resource Districts (NRD) in the county. As a consequence of the concerns associated with this increase, the Holt County Manure Management Education Project was funded by an EPA-319 grant with cooperation among UNL Cooperative Extension, UNL Conservation and Survey Division, USDA-NRCS, the Lower Niobrara NRD, and the Upper Elkhorn NRD. The goal of the project was to educate producers on cropping and manure best management practices to protect …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 8, Richard R. Stowell, Christopher G. Henry
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 8, Richard R. Stowell, Christopher G. Henry
Manure Matters (newsletter)
The Economic Potential of Methane Recovery for Swine Operations: Projected Impacts of Various Public-Policy Scenarios
Economic analyses were performed on anaerobic digestion of manure from finishing operations. The main factors considered were herd size (1,000 head; 3,500 head; and 10,000 head) and method of financial support provided (cost-share program, no-interest loans, tax subsidies, and subsidized electrical sales).
Installation of a digester system is a significant investment that is currently very difficult to justify economically to Nebraska producers based upon consideration of readily quantifiable income and expenses, regardless of farm size. Swine finishing operations looking to invest in this technology would …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 6
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 6
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning
‘Tools’ for growing season nitrogen management. The pre-sidedress nitrate test, the chlorophyll meter, and the corn stalk nitrate test are three ‘tools’ that are available to farmers and their advisors to improve nitrogen management, both environmentally and economically. To help participants in the 2001 CNMP program become familiar with these tests, we helped them conduct these tests on their manured fields. Most of the manure had been applied without calibrating the spreader or testing the manure.
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 5, Charles A. Shapiro, Charles S. Wortmann, Richard Deloughery
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 5, Charles A. Shapiro, Charles S. Wortmann, Richard Deloughery
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Manure testing: what to request?
Manure testing is necessary to make optimum use of manure while protecting water resources. The Manure Sample Submission Form requests information required for reliable interpretation of the results.
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 9, Richard Deloughery, Marty Link
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 9, Richard Deloughery, Marty Link
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Interpreting Test Reports of Ground Water Monitoring Wells at Livestock Waste Control Facilities
Some livestock waste control facilities that are required to have an operating permit by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) are also required to install ground water monitoring wells adjacent to the waste control facility. Ground water monitoring requirements are decided on site-specific considerations. Generally, ground water monitoring may be required where the depth to water is shallow, sediments are sandy, the livestock facility is located in a public water supply’s Wellhead Protection Area, or any combination of these and other factors listed in Chapter 13 …
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 7, J. David Aiken
Manure Matters, Volume 8, Number 7, J. David Aiken
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Property Valuation May Be Reduced by Proximity to Livestock Operation
In Nebraska, land and buildings are valued at their fair market value for purposes of property taxation. Residential and commercial real estate is valued at 92-100% of actual value (i.e. farm market value) and agricultural real estate is valued at 74-80% of actual value. NRS 77- 5023(3). Fair market value for property tax valuation purposes may be determined by (1) comparative sales, (2) income or (3) cost. NRS 77-112. In Livingston v Jefferson County Board of Equalization, 10 Neb App 934 (2002), the Nebraska Court of Appeals ruled that …
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 1, J. P. Harner, T. D. Strahm, D. Key, T. L. Strahm, J.P. Murphy
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 1, J. P. Harner, T. D. Strahm, D. Key, T. L. Strahm, J.P. Murphy
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Time and motion (TM) studies are useful in determining labor requirement to perform a specific task in manufacturing processes. These studies have been used in the dairy industry to evaluate the labor requirements for various tasks associated with milking routine and milk parlor. Data may be used to evaluate the impact of changes or help in understanding labor requirements. The objective of this project was to determine the labor requirements for removing manure from concrete basins prior to land applications.
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 3, M. S. Davis, Terry L. Mader
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 3, M. S. Davis, Terry L. Mader
Manure Matters (newsletter)
Using Weather Stations in Nebraska Livestock Operations
Enforcement of environmental regulations placed on feedlots in Nebraska by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have lead to an increased need for accurate documentation of weather variables. In addition to the need to monitor weather conditions for compliance, an accurate representation of current weather conditions within the microclimate of the livestock operation allow for proactive responses to periods of potential environmental stress periods (i.e. heat and cold stress). Currently, most producers use manual documentation of rainfall events, local weather forecasts and some degree of intuition to monitor weather conditions. Weather station technology exists …
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 4, Raymond Ward
Manure Matters, Volume 7, Number 4, Raymond Ward
Manure Matters (newsletter)
How to Read a Manure Sample Report
Correctly sampling manure can be a challenge. Try to obtain a representative sample and get the sample to the lab as close as possible to the time when manure is going to be applied. It is preferable to obtain sample results before land application so that appropriate application rates can be determined.
Slurry samples should be taken at the time the slurry is being applied, so that you have a good mix of the manure storage. The amount of material is usually recorded in gallons per acre and once the analysis is received, …