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Manure Science Review to cover swath of Ohio subjects

 

 

By SUSAN MYKRANTZ

Ohio Correspondent

 

STERLING, Ohio — When manure happens, it can either be a valuable resource – or a person can be up the creek without a paddle.

The key to successfully using livestock manure on a farming operation is managing how and when it is applied to fields. This is just one topic to be covered during the 2014 Manure Science Review on Aug. 14, at Rupp Vue Farm located at 14636 Seville Road in Sterling. Beginning with coffee and doughnuts, the event runs from 8:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Mary Wicks said the Manure Science Review began in 2001 as an educational program to provide science-based management information to livestock farmers and the agency personnel who work with them. Wicks is with Ohio State University’s Ohio Composting and Manure Management program.

She said the purpose of the Review is to address two manure-related concerns: economic and environmental impacts. The event will emphasize the value of manure nutrients and using them in ways that maximize that value, as well as handling and application of manure practices that protect water quality.

"Farmers are great stewards of our natural resources. Manure is an excellent product for improving soil quality and increasing crop yields, when handled correctly," said Glen Arnold, an associate professor and field specialist in Manure Nutrient Management Systems with OSU extension, Hancock County.

"As new manure application equipment becomes available, manure application methods change and farmers can better utilize the nutrients in manure. The Manure Science Review is a great place to learn this cutting-edge information. We don’t have to apply manure to wheat stubble or after fall harvest, like the previous generation of livestock producers did.

"Any farmer interested in learning about new research into manure application practices should plan to attend."

Wicks added the Review offers farmers a unique opportunity to learn from the experts, including other farmers, through presentations and demonstrations.

"The planning committee looks for topics that focus on practical, real-world solutions for handling and utilizing manure that is both economically feasible and environmentally sound," she explained. "The window for land-applying manure is small, because of weather constraints and timing with growing crops. As a result, the need for manure storage capacity can increase, which is a significant cost."

Speakers will address these issues by looking at options including sidedressing on growing plants; the effectiveness of setbacks to prevent manure nutrient runoff when the ground is frozen; and solutions from other farmers.

Another issue is odor, especially during application, which can be reduced by injecting the manure below the surface. Demonstrations will include different tool bars for injecting liquid manure, as well as a prototype from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for injecting dry poultry litter.

Leading off the sessions will be a presentation by Mike Rupp of Rupp Vue Farm. He will discuss how his host farm handles nutrient management practices and challenges. He will present the inside scoop on the farm’s current practices for manure handling and application as well as silage leachate management.

"Nutrient Variability of Liquid Manure in Storage," presented by Mark Fritz, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), will look at how manure nutrients change with depth and agitation – and what does this mean for application practices?

Greg LaBarge of OSU will share results from field tests revealing the effectiveness of using setbacks to reduce nutrient runoff during his presentation, "Winter Runoff: Do Setbacks Work?" Doug Billman, also of OSU, will give producers techniques to determine the value of nutrients in manure during his presentation on the "Economic Value of Manure."

The morning session will conclude with a panel of area farmers. Rupp, Scott Stoller of Sterling and Greg Steffen of Kidron, along with panel moderators Mark Duncan, Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District nutrient management specialist, and Wicks, will share ideas for long-term plans and short-term solutions for planning and managing manure storage.

Wicks said the discussion will cover the need to plan for storing manure, how to deal with a wet spring or fall and accommodate longer-term storage, how manure storage has affected the farmers’ expansion plans, the farmers’ views on adequate storage capacity and the farmers’ nutrient management plans and how closely those are followed. "Most livestock farmers know they need some form of manure storage for the general health of their livestock and to provide a degree of fertility for their crops," said Duncan. "But they also have lots of methods, designs, requirements, laws, and soil and water impacts to consider."

He said manure storage’s effects go beyond the farm, as good practices can prevent nutrient runoff from manure into water. Experts say excessive nutrient runoff from fertilizer and manure is a cause of the harmful algal blooms plaguing Lake Erie and other lakes and streams. (Lake Erie will have a significant harmful algal bloom this summer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but it will be far smaller than 2011’s record-setter.)

The afternoon sessions begin with a presentation titled "Growing the Application Window" by Arnold, on the results of research using manure to sidedress corn to increase crop yield and extend manure storage capacity, followed by a presentation on the subsurface band application of poultry litter (see related article).

The Manure Science Review is a joint effort of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, ODA, ARS, Natural Resources Conservation Service, ODNR’s Division of Soil and Water Resources, Ohio Federation of SWCDs and Cooper Farms.

The full-day MSR program qualifies for continuing education credits. The cost is $25 for registrations before Aug. 6 and $30 after (includes continental breakfast and lunch), and may be mailed to: Mary Wicks, OARDC/OSU, 1680 Madison Ave. Wooster, OH 44691. Make checks payable to: OARDC/OSU.

For more details on credits and presentations, call 330-202-3533.

7/30/2014