2002 Annual Report
Extension and Outreach
Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship Curriculum
Larry Jacobson, Professor and Extension
Engineer
David Schmidt, Assistant Extension Engineer
Objective
The objective of this national extension program was to develop a nationally
recognized, producer-oriented, core curriculum addressing high profile
livestock environment issues.
Program Description
A national team of experts from land grant universities, the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, and the United States EPA was assembled
to develop a user-friendly, core curriculum addressing environment awareness,
design and management options, and regulatory compliance related to four
distinct topics. Those topics included 1) manure storage systems, 2) land
application and nutrient management, 3) air quality (including odor),
and 4) alternative strategies and treatment technologies. The MidWest
Plan Service (MWPS) provided development and marketing assistance on the
project. The developed curriculum was peer-reviewed and pilot tested regionally
prior to its completion. The University of Minnesota’s contribution
was in the area of air quality.
Outcomes
A total of 27 lessons were written covering animal dietary strategies,
manure storage and treatment, land application and nutrient management,
outdoor air quality, and related issues such as mortality management.
Microsoft Powerpoint® presentations were also prepared for each of
the lessons. Piloting of the lessons was done in 2001 at various sites
around the country. A series of workshops to introduce the curriculum
to stakeholders and other educators around the country began in the fall
of 2001and were completed in the spring of 2002. One of these workshops
was held in Bloomington, Minnesota in March of 2002 and was attended by
approximately 50 individuals from 5 different states from government agencies,
university extension services, and private industry.
Five lessons dealing with outdoor air quality concerns from livestock and poultry production sites were produced, with four of the five dealing with odor emissions and control from confinement animal buildings and associated manure storages. These four lessons were a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University.