Minnesota/Wisconsin Engineering Notes

February 2004 Postharvest and Alternative Energy Info on Web Your Farm Doesn’t Have to Smell that Bad Science-based Information on Manure Management Issues Competitive Milking? Bedded Pack Housing For Dairy Cows Livestock Ventilation Design—Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality Concerns EDEN – Extension Disaster Education Network Workshops on Food System Terrorist Threats Irrigated Acres Update New Book and Companion CD Focus on Dairy Replacements Resources Calendar

Science-Based Information on Manure Management Issues Regulatory and public scrutiny of our animal industry’s management of manure continues to increase. Having access to good science-based information with sound management recommendations is critical to implementing high stewardship standards as well as responding to the often biased claims. The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship, or LPES, curriculum, consists of 26 lessons that address achieving high environmental standards relative to the following topics: nutrient management; animal dietary strategies; manure storage and treatment; land application; and outdoor air quality. National experts on manure management issues from land-grant universities, EPA, and USDA developed the lessons specifically for the producer. This resource provides a comprehensive review with supporting recommendations for ensuring a farm’s environmental stewardship. The LPES curriculum will be most valuable to producers as a reference for answering a multitude of questions including: What is a Phosphorus Index? How is odor measured? What is the value of phytase in the diet of a monogastric animal? Are new technologies for reducing odor available? What issues should be reviewed in a manure storage inspection? This educational product provides answers, on-farm assessment tools, and optional record keeping forms for a wide range of manure management topics. The curriculum is available as a printed document or as a CD. The CD offers unique capabilities for quickly accessing information of immediate interest. By typing in a single word or simple phrase, one can quickly access all related information within the LPES product specific to a topic of interest. The CD and three ring notebook versions of the LPES curriculum can be invaluable reference tools for the producer and advisor. In addition to the original 26 lessons in the curriculum, the LPES team has recently released a series of 24 fact sheets on the Environmental Protection Agency’s new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) regulations. Each fact sheet addresses a common producer question about these regulations with a non-technical review of the regulations and recommendations for achieving compliance. Questions such as “Does my farm need an NPDES permit?” “What is the timeline for achieving compliance?” “Will I need a nutrient management plan?” and others are answered succinctly by a group of authors from the land grant universities and USDA/NRCS. The individual LPES lessons and CAFO fact sheets can be reviewed, free of charge, at the LPES website at www.lpes.org. Copies of the LPES CD and the printed document, as well as the CAFO fact sheets can be purchased from MWPS (MidWest Plan Service). For ordering information see Resources on page 7. Funded by the U.S. EPA National Agriculture Assistance Center with program oversight through the USDA, the LPES curriculum is intended to foster the voluntary achievement of environmental stewardship principles within the animal industry.

The information given in this publication is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.