Animal Manure Management

Livestock production plays an important role in rural and urban economies worldwide and is a significant source of protein in humans’ diet. However, the growth of the livestock sector can have negative impacts on our natural resources; fresh water consumption, water quality deterioration due to manure nutrient losses to surface water, greenhouse gas emissions, and competition for human-edible grains are all possible consequences of food animal production. To address some of these environmental impacts of livestock production, the sector has been working hard to improve livestock productivity, feed-use efficiency of animals, crop productivity and efficiency of resource utilization in the field, and expanding the sourcing of feeds.

The misconception about manure being just a waste and harmful biproduct of the cattle and livestock industry is still a big concern. A group of researchers and extension educators have joined efforts with farmers across Nebraska to find the value of manure as a source of nutrients in crop fields in the Sandhills and reduce the environmental impacts caused by this industry. At the same time, they are trying to incorporate residues from red cedar trees that are currently threatening the Nebraskan wildlife and ecosystems due to its rapid expansion.

Animal manures can be a “valuable asset” or a “pain in the assets”. Understanding the agriculture community's perceptions of manure's benefits and barriers is important to recycling manure nutrients efficienty. A survey of 957 individuals from the U.S. and Canada is helping us understand the next steps to encouraging manure's use as a valuable asset.

For cattle producers who rely on wells in pastures and rangelands as a water source for their cattle, much time is spent checking water to make sure that windmills and submersible wells are delivering the water cattle need. These water checks are often made daily or every other day to ensure water is available. When problems occur with a water source cattle depend on, time is limited to get the problem fixed, haul water or move the cattle to another location where water is. Timeliness of knowing there is a problem with a well or a tank that stores water is essential to being able to correct the problem quickly and avoid the detrimental impacts of cattle being without water.

High rainfalls can leave holding ponds or manure storage full and operators looking for irrigation options for applying animal manure during the growing season. This article discusses important considerations for application of open lot holding pond effluent and diluted manures during the growing season without damaging the crop.

Extending the window for manure application offers many possible advantages. One can reduce some of the labor and equipment challenges associated with busy spring application windows as well as deliver nutrients to the crop more closely timed to the crop’s nutrient’s needs. Glen Arnold, Extension Specialist at Ohio State University recently met with a Nebraska audience to share field experiences in Ohio to side-dress manure into growing corn.

Difficult challenges in the dairy industry such as those resulting from COVID-19 result in times when a market is not available for milk. When those occur, using milk as a crop fertilizer may provide a short-term option for gaining some value from milk. This article will answer several questions about using milk as a fertilizer.

One benefit of increasing soil organic matter is to store more water in your soil. Why does this happen? Because soil organic matter creates pores in a range of sizes. Exactly how much more water is stored due to soil organic matter will depend on soil texture, though. Animal manures are one option for increasing soil organic matter and soil health.

Managing manure for economic and environmental benefit is based, in part, upon our ability to efficiently recycle manure nitrogen (N) between animals and crops. This article introduces University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) proposed changes in recommendations for crediting manure nitrogen in a crop’s fertility program.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has released a new feature article on the manure industry in Nebraska. In the article, which is part one of a two-part series, the author highlights the fact that manure is nature's recycling program.

Calling all crop producers who are considering using poultry manure…and rural citizens who want to learn more about poultry manure management!

Is manure a “Waste” that pollutes our water resources and creates undesirable nuisances for communities? Or, is manure a “Resource” that reduces the demand inorganic fertilizers and improves the health of our soils? A team of university educators and agricultural organizations would like to learn more about the issues most important to you as you make decisions for the use of manure in cropping systems.

Many Nebraska farmers are experienced with using beef feedlot and swine manures as fertility products. Over the next few years, Nebraska crop farmers may have opportunities to consider using broiler poultry litter as a soil amendment and fertilizer. Other regions of the US have a history of using poultry litter in crop production from which we can take away a few lessons.

Algal blooms may occur in bodies of water with excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. These algal blooms are detrimental to fish populations, other animal populations, and possibly human health.

If you raise livestock or poultry, you know it is in your best interest to keep your animals as healthy as possible. Healthy animals grow better. They also produce higher quality products, like meat, milk and eggs, and produce them with greater efficiency when they are healthy. So, along with keeping animals well fed and watered, comfortable, and safe, it is important to keep them healthy by minimizing their exposure to disease-causing organisms.

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may seem like extra work that can hurt business, but in reality best management practices for reducing GHG emissions can be economical. These practices may also have other benefits such as reducing unpleasant odors. There are two main areas where producers can reduce significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Best management practices to increase production efficiency and reduce methane produced from cattle digestion of feed can be used alongside manure management techniques.

While the North American Manure Expo may not reach bucket level status for your vacation plans, for anyone replacing or upgrading equipment for managing manure, it is the place to be. One emerging theme common at this year’s Manure Expo was “Precision Manure”. This article will share a few observations around my conversations with vendors and manure applicators on “Precision Manure”.

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the amount of manure regulations in Nebraska? Or anywhere? This article simplifies basic manure regulations. Manure rules can be hard to remember, but always remember your Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy representative is a great resource. Don’t be afraid to call them if you have questions. And, as always, the UNL manure team is here to help if called upon.

Manure storage and its application on crop land may contribute a form of environmental contamination: antimicrobial resistant bacteria. These bacteria in manure are perceived to cause diseases in humans through environmental contamination. However, a recent study in University of Nebraska-Lincoln feedlots near Mead, Nebraska concluded that long-term manure storage as static stockpiles has the advantage of inactivating antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and it has potential to reduce antimicrobial resistance genes.