Animal Manure Management

Recycling local manure nutrients before purchasing fertilizer is key to protecting the environment. Manure can be an economic “Win”, due to its fertility value, and a soil quality “Win”, due to its organic matter.  But it can also be a community risk, due to odors and pathogens. Our live educational programs, online courses, and resources provide science-based information on economically viable, environmentally sound manure handling systems that also comply with all regulations.

Thursday June 8, 2017

Abandoned swine lagoons and earthen storage basins may contain valuable nutrients

When a swine lagoon is abandoned, the owner has the choice of decommissioning the lagoon or maintaining the integrity of the lagoon. Decommissioning means dewatering the lagoon and land applying the sludge at the bottom. One cannot just fill in the hole. The process of removing the water and the sludge is time consuming and takes resources and planning to complete properly. One aspect of the process does have some cost recovery and that is utilizing the sludge in a beneficial way.
Friday May 12, 2017

Finding Win/Win Opportunities for Manure

This article is Part 1 of a two-part discussion on the value of manure. Part 2 focuses on soil quality benefits provided by manure and appeared in the March 6, 2017 CropWatch.
Tuesday November 1, 2016

Lagoon Closure Demonstration

The closure of aged livestock lagoons and earthen manure storage basins needs to be conducted in a manner that controls potential environmental risk and makes economical use of accumulated nutrients in the biosolids. This event will offer a unique opportunity to hear about and see the step-by-step process for planning and conducting a lagoon closure.
Wednesday June 22, 2016

Land Use & Management Practices to Enhance Water Quality

Training for Extension professionals, educators and technical service providers to conduct programs and course work on nutrient and manure management and land use within riparian ecosystems.

Odor Footprint Tool

The Odor Footprint Tool (OFT) estimates the frequency of annoying odor events around an existing or proposed livestock facility and uses this information to determine minimum separation distances that should be maintained around those facilities and to help in siting decisions.

Crop Planning

An annual crop nutrient management plan is needed to ensure an adequate supply of nutrients to sustain profitable crop production, and to balance nutrient inputs (including manure) with crop nutrient needs. Title 130 of the NDEQ requires that a permit application include a nutrient management plan with manure sampling and analysis procedures, soil sampling and analysis procedures, and planned land application rates, methods, and frequencies.

Mortality Composting

Mortalities are an unfortunate reality for livestock operations. Whether they’re caused by disease or natural disaster, losses of livestock do occur and these mortalities must be managed responsibly. The state of Nebraska allows for disposal of dead animals via several methods including burial, rendering, incineration, composting, and landfilling.

Manure Regulations

Livestock Waste Regulations in Nebraska are enforced by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality NDEQ). NDEQ administers both state and federal (EPA) environmental regulations. The governing regulations are called Title 130, Livestock Waste Control Regulations.

Understanding US EPA Regulations

Several federal regulations may impact animal producers and their operations including the Clean Water Act and provisions that relate to NPDES permits. The federal EPA statutes that have relevance to animal agriculture are summarized at EPA's Agricultural Law Web site.

Mortality Management

In Nebraska, routine livestock mortalities can be legally disposed of in five different ways: burial, incineration, composting, rendering, and disposal in a landfill. Regardless of which method is used, it is important to dispose of the animal or animals within 24 hours of death, or sooner if possible. When choosing a mortality disposal method, cost, labor input, and personal preferences usually dictate an individual’s decision.

Soil Biological Life

While tillage has been used to prepare a seedbed, it also destroys the existing root structures in the soil and some of the soil's biological life. Without this biological life, soil structure suffers and many of the nutrients are not as available for crop uptake.

Do I Need a Permit?

In Nebraska, an inspection by an NDEQ representative will provide the final determination of whether or not a livestock or poultry operation will need a permit.

Livestock & Poultry Expansion: Critical Issues for Discussion with Farmers and Communities

There is a growing interest in establishing new livestock and poultry facilities in Nebraska, many of which will involve contractual arrangement with supply chain partners. Our purpose is to inform Extension educators and other farm advisors on those critical issues to be considered in the planning of a new livestock/poultry facility and prepare these advisors for leading farmers successfully through this process.

Storage and Handling

Manure storage structures are key to managing manure from animal feeding operations. The three most popular containments used in Nebraska are categorized into: manure storages, anaerobic treatment lagoons, and runoff retention structures.

Evaluating Soil Health

Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Typically, soil health includes three types of soil characteristics: biological, physical, and chemical. Although sometimes used interchangeably, soil quality generally refers to soil chemical and physical properties.

Design Tools for Small AFOs

This spreadsheet design tool is used to assist the Sprinkler Vegetative Treatment System  engineer in determining the flow rate, pipeline friction losses, elevation losses, pump capacity, and required horsepower for the pump station. This tool also evaluates the water flow characteristics in the towable sprinkler  system.  Here individual nozzle performance is evaluated along with tube friction loss and water velocity.

Estimating Manure N App Rates

Manure nitrogen application rates must be estimated annually based upon the most recently available information for manure nutrient concentration (manure sample) and the estimate of crop nutrient needs. Since this information is not typically available at the time of a permit application, estimating manure nitrogen application rates as part of a permit is, at best, an educated guess made without essential information. However, the underlying principles and assumptions that will be used to estimate manure nitrogen application rates can be defined in a permit application.

Standard Drawings

Alfalfa valve profile block Deadhead standard offset Deadhead standard offset with valve Diesel pump with clutch

Nutrient Management

Water quality is affected by nutrient management when chemicals, soil, and residue move off of agricultural land or below it. This section focuses on a number of production issues that when managed correctly minimize the potential for off-site consequences because excess of the nutrients is limited or eliminated.

Odor Management

Odor emission is of great concern to the general public. An odor management plan is required in the permit application for livestock operations with more than 1,000 animal units. Producers need to understand odor emission from animal housing, manure storage and handling, and land application and available management options.