Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

NCCC-09, MWPS: Research and Extension Educational Materials 2015 Annual Meeting May 19-20, 2015 May 19, 2015 Elings Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA Attendees: K. Janni (MN), K. Hellevang (ND), K. Walker (MWPS), L. Pepple (IL), M. Hayes (IL), E. Cortus (SD), L. Jacobson (MN), T. Scherer (ND), J. Harmon (IA), J. Zulovich (MO), R. Stowell (NE), K. Erb (WI), J. Ni (IN), Z. Lui (KS), P. Murphy (KS) NCCC-09 Leadership Team includes: K. Janni – Chair; R. Larson – Vice Chair (unable to attend); A. Schmidt – Secretary (unable to attend) and K. Hellevang – Past Chair Welcome (Janni) • Reviewed NCCC-09 Objectives (formal and informal) • Discussed meeting objectives Committee Activity and Introductions (Janni) • Kevin Janni led the group through an activity to identify areas of expertise, current work and plans for applied research and Extension work in the next year. NCCC-09 White Paper – Status of Extension Engineering in the North Central Region (NCR) (Hellevang) • Ken Hellevang distributed the latest draft white paper on the status of Extension engineering in the NCR and led a discussion. He is still looking for more examples of unmet needs. Numerous concerns and issues were raised including: o Could lose 2/3 of irrigation engineers in the next five years in the NCR o There is very little grain drying and handling expertise in the NCR o There is very little structural engineering capacity in the NCR o Extension field specialists (especially remotely located positions) are hard to fill, and in some cases, underpaid o Huge need for younger workforce in agriculture in general (feedback from DC) o High turnover at NRCS in coming years based on informal Minnkota survey • National Needs Fellowships were used in the 1980s to fund graduate training for least 10 engineering positions • The Whiter paper had been presented to ANR Program Directors in the NCR on April 20, 2015. Some numbers were questioned because they are not official human resource numbers. • The NCCC-09 Executive Committee will ask members to clarify their state’s numbers. It was suggested that we: o Identify the number of people on hard funding versus soft funding. o What were numbers from 20 years ago? o Identify people in retirement categories ex. < 5 yrs, < 10 yrs, > 10 yrs • It was noted to that the “Other” category was relatively high in the results presented • Ken presented information on the North Dakota survey on importance of and need for engineering by topic • Several ideas for developing and find future Extension engineers were discussed o Extension engineering internships o UNL Extension has created a pool of graduate student assistantships for Extension o Can Master-Apprentice concepts or Post Doc concept be adapted? Administrative Advisor Update from John Lawrence • NIMMS reporting system undergoing makeover – may be ready in September • Kudos to the NCCC-09 for submission and formatting of reports • Coordination and organization seems to be going well; new members • Break out groups could participate with remote technology (and bring in additional expertise) • Past experience suggests some face-to-face still necessary • Struggle to produce publications – might take a proposal to the directors to initiate any movement • NIFA – tends toward movement of money from formula funds to competitive grants Four Topic Group created in 2014 were given a chance to give reports • Water Group is considering proposal to NCWRN for a MWPS publication • Grain Group is making progress to revise MWPS-13. Reviewing draft this summer • Manure Group has been holding monthly calls, which have been critical to their efforts. They expect a draft of MWPS-18 S4 this fall. • Facilities group has struggled. Individual efforts have let to progress on a carbon footprint project between NE and SD and some heat stress initiatives Attendee Priorities and Goals were shared to help people identify others with common interests and efforts. The Topic Groups met for roughly 90 minutes May 20, 2015 NCCC-09 Business meeting was called to order by K. Janni, NCCC-09 Chair • Minutes from 2014 were reviewed and approved. • Erin Cortus was nominated and elected as Secretary • The annual report was discussed. A Word document using existing format will be sent by Schmidt this summer. NCCC-09 members will be asked to update the information and report on Extension and Applied Research Activities between Oct 1 2014 to September 30, 2015). Multistate collaborations are strongly encouraged. For each provide: o Accomplishments include a brief couple of sentences describing the activity o Outcomes, if reported, were added to the accomplishments paragraph. o Impacts of activities • Suggestions for annual meeting next year. Similar timing is expected and Iowa is probably the location. A tour of Syngenta by Bill Koenig is a potential idea from last year. • Recruitment of new NCCC-09 members was discussed. The website membership was reviewed. Extension engineers not on list will be contacted and invited to join NCCC-09; • Suggestions for the next Quarterly call as solicited. Topic suggestions included: Pit foaming and avian influenza. Dr. Lingying Zhao is scheduled for the fall call to talk about her USDA project. • Members were reminded to invite others to listen in on topic presentations USDA NIFA Update – Brad Rein • Brad Rein connected to the meeting via Zoom. He provided an update on USDA budget update noting that they had the highest increase of any science industry in federal government. They are starting to fill vacant positions and will be looking for an Agricultural engineer. They will be looking for someone in a Bioenergy/bioproducts position. He reported a Concern about lack of irrigation engineers voiced by Department Chairs. Department chairs need to develop a proposal. They might participate in the Water for Agriculture grant opportunity. • Funding opportunities o Foundational programs o CARE program- good for programs close to producers. Due early June. Must be critical to producer committee Kathy Walker provided an update on MWPS. Topics included • Structures and Environment Handbook MWPS-1 – some sections are outdated. Suggest including a disclaimer with book similar to disclaimers included with other books already. Can be reprinted in sections to meet course needs • Kathy is developing a MWPS Identity – Banner and responsive design for website, facebook page, pinterest • MWPS-13 in production. Goal is printed books by end of 2015 • Downloads have increased international sales. Shipping costs have sometimes been restrictive. • NRAES-1; NRAES 200, 201 and 85 have been discontinued • Corrals for handling beef cattle (CAN-723) Quit purchasing due to shipping costs • MWPS budget is still tight and program still has deficit to repay. • Assistance requested to spread the word. Flyers available. • Universities have several copies on hand, and inventory could be checked before any reprints Ken Hellevang reviewed some White Paper Summary comments and suggestions for next version including information on: • Engineer versus non-engineers • Soft versus hard funded positions • Years to retirement • Void in engineering pool available to fill positions • Specific skills for an extension engineer • Options to increase pool of viable candidates • Candidates need to be willing to learn application • Ideas improve status of Extension engineering • Inform undergrads of career opportunities (i.e. in 101 class, senior design projects that include an extension component) • Develop a national staffing plan (topic and regional coverage) • Facilitating multistate positions or programs; or coordinating teams among states; critical mass in a region • Summer internship positions The Manure and Facilities Topic Groups met for roughly 90 minutes. Upon return the provide brief reports on goals and activities for the next year. • Manure Group o They will continue composing MWPS 18-4, Manure Treatment and Utilization o They want drafts of sections by end of summer and plan to go through a review process in Fall of 2015. Questions about editor and graphic charges were discussed o Continue with monthly calls o They have no current plans to update MWPS 18-1,2,3 • Facilities Group o Rick Stowell will work on materials on confined cow-calf facilities with Pat Murphy o Rick Stowell will continue work on an environmental footprint calculator for swine facilities with Erin Cortus. o Rick Stowell and Curt Gooch are planning a meeting on dairy heat stress in June to coordinate plans o Joe Zulovich will provide leadership on updating swine ventilation rates. o Kevin Janni will coordinate communications related to avian influenza Jay Harmon led a tour of Sukup and Elings Halls. Thanks to Erin Cortus for taking meeting notes. NCCC-09, MWPS: Research and Extension Educational Materials North Central Region Extension Educator Interests and Activities This is a summary of the responses from NCCC-09 members attending the 2015 Annual Meeting in Elings Hall on the ISU campus. Attendees were asked to answer the following questions. 1. List 2 to 5 engineering areas of expertise you have: 2. List 2 to 5 current key Extension or research activities or programs you have worked on in the past year: 3. List 1 to 3 Extension or applied research needs you would like to or will work on in the next year: 4. List emerging engineering needs or issues that might become very important in the next few (ex. 3 to 5) years: 5. List critical MWPS publication needs (Revisions or new publications needed): Daniel Anderson (IA) 1. Nutrient management, Manure treatment 2. Manure application certification, AMPAT, Odor control 3. Biosecurity, Swine manure odor control, Anaerobic digester operation, Manure injection into cover crops, Manure nutrients vs. crop needs 4. Odor control, Accurate manure application at low rates, Sludge removal from deep pits, Anaerobic digestion technology / operation, Non-farm companies working with farmers. Kennth Hellevang (ND) 1. Grain drying & storage, Structures – energy, environment, mold, flooding, Energy – renewable & bioindustry 2. Grain drying & storage, BioIndustry Summit, Solar workshop & consultations, Flood education 3. MWPS Grain handbook –MWPS-13, Moisture measurement, Safety & entrapment, Energy Efficiency in grain drying 4. Grain quality, Identity preservation, Lack of structures expertise in NCR Jiqin Ni (IN) 1. Air quality, Anaerobic digestion, Manure management 2. Anaerobic digestion workshops in IN, Biogas recovery from lagoon water, Runoff and leaching impact after digestate applications, Characteristics of digerster influents and effluents 3. Post treatment of digester effluent, Manure calculation method & tool, Manure survey, North American Manure Expo, Effects of manure and manure treatment on soil-water-air. 4. P removal from digestate or P recovery, Anaerobic digestion for small farms Ziefei Liu (KS) 1. Air quality, Manure management 2. Using UV/TiO2 (Ultra violet and Titanium Oxide) technology to mitigate livestock emissions, Effectiveness of vegetative environmental buffers to reduce air emissions from livestock farms, Meta-analysis of air emissions from swine and cattle operations 3. Indoor air quality, Characterizing and modeling of smoke emissions from pasture burning in Flinthills, KS, Anaerobic digestion of animal manure, Biofilter. 4. Guidelines for establishing vegetative environmental buffer for livestock facilities, Anaerobic digestion and co-digestion. Morgan Hayes (IL) 1. Livestock environment 2. Heat stress / thermal comfort, Ventilation, Alternative beef housing 3. Ventilation, Manure & cover crops, Water intake & use, Heat stress & thermal comfort 4. Resource concerns regarding water, energy and others, Biosecurity, Alternative housing Laure Pepple (IL) 1. Manure management, Livestock ventilation 2. Manure management training (Certified Livestock Managers Training, Custom Applicator Training, Technical Service Provider Training, Online Training Development), Pit foaming research, Deep bed back design, WHC of manure bedding mix 3. Deep bed pack characterization research, Mortality composting outreach, Website and outreach platforms, Water use, Pit foaming 4. Heat stress for animals, Ventilation design recommendations, Implementing best management practices for cover crops, nutrient stabilizers, odor, land application, Variable rate technology for manure application, Water use & need recommendataions for animals. Erin Cortus (SD) 1. Nutrient management, Process-based modeling, Air emissions 2. Air quality monitoring & modeling of beef cattle facilities, Odor modeling for livestock siting, Information transfer among manure nutrient management professionals, Energy use and heat stress in dairies. 3. Odor management plans, Air quality monitoring of beef cattle facilities, Carbon footprinting, Information transfer among manure nutrient management professionals 4. Alternative livestock housing. Disease transmission prevention, Manure treatment. Tom Scherer (ND) 1. Subsurface drainage design, Irrigation water management, Onsite wastewater systems, Household water supply 2. Subsurface drainage design workshops, Irrigation workshops, Design of drainage lift stations for farm fields 3. Design of drainage lift stations, Water quality of drainage water, Uniformity of water application under pivots 4. Treatment of subsurface drainage water, Sub-irrigation systems Larry Jacobson (MN) 1. Structures, Farmstead design, New animal housing designs. 2. Ventilation design and management, Energy use & conservation in animal agriculture, Animal cooling technologies. , Odor control management, Manure storage & collection, 3. Manure management, Odor measurement & control , Manure pit foaming. 4. Bioaerosol measurement, control and reductions, Biosecurity building designs. Joe Zulovich (MO) 1. Livestock ventilation design & trouble shooting, Manure system design, Site selection, Water systems, Structural design, Grain storage systems 2. Ventilation & moisture control, Manure applications systems, Mortality management, Structural systems, Temporary grain storage, Water supply development. 3. Livestock building energy use (ventilation), Post frame design tool 4. Water supply development, Water recycle & reuse, Livestock building design with respect to animal welfare, Antibiotic free livestock & poultry production Jay Harmon (IA) 1. Ventilation of animal facilities, Structural design, Facility layout & design 2. AMPAT – Air Management Practices Assessment Tool, Ventilation workshops, Piglet transport, Energy conservation, H2S hazard measurement 3. Air scrubber, Impact of environmental stressors on pigs, H2S. 4. Safety of workers (H2S, CH4, CO), Animal welfare, Filtering barns & biosecurity Kevin Erb (WI) 1. Impact of ag equipment on rural roads, Connections with manure hauling industry 2. Conservation professional training program, North America Manure Expo, Custom applicator equipment including boats and semis. 3. Protocol for safe manure agitation with boats without damaging liner, Variable tire pressure impact on soils and roads 4. Re-imaging manure, Manure as solid, Biosecurity for mass mortalities without burning or incineration, Manure piping, Catching up with manure application industry Rick Stowell (NE) 1. Animal environment well-being, Manure handling, Ventilation, Farmstead planning, Air quality 2. Climate impact on animal agriculture, Biofilters, Digesters, Odor & siting 3. Heat stress in cattle & shade structures, Dairy facilities, Confined cow-calf, Environmental footprints for livestock production 4. Energy utilization, Animal production with synthetic inputs Kevin Janni (MN) 1. Air quality, Ventilation, Odor, Biofilters, Milkhouse wastewater, Tube systems 2. Dairy calf barn ventilation, Dairy cooling, Heat stress 3. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, Calf ventilation, Dairy cooling, Biosecurity 4. Large poultry operation planning to enhance biosecurity, Critical MWPS Publication needs: • Livestock handbooks are dated • Manure treatment & management • Mechanical ventilation • Grain

Significant Efforts and Outcomes Members of NCCC-09 continue to participate in numerous collaborative efforts within the region. Current projects by NCCC-09 active work teams cover the topic areas of manure management, grain drying and energy efficiency, soil and water, and animal agriculture and facilities. Teams of NCCC-09 participants contributing to each of the projects in these topic areas met regularly over the past year and continue to meet monthly by conference call to work on developing extension materials that are applicable throughout the region, increasing collaboration and productivity, strengthening unified messages, and reducing the resource demand on extension personnel. Specific collaborations within the NCCC-09 group include the endeavors described in the following pages. NCCC-09 Quarterly Conference Calls NCCC-09 successfully continued to hold quarterly teleconferences. During each teleconference, speakers were invited to present research and extension programs that were recently completed, produced significant outcomes, or were timely to recent events. Each presentation provided an opportunity for discussion among participants and was recorded and archived for later viewing. Quarterly conference calls were also used to provide updates on development and revisions of Midwest Plan Service materials and ideas for additional collaborative activities. Outcomes: The following presentations were made during the year. Topics were selected based on interest and requests of committee members. • Energy Use and Conservation in Swine Facilities – Larry Jacobson, University of Minnesota • Social Media and Extension: A Perfect Fit! – Cheryl Griffith, University of Nebraska – Lincoln • Social Media and Extension: Tools & Tips – Jeff Reisdorfer, University of Minnesota • Engineering Experiences and Challenges from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza – Hongwei Xin, Iowa State University; Kevin Janni, University of Minnesota; Joe Zulovich, University of Missouri; Shafi Rahman, North Dakota State University Engineering Expertise in the North Central Region Clientele in the region have expressed concern about their ability to access extension engineers for educational and technical assistance on production agriculture topics. This has led to extension engineering faculty concerns about staffing levels in the North Central Region, which affects our ability to conduct applied research and deliver relevant information to clientele. In an effort to determine where additional engineering-related expertise may be needed in the region to satisfy clientele needs, members of the committee undertook a project to identify current engineering expertise throughout the North Central Region. A survey was distributed to NCCC-09 members to identify individuals in each participating state who currently provide engineering expertise and to identify full time equivalents (FTEs) provided for each subject area. A white paper summarizing the results of the survey was developed and presented to North Central Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Leaders during their April meeting. Outcomes: Survey results identified a number of concerns and issues for the NCR. Specific issues include the potential to lose two-thirds of the current irrigation engineering expertise in the next five years; inadequate expertise/capacity for addressing grain drying/handling and structural engineering; lack of competitive salary and suitable candidates for extension field specialist positions; significant need for development of agricultural work force; and high turnover rate expected at NRCS in coming years. Grain Drying and Storage Farmers and extension staff in other states sought technical assistance from the NDSU Extension Service. A number of NC-213 member from various land-grant universities are working together to update MWPS-13 Handbook entitled “Grain Drying, Handling and Storage Handbook”, second edition, 1987. The lead is Sam McNeill from the University of Kentucky. Others engaged are Kennett Hellevang (NDSU), Dirk Maier (ISU), Carol Jones (OSU), Klein Ileleji (Purdue) and Kingsly Ambrose (Purdue). A grant from NC-213 was awarded to aid in this effort. Outcomes: A grain drying and storage educational program was conducted that included seminars or webinars; news releases and articles that were used across the region by extension staff, grain equipment manufacturers and dealers across the country, grower/farmer organizations (commodity groups); and telephone and e-mail consultations. A webinar was conducted for Nebraska Extension staff and technical assistance was provided to staff and farmers in Nebraska. Presentations on “Energy Efficiency Features of Grain Dryers and Drying Methods” and “Conducting a Grain Dryer Energy Audit or Evaluation” were developed and placed on the Internet for use by staff across the country. (Available at: http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/graindrying/publications-grain-drying-and-storage) Extensive media work and distribution of articles aided the educational effort. Farm Journal, USDA Radio, Manitoba Agriculture, Successful Farming, and Grain Journal. Alternative Grain Storage Options was published in the National Corn & Soybean Digest. Articles are distributed to neighboring state Extension staff, grain commodity groups, grain equipment manufacturers and distributors, North Central Region Extension Engineering staff, national grain industry staff and grain industry media. Presentations in other states done in cooperation with their extension service included: • Handling High Moisture Corn – Nebraska Extension • Grain Storage Management – MonDak Ag Days, Sidney, MT • Post Harvest Considerations for Malt Barley – 2015 Empire State Producers Expo, Syracuse, NY • Drying Small Grains and Storage Management – West Winfield, NY • Drying and Storing Wheat and Malting Barley – Soybean/Small Grain Congress, Batavia, NY • Drying and Storing Small Grains – Small Grains Congress, Waterloo, NY • Post-harvest considerations for Small Grains – Regional Hudson Valley Value-Added Grain Systems School, Leeds, NY • Successfully Drying and Storing Sunflowers and Grain Drying, Storage and Handling – Crop Connect Conference, Winnipeg, MAN • New Aspects of Grain Drying and Storage – Western Precision Agriculture Conference, Sioux Falls, SD Minnkota Builders Conference Minnesota and South Dakota organized the 2015 meeting of the Minnkota Builders and Equipment Association in Sioux Falls, SD. Outcomes: The meeting provided consultants, builders, and equipment suppliers with current information about pathogen reduction, fire safety issues, change in swine finishing weights, calf housing ventilation, manure pit foaming research and outreach efforts, and dairy barn energy use, and a preview of beef confinement housing system research. Finally, a discussion on “Where will the next generation of building and livestock equipment professionals come from?” was conducted. Survey results were shared with the NCCC-09 for incorporation in the Engineering Expertise document. Ventilation of Swine Production Housing Extension engineers and animal scientists in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska continue to deliver workshops for barn managers and pig caretakers to address the need for improved understanding and management of mechanical ventilation systems in swine buildings. This year engineers from Missouri helped present a workshop in Missouri. A mobile ventilation laboratory was used to demonstrate mechanical ventilation principles, fan interactions, inlet behaviors and controller performance. Funds for the mobile lab were provided by the pork producer organizations in the four states. With recently published heat and moisture production rates for all phases of swine production, there is an opportunity to develop updated ventilation rate recommendations. For this project, state universities in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri have created a collaborative team to address the need for updated recommendations. Outcomes: Iowa conducted 13 workshops for 213 producers who stated that they finish a total of 24 million pigs annually. Biofilter Research Specialists from SD and MO are collaborating with a SD producer to incorporate and study biofilters for pit exhaust fans, considering two types of small-scale biofilter, variable material depths and biofilter media. More information regarding the biofilter media mixture, surface area, media depth, and pressure drop is being collected in the laboratory and at the farm. Outcomes: None to report yet Climate Change A national project team including Nebraska, Washington, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Minnesota is collaborating on a NIFA AFRI-funded Extension project addressing Animal Agriculture in a Changing Climate (AACC). The AACC project is building extension capacity in this topic area through provision of educational resources via the eXtension Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center (LPELC) and professional development offered via regional programs. Minnesota and Texas lead efforts in the Midwest and Southwest, respectively, and have involved several NCCC-09 members from Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri and Kansas in the Midwest or Southwest working groups. Outcomes: Over 220 individuals have enrolled in the online course developed by this project. The AACC team organized five climate-focused sessions at the Second Waste-to-Worth Conference, April 2015, in Seattle, WA, which was attended by approximately 250 people. Other significant project events include delivering three climate sessions at the 2014 and 2015 annual meetings of the National Association of County Agricultural Ag Agents (Mobile, AL, July 2014, 120 participants and Sioux Falls, SD, July 2015, 130 participants); a daylong Cattle & Climate Workshop (Stillwater, OK, Nov. 2014, 90 participants); the Midwest Farm Energy Conference (Morris, MN, June 2015, 50 participants); and the Dairy Environmental Systems & Climate Adaptation Conference (Ithaca, NY, July 2015, 120 participants). A fact sheet titled “The Role of Extension in Communicating Contentious Issues” was developed in follow-up to extension agent comments received at the Fall 2014 Cattle & Climate Workshop in Stillwater, OK. The fact sheet “Advanced Application Techniques – Making the Most of Your Manure Responsibly” received a Blue Ribbon award in the medium publications category at the 2015 ASABE conference in New Orleans, LA. Sustainable Dairy A national project team including Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania among other states is collaborating on a funded (CAP) project addressing dairy sustainability. This project team is also coordinating with others from the climate change team described above. The objective of the extension component of this project is to increase available educational materials and provide useful producer tools to increase sustainable practices within the dairy industry. Outcomes: The extension has held two conferences to date and will hold four additional regional conferences and field days in each state over the next 2.5 years. Tools and educational materials are being developed to promote sustainability including integrating nutrient management and emissions information for field scale practices, developing a virtual farm for the Great Lakes Region to compare sustainable management strategies and provide information necessary for adoption, economic tools, and other useful extension information. Materials will be provided in a number of outlet mechanisms including eXtension webpages under the LPELC area of practice and www.sustainabledairy.org. Pig Production Environmental Footprint Faculty from Nebraska, South Dakota, and Arkansas are collaborating on a pilot project to utilize the National Pork Board (NPB)-funded Pig Production Environmental Footprint Calculator on swine operations in western Corn Belt states as an extension effort of a larger integrated NIFA-AFRI project. The objectives are to identify glitches in the tool and identify potential revisions to make the tool more user-friendly, get baseline information on resource utilization on Midwest swine farms, assess opportunities to improve resource efficiency and swine farm profitability, and gather producer feedback on the tool. Outcomes: Five swine farms in Nebraska and six in South Dakota were identified as cooperators for this project. Students working on the project have completed and continue to conduct interviews with the cooperating producers via telephone, e-mail and face-to-face meetings to gather relevant farm data necessary to run the calculator. After running the calculator for an operation, team members report and discuss calculator outputs, work with cooperators to identify potential practice changes to reduce carbon emissions, water usage, and energy usage, and gather feedback from cooperators on the functionality and relevance of the calculator to their operation. Upon completion of all farm analyses, data will be aggregated to define regional carbon, water, and energy footprints for swine production systems. Educational outputs thus far include one-page information sheets titled, “What is a Carbon Footprint?”, “What is a Water Footprint?”, and “What is an Energy Footprint?”. Additional planned outputs include educational programs that will improve producer knowledge of these resource concerns; enable producers and the industry to recognize activities and practices that are the greatest contributors to a farm’s overall carbon emissions, water usage, and energy usage; and encourage producers to implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources. National Air Quality Site-Assessment Tool (NAQSAT) NAQSAT is a free and confidential online tool that animal feeding operators and managers can use to assess the impact of common animal feeding operation practices and alternatives on emissions from their operation. Faculty from Colorado, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota contributed to the revision of NAQSAT in 2014. Outcomes: NAQSAT was approved as a ‘standard tool’ by USDA NRCS in 2015. This is anticipated to enhance utilization of the tool by NRCS staff as they work with producers on environmental assessment plans. A training session was delivered at the 2015 Waste-to-Worth Conference. As a complimentary activity, Iowa State University revised the Air Management Practices Assessment Tool (AMPAT), which directs producers to possible practices to address the issues that NAQSAT raises as needing attention. Flood Preparation and Recovery North Dakota and Missouri finished a NIFA Special Needs grant that provided funding for a National Extension Disaster Education Network project that compiled technical resources for both EDEN and eXtension related to preparation and recovery from flooding. Having peer reviewed science and research based resources compiled in subject matter groups will save Extension educators a great deal of time as they prepare for providing education following a flood. The project also clarified roles for extension staff during the phases of a flood and recovery. Outcomes: An extensive list was compiled of almost 500 resources cataloged by categories with resource descriptions. This was developed by surveying state Extension, FEMA and other flooding resources websites. The resources have been provided to the EDEN webmaster and distributed to the EDEN Flooding NEIL. The Extension Disaster Education Network Flooding Leadership Team met for a face-to-face meeting and developed a document that identifies the role of extension during the phases of a flood and recovery, including the roles for various extension staff such as administrators or county educators. This has been shared on the EDEN website and with the EDEN Flooding NEIL. The following articles were compiled, authored, and posted to eXtension. • 3 Things You Should Know About Flooding • 3 Tips for Buying Flood Insurance • 4 Places to Find Flood Forecast Maps • 5 Priorities When Returning to a Flooded Home • 7 Ways to Use Social Media Before, During, and After Floods • Disaster Related Smartphone Apps • Understanding Phases of a Flood • FAQs About Flooded Gardens • How To Prepare For Disaster Short videos were created on preparing to evacuate your home when flooding is imminent. Topics are: Preparing your liquid propane tank; Turn off electrical power; Turn off natural gas; Preparing a fuel oil tank indoors. The videos are housed on the North Dakota State University Flooding website and the eXtension website. Drainage Research Forum University of Minnesota and Iowa State University Extension have collaborated for 15 years in conducting an annual Drainage Research Forum. South Dakota State Extension joined the collaboration in 2011. The host institution rotates annually. Outcomes: The annual event is typically attended by 100 state agency and university affiliates, conservation staff, and agricultural professionals. The event is a forum where current work is presented and ideas for new projects are cultivated. Extension Drainage Design and Water Management Workshops An annual series of four two-day workshops were conducted by the University of Minnesota Extension, North Dakota State University Extension, and South Dakota State University Extension on designing and installing field tile. A collaborative effort was undertaken between the NRCS and Extension specialists to conduct Drainage Water Management Level II training for NRCS personnel in the 12 Midwest states. Outcomes: A total of 180 farmers, industry people and government agency personnel were trained in the basics of tile drainage design. Led by South Dakota Extension, a multi-state training grant by Extension specialists in eight states and the NRCS funded the Drainage Water Management Level II training program. The project resulted in the development of eight online training modules, each about one hour in length, to present the various aspects of DWM was Phase I. These modules are online at: http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/dwm-module-2-1. Phase II consisted of onsite training sessions held in locations where the NRCS employees could drive to in a few hours. Energy Education and Outreach Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota have contributed to various renewable energy and farm energy conservation extension programs underway in the Midwest. Members from WI, IA and MN participate as ex-offico members on the board of directors of the Midwest Rural Energy Council (MREC), which holds an annual educational conference. South Dakota and Minnesota collaborated to deliver a series of four workshops on farms in both states on the topic of heat stress and energy use on dairies. Change in knowledge as a result of the workshop was assessed through a post-workshop survey that 46% of the 101 workshop contacts (including producers, equipment suppliers and industry consultants) completed. A planning guide factsheet was also developed. Outcomes: On a scale of 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent), the average level of understanding for the topics of temperature-humidity index, behavioral signs of heat stress, production impacts of heat stress, principles of air distribution, fan performance and evaporative cooling methods increased from approximately 2.4 to 3.4 as a result of the South Dakota-Minnesota workshops. Through open-ended survey questions and discussion with participants, knowledge gaps and outreach needs were identified in the areas of ventilation staging for mechanically-ventilated facilities and effectiveness of isolated cooling methods (i.e. in specific locations such as the holding barn). Iowa continues to develop material on energy usage benchmarks for crop drying, fieldwork and swine production. Contributing NCCC-09 members have produced fact sheets, webinars, You Tube videos, and other web content related to grain drying and storage for corn, barley, and sunflowers; swine housing and manure digestion. One of the upcoming quarterly NCCC-09 conference calls (Sept 2014) will focus on energy Extension programming. Agricultural Safety and Health Indiana (Purdue University)’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program addresses three core areas – agricultural workplace safety and health, rural emergency preparedness, and rehabilitation services for farmers with disabilities. Each core area is involved in multi-disciplinary activities and multi-state collaborations. Training on grain storage and handling safety has been conducted in eight states and over 65 instructors from 11 states have been trained. Purdue is host to the National AgrAbility Project currently serving 20 funded states and several unfunded affiliated projects. The projects hosts a national website (www.agrability.org), a toll-free access line, 1-800-825-4264, and conducts regional and national workshops. Outcomes: The 2015 National AgrAbility Training Workshop was conducted in Rochester, NY with approximately 230 participants from over 25 states. Regional workshops that address the needs of migrant and seasonal farm workers and Veterans with disabilities have been held in Pittsburg, PA, Rochester, NY, Lafayette, IN, Ft. Collins, CO, Yuma, AZ, and Knoxville, TN. Nearly 200 rehabilitation professionals and rural educators attended these in-service training events. Manure Pit Foaming Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska continue collaborating on research to combat excessive foaming in swine deep manure pits. These states have seen an increase in foaming on manure pits, with foam sometimes causing flash fires in buildings. Studies are being conducted to determine foaming causes, develop safe management strategies to control pit foaming, and identify long-term solutions to this dangerous issue. Outcomes: A team of university and industry personnel representing a broad spectrum of experience and capabilities are addressing the problem. Extension articles and safety information are being conveyed across the region to help address short-term concerns. Beef Finisher Housing and Manure Management Specifications Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota are continuing collaborative work to develop planning specifications for bedded-pack beef barns. Bedded-pack barns (solid manure) are presently sized based upon manure production and storage figures for liquid manure systems. As a result, many regulation-driven designs are oversized and inefficient. For this project, state universities and agencies will work together to collect field data and experiences to improve the beef unit planning procedures. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are initiating a project to evaluate land application of bedded and non-bedded solid beef cattle manure for corn production in the three states. South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are collaborating on a related project to evaluate environmental parameters in deep pit cattle finishing barns. Measurements will be collected from producer barns from 2015 to 2018. Outcomes: Federal funding allows for continued research into the environmental conditions in and around confined beef cattle facilities, facilities which are continuing to grow in number in the Northern Great Plains. State universities and agencies will work together to collect field data and experiences to improve the beef unit planning procedures. MWPS publication, MWPS-16: The House Handbook, has been newly implemented into undergraduate coursework at the University of Illinois for TSM 371 Residential Housing. North American Manure EXPO [AR, MO, IN, OH, OK, PA, & WI] Pennsylvania State University chaired the 2015 North American Manure Expo, July 14-15, 2015. The theme of the Expo held in Chambersburg, PA was “Professionalism in Nutrient Management”. Missouri and Indiana continue to stay active with the North American Manure Expo. Both states are serving the Expo Committee and participated in the 2015 Expo at Pennsylvania, which had attendees of 1200-1400 people. The next Manure Expo (2016) will be held at Ohio, which will be co-chaired by Ohio and Indiana. Outcomes: The Expo continues to bring the practical management, equipment, and new research findings regarding manure nutrient management together and present to various audiences. The technical field tours, demonstrations, and classroom sessions provide opportunities for Extension educatinr to present the materials to a large audience. The 2015 two-day event brought together over 90 vendors with Extension and research personnel from various states, including several represented by NCCC-09, and Canada to offer short classes and demonstrations relating to nutrient management and environmental protection. The Puck PCE Pump School was offered on the day prior to the Expo. The first day of the Expo featured tours of Mercer Vu Dairy, Slate Ridge Dairy, Burk-Lea Dairy, Wilson College, and Kiskaddon Beef Farm, followed by a New Product Showcase, Digested Organics Seminar, and Bazooka Farmstar Seminar that evening. Day two of the Expo featured seminars on topics including Commercial Manure Haulers, Manure and Corn, Poultry Focus, Equine Focus, Management Basics, Dairy Focus, Agricultural Road Safety, Responsible Ag, Gas Safety, PA One Stop Mapping, and Regulation Changes. Demonstrations on day two included solid manure spreaders, liquid manure spreaders, compost turners, manure calibrations, and a live action spill response. Horse Manure Composting A project in South Dakota provided an opportunity for undergraduate engineering students to research and design a prototype of a composting implement for use by an individual managing two horses or small herd sizes of other livestock. Outcomes: A prototype was developed and tested. Students are addressing issues identified during testing. Students learned how to use published ASABE standards in the design process, and how to incorporate operator and environmental safety into their design considerations. They also increased team collaboration and project management skills. Livestock Mortality Composting Illinois and Michigan are collaborating to plan and deliver a large animal non-emergency carcass composting workshop with assistance from Michigan State and Illinois State University. The workshop will include both presentations and hands-on demonstrations with an on-farm active mortality composting site. Nebraska Extension has been collaborating with Nebraska NRCS to demonstrate large animal mortality composting and will expand the project to include a second demonstration site in Fall 2015. Outcomes: Attendees of the Non-emergency Mortality Composting Workshop will become more familiar with how to manage a bin style mortality composter. Based on responses to the currently planned workshop effort may be made to expand workshop and offer in other areas. Attendees of the Large Animal Mortality Composting field days in Nebraska learned how to construct and manage large animal mortality composters through formal presentations, panel discussion, and demonstration of a compost pile being turned and a carcass being added to the pile. Technical Service Provider (TSP) Training Illinois is coordinating the second year of TSP training for developing comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMP) for livestock producers. TSPs work with livestock producers and typically write several nutrient management plans each year. Outcomes: In addition to Illinois TSPs, this course was recently approved by the National Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide training to all TSPs who need certification. Erosion Control Research and Training Center The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at the University of Illinois has teamed with state and federal organizations to develop a facility that will provide research and training opportunities in erosion and sediment control and storm-water management. The Erosion Control Research and Training Center was originally created under a research project administered by the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT), with in-kind contributions from the Illinois Land Improvement Contractor’s Association (ILICA). ICT is an innovative partnership between the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the University of Illinois. ICT administers IDOT’s contract research program, which is funded using IDOT’s federal State Planning and Research funds. Rabin Bhattarai and Prasanta Kalita, agricultural engineers with ABE, were co-investigators for the project, along with Niels Svendsen and Heidi Howard of the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) of the Army Corps of Engineers. The team has received continued funding from IDOT for additional studies. Outcomes: Trainees have learned improved techniques and materials for erosion control on and around highway construction projects. Pathways Project The project titled “Mapping the Pathways for Effective Information Dissemination and Education between Manure Nutrient Management Agriculture Professionals” is a collaborative endeavor with both a national and North Central Region focus. The project goal is to establish documented and effective pathways for information dissemination and usage among manure nutrient management professionals. The national project team disseminated a national survey to collect data on the functions, information sources, dissemination methods and barriers for information exchange by research institutions, private industry, government, education, regulatory, technical service providers, and producers, garnering nearly 1000 responses. South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri garnered funding through the North Central Region Water Network for initial survey analysis focused on North Central Region states, which is on-going and will be completed in 2015. Outcomes: Various interest groups in the regulatory, commodity/producer associations, and university sectors assisted in survey dissemination and participation. Project information and interim results were presented and discussed at the 2015 Waste to Worth Conference in Seattle, WA. Final survey results have not yet been compiled. I-29 Dairy Outreach Consortium Extension educators from Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota collaborated to present one-day workshops focused on Raising Your Best Calf Ever. Outcomes: Four workshops were held with one in each participating state. Over 90 people attended the workshops. Attendees learned about automatic calf feeders, positive pressure tube system, milk replacers, heifer diets and calf health. Certified Livestock Manager (CLM) Training Illinois state-mandated CLM training programming continues to serve an audience of about 1,000 producers and consultants over the three-year training cycle. The main training curriculum for the CLM program is the LPES National Curriculum, originally published by MWPS. Outcomes: The training serves approximately 1,000 livestock producers and consultants over a three-year cycle, providing information that helps them to better manage their livestock operations and nutrient management activities. Land Applicators Training This state-mandated training for individuals responsible for manure management activities on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Nebraska provides attendees with relevant information to make decisions about management of nutrients produced by their livestock operations. The training is conducted annually during January and February at multiple locations statewide. Outcomes: The training serves approximately 100 livestock producers and consultants annually who report being responsible for the management of nearly 5 million head of cattle and nearly 2 million head of swine in Nebraska. The percentage of attendees receiving initial certifications (53%) is slightly greater than those receiving re-certification hours (47%). The training provides information that helps these individuals better manage their livestock operations and nutrient management activities. Creating an Enduring U.S. Dairy Production Industry This is the title and focus for the 30th ADSA Discovery Conference on Food Animal Agriculture. Kansas State University and University of Missouri are leading the development of the “Innovation in Animal Facilities” topic for this conference. The objective of this effort is to try envisioning what dairy facilities may look like in the year 2050 and identify what outside forces will impact the design of dairy facilities in the future. This conference will be held Nov 2-5, 2015 in Itasca, IL. More information is available at: http://www.adsa.org/Meetings/DiscoverConferences/30thDiscoverConference.aspx. Outcomes: This effort brings the engineering issues and design process to the discussion of sustainable dairy production to all the other dairy related disciplines on a national stage. The different production, societal and economical goals must be balanced when the detailed facility design process begins. The hope is the other disciplines will gain an appreciation of the tradeoffs that need to be evaluated when designing a new facility in the US. Large Dairy Herd Management Book A third edition of the Large Dairy Herd Management book is currently under development. This third edition is targeted to be a reference for innovative producers, dairy consultants and college students in advanced dairy production courses. The geographic scope for this third edition is projected to be a worldwide rather than just North America like the second edition. For the “Physical Facilities and Environment” section, an NCCC-009 member from University of Missouri is serving as the section editor and an NCCC-009 member from Kansas State University is serving as the coeditor. Chapter topics/titles and chapter authors are to be determined by the end of Sept 2015 with all drafts due in March 2016. A conference is scheduled for May 2016 to present material in all chapters. Final publication is expected in mid-2017. Outcomes: This new revision will likely serve as a transition reference between all disciplines supporting dairy production and engineering. One outcome from this new book revision may be that it provides increased demand for engineering-focused MWPS publications addressing dairy production topics. MWPS Manure Summit Members throughout the Midwest region coordinated to provide programming on new and innovative manure and farmstead by-products processing and treatment in Green Bay, WI. This was a 2.5 day conference which included numerous presenters from the region and an anaerobic digester operator training. Outcomes: The “Manure Group” within the NCCC-09 committee continues to work on Over 200 producers, industry, and government personnel attended the conference to improve their understanding of manure systems in order to increase operation efficiencies, reduce environmental impacts, and decrease costs. MWPS Publications NCCC-09 members coordinate the review and revision of existing Midwest Plan Service (MWPS) publications and the writing of new materials. Outcomes: The “Manure Group” within the NCCC-09 committee continues to work on a new publication about manure handling and application practices to compliment the MWPS-18 series. Existing MWPS publications warranting revisions were prioritized at the annual meeting and select new publications were identified for development.

NCCC-09 Publications NCCC-09 members led efforts to outline and begin developing one new product for publication in the coming year by MWPS. This and other publications from the 2014-15 reporting year include: • Manure Processing and Utilization (MWPS 18-4 1st Edition), In development, R. Larson, E. Cortus, A. Schmidt, D. Anderson, T. Lim, K. Erb, S. Rahmen, Z. Liu, and J. Ni. • Carroll, H., Cortus, E. L., Erickson, T., Janni, K., & Salfer, J. Dairy heat stress management and energy use planning guide. South Dakota State University Extension • Schuster, N.R., L.M. Durso, J.E. Gilley, S.L. Bartelt-Hunt, X. Li, D.B. Marx, A.M. Schmidt, D.D. Snow. 2015. Runoff nutrient and microbial transport following swine slurry application. Trans of ASABE. In Review. • Schmidt, A.M., J.D. Loy, S. Vitosh, C. Kelling, J.G. Wheeler. 2015. PEDV survivability in swine mortality compost piles. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Managing Animal Mortality Products, By Products, and Associated Health Risk: Connecting Research, Regulations and Response. Lancaster, PA. September 28 – October 1, 2015. • Schmidt, A.M., J.D. Loy, S. Vitosh, J.G. Wheeler, C. Kelling. 2015. Determination of thermal death time for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Managing Animal Mortality Products, By Products, and Associated Health Risk: Connecting Research, Regulations and Response. Lancaster, PA. September 28 – October 1, 2015. • Liu, Z. 2015. How much gas does a beef or dairy cattle produce? Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF3185 • Liu, Z. 2015. Anaerobic digestion of livestock manure: feasibility and factors to consider. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF3184 • Liu, Z. 2015. Carbon footprint of livestock production. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF3180 • Liu, Z. 2015. Health guidelines for smoke from vegetation fires. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF3179 • Liu, Z., et al. 2015. Technologies for odor and air emission control in swine production facilities. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF2918 • Liu, Z., et al. 2015. Understanding air quality concerns of prescribed range burning in Kansas. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. MF3121 • Energy Efficient Grain Drying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jpD-nCyRAT4 • Grain Dryer Energy Audit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zJQCmFj1Kiw • Preparing to evacuate your home when flooding is imminent, including: – Preparing your liquid propane tank – Turn off electrical power – Turn off natural gas – Turn off the water – Preparing a fuel oil tank indoors