Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the NCCC-09 Committee took place online on July 15^th, 2020 from 1:30 to 3:45 pm (recorded)

• The meeting started with MWPS updates. 3 top sales in 2019-2020:
  • MWPS-13 –Grain Drying
  • MWPS-19-s1: Manure Characteristics
  • MWPS-1: Structures
• Thomson stated there is an increase in the number of programs that are integrated (research, extension, education). NIFA continues to hire in KC.
• Zifei Liu was elected to be the next secretary, which starts on October 1.
• Members discussed having quarterly calls:
  • Nov 3^rd, 2020 Tue at 1 pm (CT)
  • Feb 2^nd, 2021 Tue at 1 pm (CT)
  • May 4^th, 2021 Tue at 1 pm (CT)

Notes from state reports:

University of Missouri- Teng Lim, Joe Zulovich

• ASABE ventilation standards update
• Centralized mortality disposal initiated by Missouri Dept. of Agriculture

University of Minnesota- Erin Cortus

• A project with Rick Koelsch and others related to manure application and soil health
• National survey to outline future education needs
• Updating ventilation standards for ASABE

Purdue University- Jiqin Ni

• Grain storage, drainage, ag safety, youth education, ventilation, and structure programs
• North American Manure Expo with the University of Illinois and Michigan State University received over 1,000 attendees

Iowa State University- Daniel Andersen, Brett Ramirez, Rich Gates, Kapil Arora

• MWPS-Regional recommendations can be put together for a possible animal disease outbreak
• Grow corn with bluegrass in between rows
• 12 ventilation workshops
• COVID and disease related mass depopulation and disposal
• COVID-related egg disposal
• Improve refrigeration capacity for food pantries

University of Nebraska–Lincoln- Amy Schmidt, Richard Stowell

• Online carbon exchange tool for Pandemic and natural disasters such as heat stress, blizzards
• COVID related mortality disposal and land application of milk
• Follow-up funding for PEDv studies
• Partner with a high school program
• IAMResponsible- National outreach project
• Water reuse and nutrient recycling program, in collaboration with University of Missouri and three other Universities

The Ohio State University- Lingying Zhao

• Demonstrations of manure application
• Air emissions and ventilation in animal facilities
• Ammonia and dust control in layer operations
• Studies related to dairy production

Kansas State University- Zifei Liu, Joe Harner

• Life cycle assessment for livestock production
• Air emissions from swine facilities- changes after NAEMS project
• Non-confined feeding for calve-calf to stay out of AFO-CAFO rules

University of Wisconsin- Rebecca Larson

• Agitating pits and H₂S emissions
• COVID-related milk dumping
• Use optimization models and life cycle assessment for manure/nutrient-related issues
• Organic dairy production

North Dakota State University- Tom Scherer

• Crop prices and stress-related farm accidents
• Grain drying-Zoom webinars
• Virtual field days
• Sampling water supplies for cattle

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign- Neslihan Akdeniz

• ASF and COVID-related mass depopulation and disposal
• Update online Certified Livestock Manager Training Program

New Facilities and Equipment

• Student Innovation Center (SICTR) at Iowa State University is ready to be opened in August. It is a resource serving the university community with unique facilities and workspaces to foster innovation across all aspects of Iowa State’s land-grant mission
• ABE Building at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is going through a demolition during the 2020 summer
• A new ABE building at Purdue University has been built and will be used starting in December 2020

Unique Project-Related Findings

COVID-19 affected livestock and poultry producers in many states. Extension Engineers in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and others provided guidelines regarding land application of milk and disposal of mass mortalities. Nebraska launched a new web resource, DisasterCARE.unl.edu, to facilitate exchanges of carbon materials and other resources necessary to aid livestock farmers in disposal of carcasses due to COVID-19. Illinois also launched a similar website: https://go.illinois.edu/disposalresources . Gates (Iowa) worked with stakeholders to dispose of eggs and to improve refrigeration capacity for food pantries. Nebraska Extension produced a seven-page, multi-disciplinary guidance document titled, “Meat, Poultry & Livestock Industry COVID-19 Talking Points” for use by extension specialists and educators when answering questions about the impact of COVID-19 on the livestock and food production industries.

Accomplishment Summaries

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.

The ASABE PAFS 40 Facilities & Systems Sub-Committee revised the Standards, Design of Ventilation Systems for Livestock and Poultry (Standard number 270.6).  The team members will be working to get the revised 270 Standard information into the ASHRAE Handbook.

The ASABE NRES‐27 Agricultural Byproduct and Animal Mortality Systems Sub-Committee revised the Standards S292.6, Uniform Terminology for Agricultural Waste and By-Product Management, and was selected for a 2020 ASABE Standards Development Award.

NCCC-09 Conference Calls

NCCC-09 committee held two conference calls. On the first call (Dec 10^th, 2019, 10 am CT) we focused on some extension engineering training oppoutunities and questions someone new to this type of position might have. Tim Shepherd joined us to discuss his livestock engineering survey. The second call (May 14^th, 2020, 10 am CT) was led by Amy Schmidt and Morgan Hayes. Several undergrad and grad students shared their experience working on Extension projects. The committee discussed how we can learn from them to improve the engagement experience.

MWPS Publications

MWPS publications are used extensively in extension programs and college courses including, but not limited to:

• Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan materials are used for technical service provider training in Illinois.
• MWPS-1 and MWPS-13 are both used as textbooks for a course at the University of Nebraska.
• MWPS-18 is used as a text at the University of Minnesota and South Dakota State University
• MWPS-18-S1, S2, S3 used at South Dakota State University
• MWPS-16 is the textbook for a course at the University of Illinois.
• MWPS-66: Cow-Calf Production is used as a textbook at Iowa State University and Purdue University
• MWPS-13: Grain Drying is used at North Dakota State University
• MWPS-6: Beef Housing is used at North Dakota State University
• MWPS-7: Dairy Freestall is used at University of Wisconsin

NCCC-09 members coordinate the review and revision of existing Midwest Plan Service (MWPS) publications and the writing of new materials. MWPS was closed from March to July due to COVID-19 but starting from August orders are being processed. 

Water and Nutrient Recycling: A Decision Tool and Synergistic Innovative Technology

Lim and Zulovich (Missouri) collaborated with Stowell and Schmidt (Nebraska), and other faculty from Arkansas, Ohio, and Colorado to work on an integrated USDA-NIFA project.  The project focuses on studying innovative technology for liquid manure wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery within the framework of a decision-making tool that allows technology selection based on region-specific needs for water recycling and food production. The decision-making tool will be built upon an economic and life cycle assessment model that guides the user to technology selection based on user-based knowledge of soil chemistry, fertilization needs, crop selection, livestock production, desired level of wastewater treatment, water use, wastewater production, and regulatory requirements.

Air Quality and Ventilation of Animal Production Housing

Extension engineers and animal scientists in Iowa 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. 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. The team conducted 12 workshops in 2020.

Zulovich (Missouri) collaborated with the ASABE PAFS 40 Facilities & Systems Sub-Committee, revising ASABE Standards.  The group has progressed with the Design of Ventilation Systems for Livestock and Poultry (Standard number 270.6).  Others involved are Cortus (Minnesota) and Hayes (Kentucky) and many others.  The team members will be working to get the revised 270 Standard information into the ASHRAE Handbook.

Ongoing research in each state is looking at ways to mitigate air emissions of dust, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and odor from these facilities with farmers looking for new technologies for mitigation of these air emissions, including wet scrubbers, electrostatic precipitation, and ammonia emission modeling.

Livestock Mortality Management

Akdeniz (Illinois) delivered two routine and catastrophic livestock mortality composting workshops. The workshops included both presentations and hands-on demonstrations with an on-farm active mortality composting site. Akdeniz is a disposal subject matter expert (SME) in Illinois. She was involved in Illinois Dept. of Agriculture’s African Swine Fever TableTop Exercises and COVID-19 related disposal discussions.

Nebraska Extension continues to focus efforts on promoting composting as a biosecure and environmentally responsible carcass disposal method and encouraging development of Emergency Livestock Mortality Management Plans. Research led by a Nebraska NCCC-09 member generated recommendations for biosecure disposal of swine carcasses infected with the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) that have been distributed throughout the U.S. and Canada via National Pork Board publications, journal articles, media outputs, and webinars. Three Livestock Emergency Mortality Management Training events were delivered in Nebraska through funding provided by the Department of Homeland Security to improve the capabilities of regional emergency management associations and law enforcement officers to respond to non-routine livestock mortality events. Schmidt (Nebraska) produced a fact sheet titled, “Emergency Depopulation of Livestock Facilities During COVID-19” to guide producers on practices for livestock depopulation and disposal during packing plant restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Lim and Zulovich (Missouri) collaborated with other faculty from in-state and other states including Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas to address the need for regional coordination and leveraging of existing disaster preparedness and recovery resources. This four-state network is a logical partnership due to the rural nature of the communities, similarities in the type of extreme events being dealt with, natural resource similarities, geographic proximity, socio-economic similarities, and an extensive history of these land grant institutions successfully working together. Lim collaborated with faculty from Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Maryland, and agency personnel to form a team of expert panel, for producing recommendation and report on “Livestock and Poultry Mortality Management Best Management Practices”. The grant is provided by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP).

Impact of COVID-19 on Animal Producers

COVID-19 affected livestock and poultry producers in many states. Extension Engineers in Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois provided guidelines regarding land application of milk and disposal of mass mortalities. Nebraska launched a new web resource, DisasterCARE.unl.edu, to facilitate exchanges of carbon materials and other resources necessary to aid livestock farmers in disposal of carcasses due to COVID-19. Illinois also launched a similar website: https://go.illinois.edu/disposalresources . Gates (Iowa) worked with stakeholders to dispose of eggs and to improve refrigeration capacity for food pantries. Nebraska Extension produced a seven-page, multi-disciplinary guidance document titled, “Meat, Poultry & Livestock Industry COVID-19 Talking Points” for use by extension specialists and educators when answering questions about the impact of COVID-19 on the livestock and food production industries.

North American Manure Expo

The 2019 North American Manure Expo was hosted by Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Farm tours (dairy, poultry/beef, and swine workshops) were held on the first day of the Expo. One of the highlights of the first day was the agitation demo. The second day started with educational seminars. The Expo ended with field demonstrations.

Certified Livestock Manager Training

Illinois Extension held 10 workshops. A total of 242 producers, contractors, educators and others were trained this year of which 197 attended the onsite workshops. Of the 197 certified, less than 6% were producers who reported managing facilities with fewer than 300 animal units (AUs) despite the current statutory requirement for certification for producers managing 300 AUs or more.

Minnkota Agri-Builders and Suppliers Association

The Minnkota Agri-Builders and Suppliers Association brings together regional university and Extension personnel, builders and suppliers in the livestock and grain processing industries, and government personnel who want to network and learn about advancements in the agricultural building and related fields. The Association allows the sharing of ideas and concerns in a non-competitive environment that helps the industry learn from one another, and informs Extension and research needs moving forward. This collaborative effort among University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln includes annual one to two-day meetings for the association members to come together, take tours and share technical content. Annual meeting attendance for 2020 was 20 participants.

Win-Win Manure Utilization for Sustained Soil Health, Economic and Environmental Benefits

The multi-state project “Facilitating “Win-Win” Manure Utilization for Sustained Soil Health, Economic and Environmental Benefits”, with Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa representation, distributed a national survey for crop farmers, animal feeding operation (AFO) managers, public and private sector advisors for cropping decisions, and Extension professionals.

Moo University Winter Workshops

A Nebraska committee member presented a webinar titled, “Improving  Cropland Resilience by Making Manure Part of Fertility Planning” as part of the I-29 Moo University.

Value of Manure in Crop Production

Committee members from Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa collaborated on a SARE-funded project to improve knowledge and behaviors among livestock farmers, crop farmers, and their advisors about the value of manure in crop production, soil management and farmland resilience. Several outputs and activities resulted from this effort during the reporting period:

• A professional development program was delivered via a series of six Zoom discussions coupled with a two-day workshop between January and June 2020 to approximately 56 participants from Nebraska. The program will be repeated in Minnesota and Iowa in the coming year.
• Six on-farm research sites in Nebraska provided data defining soil and crop responses to various organic soil amendments and inorganic fertilizer. Sites were established in Iowa and Minnesota to replicate this research/demonstration effort in the coming year.
• A survey was distributed nationwide to solicit input from farmers, educators, and agricultural advisors about benefits and barriers to manure use in cropping systems. Results will be used to design future outreach efforts. The research was presented at the Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, published by Manure Manager magazine, and high-lighted by a number of regional and national media outlets.

IAMResponsible

Nebraska continued leadership of a nationwide outreach effort, called The iAMResponsible ProjectTM, to improve knowledge and behaviors among food producers and consumers about antimicrobial resistance. In-person events by team members produced over 1,000 individual contacts with audience members in agriculture, scientific research, academic programs, and communities throughout the U.S. Social media outputs distributed through the project’s Twitter and Facebook profiles reached over 3,000 followers, with strong representation by medical professionals, educators and academic researchers worldwide. Engagement events for social media content total just over 9,500 during the reporting period

High School Agriculture Students

UNL engaged high school agriculture students near six on-farm research sites statewide in experiential learning activities to improve student understanding of how and why on-farm research helps develop and disseminate new knowledge, nutrient management principle, the value of manure to soil health, and sharing research-based information through outreach activities. Over 50 students at six Nebraska high schools participated and cooperating teachers have committed to working with the team during the 2020-21 academic year.

AirTables

UNL led development of “AirTables” (online resource databases) to share content about manure value, antimicrobial resistance, and responsible manure management with colleagues who can re-purpose social media content, articles, etc. for use in their states. These AirTables are publicly available through the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community (LPELC) website at www.lpelc.org.

NCCC-09 Publications

Akdeniz, N. 2019. A systematic review of biochar use in animal waste composting. Waste Management, 88: 291-300.

Akdeniz, N., S. Yi. 2020. The feasibility of alkaline hydrolysis of swine mortalities at ambient conditions and using the hydrolysates to hydroponically grow lettuce. Transactions of the ASABE, revisions submitted.

Armstrong, J. & K. Janni. 2020. Heat stress in dairy cattle. UM Extension Article. Accessed online at: https://extension.umn.edu/dairy-milking-cows/heat-stress-dairy-cattle

Barrios, R., H. Khuntia, S. Bartelt-Hunt, J. Gilley, D. Snow, A. Schmidt and X. Li. 2020. Fate and transport of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in runoff and soil as affected by the timing of swine manure slurry application. Science of the Total Environment (712):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136505

Cortus, E., Neu, A.E., Janni, K.A., Noll, S.L., Clanton, C.J. 2019. Simulating risk reduction using biosecurity practices on farm. ASABE Paper No. 1900870. St. Joseph, MI. ASABE.

Cortus, E., Hetchler, B., Spiehs, M., & Rusche, W. 2020. Deep pit beef cattle barn ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations. Paper 2000840, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI. https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.2000840

Cortus, E. 2020. By Design: Retrofitting buildings for sick pens or doctoring facilities. Angus Beef Bulletin February 2020 ed.

Cortus, E. L., Hetchler, B., Spiehs, M. J., & Rusche, W. Environmental conditions in deep pit finishing cattle facilities: A descriptive study. Transactions of the ASABE. [Submitted].

Costa, T., N. Akdeniz. 2019. A review of the animal disease outbreaks and biosecure animal mortality composting systems. Waste Management, 90: 121-131.

Ding, T., Fang, L., Ni, J.-Q., Shi, Z., Li, B., Zhao, Y., 2019. Optimization design of agricultural fans based on skewed-swept blade technology. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 35 (2), 249-258.

Duong, C. M., T.-T. Lim, and A. H. Wang. 2019. Evaluation of biological-based additive for pollution abatement. In ASABE Annual International Meeting. ASABE Paper No. 1900927. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASABE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.201900927.

Gilley,J.E., S.L. Bartelt-Hunt, J. Duerschner, X. Li, K. Eskridge, A.M. Schmidt and D.D. Snow. 2020. Swine slurry characteristics as affected by selected additives and disinfectants. Environmental Pollution. 260(2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114058

Janni, K.J. and E.L. Cortus. 2019. Common animal production systems and manure storage methods. In: Animal Manure: Production, Characteristics, Environmental Concerns and Management. Eds. Heidi M. Waldrip, Paulo H. Pagliari, and Zhongqi He. ASA and SSSA. Madison, WI. pp. 27-44. (doi:10.2134/asaspecpub67.c3)

Janni, K.J. 2020. Reflections on odor management for animal feeding operations. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 453; doi:10.3390/atmos11050453

Janni, K., Wilson, M., Cortus, E., & Modderman, C. 2020. What do we do now? Dairy Star, 6th ed., vol. 22, pp. 28.

Janni, K.A. 2019. Modeling lactating cow respiration rates during heat stress based on dry-bulb and dew-point temperatures, daily milk production and air velocity. ASABE Paper No. 1900297. St. Joseph, MI. ASABE.

Janni, K. 2019. Air velocity and production level impact heat stress in dairy cattle. 13 July 2019. Dairy Star 21(10):29.

Janni, K. 2020. Does your herd fit your facilities? 11 January 2020 Dairy Star 21(22):29.

Janni, K., M. Wilson, E. Cortus, C. Modderman. What do we do now? 9 May 2010 Dairy Star 22(6):28.

Koelsch, R., Andersen, D., Cortus, E., Johnson, L., Schmidt, A. M., Siek, S. A., & Wilson, M. 2020. Perceptions of barriers and benefits of manure use in cropping systems. Paper 2000753, ASABE, St. Joseph, MI. https://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202000753

Lim, T.-T., C. B. Bromfield, C. Payne, L. Delaney, R. E. Massey, and J. A. Zulovich. 2019. Recommendations for effective biosecurity management. In International Symposium on Animal Environment and Welfare. Rongchang, Chongqing, China.

Liu, S., Ni, J.-Q., Heber, A.J., Liang, W.-Z., 2019. Modeling dynamic ammonia concentrations in layer houses using a distributed lag non-linear model. Journal of Environmental Informatics. 33 (1), 56-67.

Massey, R. E., T.-T. Lim, and J. A. Zulovich. 2019. Economic conditions for implementing solid-liquid separation barn. In International Symposium on Animal Environment and Welfare. Rongchang, Chongqing, China.

Maria Cecilia Hall, Noelle A. Mware, John E. Gilley, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, Amy M. Schmidt, Kent M. Eskridge, and Xu Li.  2020.  Influence of setback distance on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in runoff and soil following the land application of swine manure slurry.  Environmental Science and Technology, 54 (8): 4800-4809.

Meyers, M., L. Durso, J. Gilley, L. Castleberry, H. Waldrip and A. Schmidt. 2020. Antibiotic resistance gene profile changes in cropland soil following manure application and rainfall. Journal of Environmental Quality 2020:1-8. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2019.04.0153

Ni, J.-Q., Shi, C., Liu, S., Richert, B.T., Vonderohe, C.E., Radcliffe, J.S., 2019. Effects of antibiotic-free pig rearing on ammonia emissions from five pairs of swine rooms in a wean-to-finish experiment. Environment International. 131, 104931.

Nogueira, R. G. S., T.-T. Lim, H. Wang, and P. H. M. Rodrigues. 2019. Performance, microbial community analysis and fertilizer value of anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure with waste kitchen oil. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 35(2): 239-248. doi: 10.13031/aea.13023  

Nour, M., Field, W.E., Ni, J.-Q., Cheng, C., 2019. Development of methodology to document and code farm-related injuries and fatalities involving manure storage, handling, and transport – with summary of 2017 incidents. Journal of Agromedicine. 24 (1), 90-100.

Nour, M., Field, W.E., Ni, J.-Q., Cheng, C., 2020. Farm-related injuries and fatalities involving children, youth and young workers during manure storage, handling and transport. Journal of Agromedicine. In press.

Perez-Palencia, J. Y., Levesque, C. L., & Cortus, E. 2019. Contributing factors to indoor air quality. National Hog Farmer, 10th ed., vol. 64, pp. 4.

Schmidt, A. 2020. iAMResponsible^TM: Educating food producers & consumers about antimicrobial resistance. Scientia. https://doi.org/10.33548/SCIENTIA460.

Schuster, N., J.A. Peterson, J.E. Gilley, L.R. Schott₃ and A.M. Schmidt. 2019. Soil arthropod abundance and diversity following land application of swine slurry. Agricultural Sciences 10(2). DOI:10.4236/as.2019.102013

Staley, Z., X. Li, B. Woodbury, A. Schmidt, L. Durso, K. Eskridge. 2020. Corn stalk residue may add antibiotic resistant bacteria to manure composting piles. Journal of Environmental Quality, 49 (3):745-753. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20017

Tong, X., Zhao, L., Heber, A., Ni, J.-Q., 2020. Mechanistic modelling of ammonia emission from laying hen manure at laboratory scale. Biosyst. Eng. 192 (April), 24-41.

Tong, X., Zhao, L., Heber, A.J., Ni, J.-Q., 2020. Development of a farm-scale, quasi-mechanistic model to estimate ammonia emissions from commercial manure-belt layer houses. Biosyst. Eng. 196, 67-87.

Xie, Q., Ni, J.-Q., Su, Z., Bao, J., 2019. A thermal environmental model for indoor air temperature prediction and energy consumption in pig building. Building and Environment. 161, 106238.

Yang, Y., Ni, J.-Q., Bao, W., Zhao, L., Xie, G.H., 2019. Potential reductions in greenhouse gas and fine particulate matter emissions using corn stover for ethanol production in China. Energies. 12 (3700), 1-13.

Yang, Y., Ni, J.-Q., Xie, G.H., 2020. Comparison of energy performance and environmental impacts of three corn stover-based bioenergy pathways. Journal of Cleaner Production. In press.

Yang, Y., Ni, J.-Q., Zhu, W., Xie, G.H., 2019. Life Cycle Assessment of large-scale compressed bio-natural gas production in China: A case study on manure co-digestion with corn stover. Energies. 12 (429), 1-16.

Wang, A. H., A. Yang, L. Yan, T.-T. Lim, and W. Wang. 2020. Long-term mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion swine manure with corn stover and microbial community analysis. Microorganisms 8(2):188. https://doi.org/110.3390/microorganisms8020188

Wang, Y., M.B. Villamil, P.C. Davidson, N. Akdeniz. 2019. A quantitative understanding of the role of co-composted biochar in plant growth using meta-analysis. Science of the Total Environment, 685: 741-752.

Scientific and Outreach Oral Presentations

Akdeniz, N. 2019. Are you traveling abroad? Prevent the spread of African swine fever (click here).

Akdeniz, N. 2019. Diseased animal mortality management: why are animal diseases keep coming back? North American Manure Expo, IN.

Akdeniz, N, Yi, S. 2020. Alkaline hydrolysis of swine mortalities and using hydrolysates to hydroponically grow lettuce. ASABE Annual International Meeting, virtual, ASABE, St Joseph, MI.

Cortus, E. 2019. Farm level carbon footprints of Midwest swine farms. 2019 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, St. Paul, MN.

Cortus, E. 2020. Carbon footprints for Midwest swine systems. 58^th Annual Rural Energy Conference. La Crosse, WI.

Costa, T., Akdeniz, N. 2019. Biosecure animal mortality composting for reducing release risk of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant genes. ASABE Annual International Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, ASABE, St Joseph, MI.

Ehlers, S., 2019. Developing a PREPared Community with the Collaboration of Local, State, and University Resources. . North American Manure Expo. Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Field, W., 2019. Enhancing the Safety and Health of Manure Storage and Handling Facilities. . North American Manure Expo. Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Funk, T., Akdeniz, N. 2019. Mortality Management Planning, How to Mitigate the Risk of African Swine Fever, Illinois Pork Producers Association (click here).

Heber, A., 2019. Odor Management: What to Do! North American Manure Expo. Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Janni, K.A. 2019. Odor management concepts for animal feeding operations. Conference on the Environment, Minneapolis, MN. November 7, 2019.

Janni, K., Chastain, J, Prasad, R, 2020. Litter Nutrients and Management in Poultry Systems. Webinar produced by Livestock Poultry and Environmental Learning Community. June 19, 2020

Ni, J.-Q., 2019. What We Need to Know about Additive Products for Manure Treatment. North American Manure Expo. Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Ni, J.-Q., 2019. Manure Management, Treatment & Utilization. Noble County and Whitley County, Indiana.

Noelle Mware, Marissa Golgosky, Amy Schmidt, Galen Erickson, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Xu Li.  2020.  The effectiveness of alkaline stabilization on the reduction of antimicrobial resistance in beef cattle manure.  ASABE Annual International Conference, Omaha, NE, July 12-15.

Sabo, R., Sharara, M. & Cortus, E. 2019. Watershed Nutrient Inventories - Opportunities and Needs. Webinar produced by Livestock Poultry and Environmental Learning Community.

Schmidt, A.M and Zelt, M. The iAMResponsible project: Building a communication network to motivate broad action on antimicrobial resistance. Midwest AMR Consortium. May 26-29, 2020. Des Moines, IA

Wang, Y., Yi, S., Akdeniz, N. 2020. Biochar-amended poultry mortality composting to increase compost temperatures, reduce ammonia emissions, and decrease leachate’s chemical oxygen demand. ASABE Annual International Meeting, virtual, ASABE, St Joseph, MI.

West, B., Hamilton, D., Smith, B., & Cortus, E. 2020. Managing Manure Beyond the Farmyard: Manure Management for Less-Typical Species and Settings. Webinar produced by Livestock Poultry and Environmental Learning Community.

Zelt, M., A.M. Schmidt, N. Mware, X. Li, Z. Staley, H. Wilson and G. Erickson. Antimicrobial resistance in beef feedlot manure as impacted by forage concentration and essential oil in finishing cattle diets. 2019 ASABE International Meeting. July 9, 2019. Boston, MA

Fund Leveraging, Specifically, Collaborative Grants Between Stations and Members

1. Facilitating “Win-Win” Manure Utilization for Sustained Soil Health, Economic and Environmental Benefits. North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education – Professional Development Grant Program. 10/01/18 – 09/30/21. PI: M. Schmidt; Co-PI: R. Koelsch (University of Nebraska); Sub-awards: D. Andersen (Iowa State) and E. Cortus (University of Minnesota). $74,905

This project will support SARE’s sustainability goals of long term profitability (better utilization of manure’s nutrient value), stewardship of natural resources (improved water and soil quality), and quality of life for rural communities (limit risk of manure’s negative qualities, such as odor). An existing multi-state working group will deliver a professional development program for those advising crop farmers intended to: build awareness of manure’s value; demonstrate benefits locally via on-farm research; and teach crop farmers to confidently identify "win-win" opportunities for manure use on cropland.

2. Regional Map Gaming Pilot for Teaching Preferred Land Application Locations. WBS. 09/01/189– 08/31/20. PI: R. Koelsch; Co-PI: A.M. Schmidt. $2,000 | $0 | $2,000 | $1,000.

Nebraska Extension, are creating and pilot testing a collaborative land applicator educational experiences for identifying preferred manure application sites. These educational experiences utilize table top-sized regional map game boards, pre-planned scenarios, and collective knowledge/experience shared among a group of farmers, AFO managers, and manure applicators to select preferred application sites.

3. Water and Nutrient Recycling: A decision tool and synergistic innovative technology. USDA-NIFA. 10/01/18 – 9/30/23. L. Greenlee, R. Stowell; A.M. Schmidt, T. Lim, J. Zulovich, etc. $4,342,280.

A collaborative effort between Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and Montana.  Development of a decision tool allowing scientific assessment of individual farm manure management and energy needs, and subsequent recommendation for technologies to implement, is proposed. Collection of on-farm data, integration of data into the decision-making tool, economic analysis of the proposed technology, and outreach programming to influence utilization of the tool are primary roles of the UNL faculty on this project.

Other relevant accomplishments and activities

• PAFS 40 Facilities & Systems Sub-Committee revised the Design of Ventilation Systems for Livestock and Poultry (Standard number 270.6). The team members will be working to get the revised 270 Standard information into the ASHRAE Handbook.