Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Business Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the NCCC-09 Committee took place online on July 27^th, 2021 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

• The meeting started with an administrative advisor update from Steve Thompson (USDA):
  • NIFA continues hiring (around 170 new employees). Introduce of AFRI RFA, a new climate hubs partnership program, and a brand-new research program called AFRI commodity board co-funding topics.
  • Introduce Erin Riley as another USDA representative.
• John Lawrence (ISU) continued the administrative advisor update.
  • The NCCC-9 is due for the 3-year review in 2022. need to work together to update everything by December 15th, 2021.
  • True multi-state collaboration should be highlighted in all reports. Refer to particular guidance in the virtual multistate-handbook.
• Bret Ramirez from Iowa State University was elected to be the next secretary, which starts on October 1.
• Members agrees to have quarterly calls (The first call could be in October). Erin Cortus suggested webinar through the LPELC network. Jay Harmon updated that, with the retirement of Kathy Walker, most of the MWPS materials have been moved to Iowa extension and outreach store.

Notes from state reports:

University of Missouri- Teng Lim, Joe Zulovich

• Revise ASABE Standards (PAFS Sub-Committee) and form Expert committee to improve estimation of animal mortality impact for the Chesapeake Bay Program.
• Working with three surrounding states to organize practical resources for regional disaster preparedness and recovery resources.
• A multi-state effort is developing a decision-making tool for livestock waste nutrient and water recovery and mitigation technology considerations.

University of Minnesota- Erin Cortus and Kevin Janni

• The Minnkota Agri-Builders and Suppliers Association brings together regional university, Extension, and industry personnel, and hosted a series of webinars
• The shift to shorter, virtual webinars opened opportunities for new faces to engage with the Minnkota Agri-Builders and Suppliers Association in 2021.
• Two on-farm demonstrations occurred in the summer of 2021, as part of the multi-state NC-SARE funded professional development project, “Facilitating “Win-Win” Manure Utilization for Sustained Soil Health”.

Purdue University- Jiqin Ni

• New ABE building in Purdue University
• Food animal welfare-related air pollution research

Iowa State University- Brett Ramirez, Jay Harmon, Daniel Andersen

• Quantified heat and moisture production from cage-free laying hens, which will influence ventilation rate and supplemental heat calculation and design as US rapidly transitions to cage-free egg production.
• Research on effects of farrowing stall size/layout and number of heat lamps on sow and piglet productivity will help guide future producer decision.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln- Amy Schmidt, Richard Stowell

• Advanced knowledge and behaviors regarding the value of manure to improve resilience of cropping system soils through demonstrations, outreach efforts, and technical publications
• Advanced knowledge among food producers and consumers of the risks and mitigation practices associated with antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genes originating from agricultural production systems and potentially impacting food safety and human health
• IAMResponsible- National outreach project

Kansas State University- Zifei Liu, Joe Harner

• Teamed up with fire sensing and simulation researchers in Kansas University, Georgia State University, and University of Missouri to develop an innovative community sensing, planning, & learning infrastructure to support smart and safe prescribed burning for communities that use prescribed fires for land management.
• Air emissions from swine facilities- changes after NAEMS project
• Non-confined feeding for calve-calf to stay out of AFO-CAFO rules

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign- Neslihan Akdeniz

• Certified Livestock Manager Training.
• Nutrient Management Planning workshops were organized with UI Extension Educators to support small and medium Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) to develop their nutrient management plan.
• Animal Mortality and Manure Composting website (go.illinois.edu/ammc) was updated.

New Facilities and Equipment

• The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department (ABE), Purdue University at West Lafayette, Indiana has moved into one new $80M building since the end of 2020 in the areas of environmental and natural resources engineering, biological engineering, machine systems engineering, agricultural systems management, and food process engineering. The new ABE building’s areas of environmental and natural resources engineering: a. Eighteen environmental labs and lab support rooms with a total area of 9,067 Assignable Square Footage (ASF); b. A metal and wood fabrication shop with a shop technician, and c. High-quality computer servers and laboratories.
• At Iowa State University, the Robert T. Hamilton Poultry Research and Teaching Farm was completed in last year. A new turkey research farm construction is underway, to be completed in early 2022.
• South Dakota will have a new ag building by next summer.

Unique Project-Related Findings

A multi-state team representing UNL, Iowa State, and U of Minnesota conducted a nationwide needs assessment which yielded data defining perceptions among crop producers, livestock producers, and their advisors regarding the benefits and barriers for manure use in cropping systems. Manure’s fertility, yield, and soil health benefits were commonly valued. Manure’s effect on water quality was seen as beneficial and harmful with similar frequency despite a commonly shared perception that manure is beneficial to soil physical and soil properties. Top barriers to manure use in cropping systems included transportation costs, odor, logistical issues, and agronomic concerns. Perception exists for the complementary roles of manure and fertilizer in crop fertility.

Zifei Liu (Kansas State University) conducted a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis on air emissions from swine facilities in a National Pork Board study, and estimated the changes in emissions today relative to the National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) results. For the same amount of animal product, the manure amount and air emissions per unit of animal product are likely reduced by 18% from 2010 to 2019, and could further be reduced with further improvement in feed conversion efficiency. The NAEMS ammonia emission rates for finishing swine houses with deep pit may still be representative in today’s condition, but the NAEMS data on ammonia emission rates for gestation houses or for pit recharge systems could overestimate emissions by 2 to 4 times higher. Emission measurement from lagoons/basins at swine operations have high uncertainties due to variety of environmental conditions and measurement technologies. However, the reported highest emission rates of NH₃ and H₂S from lagoons/basins at swine operations both demonstrate a general decreasing trend from 2001 to now. The NAEMS emission rates for lagoons/basins at swine operations could overestimate NH₃ and H₂S emissions

Scientific research on food animal welfare-related air pollution has advanced significantly in the past nine decades. Researchers in 26 countries have contributed to this emerging area of scientific focus. Many early observational studies contributed to the identification of food animal safety, health, and other issues requiring attention. The majority of the reported investigations (~75%) were experimental, which played an important role in enhancing the existing research. Four major gases (NH₃, H₂S, CO₂, and CO), dust, and bacteria/endotoxin have been the most studied aerial pollutants in animal living environment. Poultry and pigs were the most frequently studied food animals among different species involved in the research. The majority of experimental studies examined the effects of specific air pollutant(s) on animal welfare related outcomes.

Accomplishment Summaries

Multi-state Collaborations

Members of NCCC-09 continue to participate in numerous collaborative efforts within the region.

Missouri faculty (Teng Lim and Joseph Zulovich) collaborated with other faculty from in-state and other states including Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas to conduct regional coordination and leveraging of existing disaster preparedness and recovery resources. The grant is USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Smith-Lever Funding, for 2018-2022.

Teng 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).

A multi-state team representing UNL, Iowa State, and U of Minnesota conducted a nationwide needs assessment which yielded data defining perceptions among crop producers, livestock producers, and their advisors regarding the benefits and barriers for manure use in cropping systems.

The Minnkota Agri-Builders and Suppliers Association lead a collaborative effort among University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Iowa State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, adapted to the COVID-pandemic and hosted a series of four 1-hr Lunch and Learn webinars.

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.

Rich Gates and Brett Ramirez from Iowa State University are cooperating with Michigan and Nebraska in a new multi-state project on precision livestock farming.

Kansas State University faculty Zifei Liu and Walter H. Fick are teamed up with fire sensing and simulation researchers in Kansas University, Georgia State University, and University of Missouri to develop an innovative community sensing, planning, & learning infrastructure to support smart and safe prescribed burning for communities that use prescribed fires for land management. The effort is supported by the NSF Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC) program, which encourages integrative research that addresses fundamental technological and social science dimensions of smart and connected communities and pilots solutions together with communities. The team is working with communities in the Gypsum Hills and Cherokee Strip regions, to develop unique education and outreach programs and learning materials to provide interdisciplinary training to farmers, landowners, firefighters, environmental regulators, and the general public. The interdisciplinary nature of the research team provides great potential for building a smart and connected society for fire management from the local community to a broader society.

ASABE Standards

Joseph Zulovich 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 MN (Erin Cortus and Kevin Janni), KY (Morgan Hayes), IA (Brett Ramirez and Rich Gates) and many others.  The team members will be working to get the revised 270 Standard information into the ASHRAE Handbook.

Many NCCC-9 members are part of the working group that is revising ASABE Standard EP270 Design of Ventilation Systems for Poultry and Livestock Shelters.

MWPS Publications

MWPS publications are used extensively in extension programs and college courses. Kathy has been with MWPS for 21 years. She maintained the web page, did marketing, shipped books, priced books, kept the accounts, helped with the development of books, and many other things.  With the retirement of Kathy Walker, most of the MWPS materials have been moved to Iowa extension and outreach store. (https://www-mwps.sws.iastate.edu/catalog/manure-management/circular-concrete-manure-tanks, Digital repository: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ )

NCCC-09 Conference Calls

NCCC-09 committee held a conference calls on June 3^rd, 2021. The conference started with congratulations on Kathy Walker’s retirement. The group took the opportunity to thank Kathy for all she has done and was willing to do to make MWPS successful. Kathy shared her thoughts about the retirement and future plans. The group then discussed the planning of the coming annual meeting.

Livestock Mortality Management

The Animal Mortality and Manure Composting website (go.illinois.edu/ammc) was updated. The new website provides information Provide training on Dead Animal Disposal Act, i-compost calculator (video is available in English and Japanese), emergency livestock mortality management, and safety consideration during livestock manure composting.

Missouri faculty (Teng Lim and Joseph Zulovich) collaborated with other faculty from in-state and other states including Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas to conduct regional coordination and leveraging of existing disaster preparedness and recovery resources. 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”.

Certified Livestock Manager Training

Illinois faculty conducted Certified Livestock Manager Training, which is a required training in Illinois for farmers who have more than 300 animal units was carried to a new platform and delivered online.

Nutrient Management Planning workshops

Nutrient Management Planning workshops were organized with UI Extension Educators to support small and medium Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) to develop their nutrient management plans as a proactive approach to show legislatures that livestock producers are taking the best management practices into consideration

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, Iowa State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln adapted to the COVID-pandemic and hosted a series of four 1-hr Lunch and Learn webinars. There were 52 unique attendees, with 22 to 32 participants per session. Based on limited feedback to a survey (n=11), over 70% of participants felt each session was very useful.

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

As part of the multi-state NC-SARE funded professional development project, “Facilitating “Win-Win” Manure Utilization for Sustained Soil Health”, Minnesota contributed on-farm research and stakeholder conversations. The on-farm research question was whether manure applied on a field with minimal manure history would improve soil health in the short term. Two on-farm demonstrations occurred in the summer of 2021 in adjacent fields: one that was in a soybean-corn rotation (soybean was grown the previous year) and one that was in a continuous corn rotation. Supporting measurements included soil and plant nutrient analysis, corn yield, soil infiltration rate tests and a "soil your undies" trial. The stakeholder conversations were regional web-based discussions, focusing on the opportunities and challenges for moving manure between livestock and crop farmers. These discussions included folks within agencies and organizations that support local producers to identify some longer-term cooperation opportunities between participants. Some differences across regions gleaned from the conversations related to: changes in specific livestock sectors; opportunities with pasture based operations; and geographical aspects that influence manure management decisions.

Air quality and Ventilation Systems in Animal Production Housing

Brett Ramirez (Iowa State University) delivered over 12 workshops for barn managers and pig caretakers to address the need for improved understanding and management of mechanical ventilation systems in swine buildings. This reached over 200 attendees across Iowa.

Joseph Zulovich is working with Multi-Committee Task Group (MTG) evaluating minimum ventilation requirements for all types of facilities and assessing how to evaluate ventilation effectiveness, assisting with the development of a white paper addressing air change rate (ACR), and the development of a work statement for a RAC proposal addressing indoor plant environments. He 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 MN (Erin Cortus and Kevin Janni), KY (Morgan Hayes), IA (Brett Ramirez and Rich Gates) and many others.  The team members will be working to get the revised 270 Standard information into the ASHRAE Handbook.

Many NCCC-9 members are part of the working group that is revising ASABE Standard EP270 Design of Ventilation Systems for Poultry and Livestock Shelters.

Zifei Liu (Kansas State University) conducted comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis on air emissions from swine facilities, and estimated the changes in emissions today relative to the NAEMs results.

IAMResponsible for Food Safety

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. Nebraska faculty engaged a nationwide team of agricultural production, engineering, food safety, and veterinary medicine extension specialists in delivering information and programming content about AMR-related food safety; includes development and deployment of an outreach content database (housed in Air Table) for use by extension educators wishing to deliver local programming on AMR-related food safety

AirTables Online Resource Databases

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., S. Yi. 2021. The feasibility of alkaline hydrolysis of swine mortalities at ambient conditions and using the hydrolysates to hydroponically grow lettuce. Transactions of the ASABE 64(1): 73-82. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.13992  

Akinbile Demilade and Zifei Liu. 2021. Identification of meteorological factors affecting the timing of prescribed burning in Flint Hills through regression modeling using machine learning techniques. ASABE paper number 2100194.

Akinbile Demilade and Zifei Liu. 2021. Regression models to simulate O3 contributions from prescribed burning in Flint Hills using daily burned-area data. ASABE paper number 2100195.

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

Canter, T., T.-T. Lim, and J. Zulovich. 2021. Nutrient recovery system for dairy farms: Dissolved air flotation and multi-disk press. https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/eq303 

Canter, T., T.-T. Lim, and T. Chockley. 2021. Considerations of pull-plug sedimentation basin for dairy manure management. https://extension.missouri.edu/eq302  [Received the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Awards (2021)]

Cortus, E. L., Hetchler, B., Spiehs, M. J., & Rusche, W. (2021). Environmental conditions and gas concentrations in deep pit finishing cattle facilities: A descriptive study. Transactions of the ASABE, 64(1), 31-48.  https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.14040

Costa, T., N. Akdeniz*, R.S. Gates, J.F. Lowe, Z. Zhang. 2021. Testing the plastic‐wrapped composting system to dispose of swine mortalities during an animal disease outbreak. Journal of Environmental Quality, 1-12.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20235 

Daly, S., 2020. Biochemical methane potential testing and modelling for insight into anaerobic digester performance. Ph.D. dissertation. Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

Duong, C. M., T.-T. Lim, and A. H. Wang. 2021. Evaluation of biological-based additive for pollution abatement. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 37(2): 309-317. doi: 10.13031/aea.14281.

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

Hosseini Taleghani A., T.-T. Lim, C.-H. Lin, A. C. Ericsson, and P. H. Vo. 2020. Degradation of veterinary antibiotics in swine manure via anaerobic digestion. Bioengineering, 7(4): 123. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7040123

Hall, M.C., J. Duerschner, J. Gilley, A. M. Schmidt, S. Bartelt-Hunt, D.D. Snow, K.M. Eskridge and X. Li. 2020. Antibiotic resistance genes in swine manure slurry as affected by pit additives and facility disinfectants. Science of the Total Environment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143287

Hall, M.C., N.A. Mware, J.E. Gilley, S.L. Bartelt-Hunt, D.D. Snow, A.M. Schmidt, K.M. Eskridge and X. Li. 2020. Influence of setback distance on antibiotic resistance genes in runoff and soil following the land application of swine manure slurry. Environmental Science and Technology 54(8):4800-4809. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04834

Klimesh, S. E. & Ramirez, B. C. (Jun. 2021). The hard choices during tunnel ventilation.

Li, J., N. Akdeniz, H.H.M. Kim, R.S. Gates, K. Wang, X. Wang. 2021. Quantification of sustainable animal manure utilization strategies in Hangzhou, China. Agricultural Systems, 191: 103150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103150

Li, J., N. Akdeniz, H.H.M. Kim, R.S. Gates, K. Wang, X. Wang. 2021. Optimal manure utilization chain for distributed animal farms: model development and a case study in Hangzhou, China. Agricultural Systems, 187: 102996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102996

Liu, Z. and Haque, M.A. 2020. Evaluate the representativeness of the NAEMS air emission data for swine operations in a changing industry. ASABE paper No. 2001437. St. Joseph, MI.: ASABE.

Mao, Y., N.Akdeniz, T.H. Nguyen. 2021. Quantification of pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in backyard and commercial composts. Science of the Total Environment, 797, 149197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149197 

Meyers, M., L.M. Durso, J.E. Gilley, D.N. Miller, X. Li and A. Millmier Schmidt. 2020. Setback distance impacts on transport of antibiotic resistance phenotypes of fecal indicators. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment 2020; 3:e20081. https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20081

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

Miller, D.M., M.E. Jurgens, L.M. Durso and A.M. Schmidt. 2020. Simulated winter incubation of soil with swine manure differentially affects multiple antimicrobial resistance elements. Frontiers in Microbiology 11:611912. (https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.611912)

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. J. Agromedicine (July), 1-11. http://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2020.1795034.

Pu, S., X. Rong, J. Zhu, Y. Zeng, J. Yue, T. Lim, and D. Long. 2021. Short-term aerial pollutant concentrations in a Southwestern China pig-fattening house. Atmosphere, 12(1):103. doi:10.3390/atmos12010103.

Ramirez, B. C. (Mar. 2021). Optimizing ventilation in small scale production. Acreage Living Newsletter – Small Farm Sustainability, Issue No. 37.

Ramirez, B. C. (Jan. 2021). Proper ventilation vital for building environment management. Iowa Pork Producer Magazine, pg. 22.

Rotz, C. A., Asem-Hiablie, S., Cortus, E. L., Spiehs, M. J., Rahman, S., & Stoner, A. An Environmental Assessment of cattle manure and urea fertilizer treatments for corn production in the Northern Great Plains. Transactions of the ASABE 64(4):1185-1196. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.14275.

Smith, B. C., Ramirez, B. C. & Harmon, J. D. Air filtration sizing worksheet for swine facilities. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Ames, IA. AER3541.

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. (2020):1-9. 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. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2020.01.004.

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. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2020.05.008.

Wang, Y., Niu, B., Ni, J.-Q., Xue, W., Zhu, Z., Li, X., Zou, G., 2020. New insights into concentrations, sources and transformations of NH3, NOx, SO2 and PM at a commercial manure-belt layer house. Environ. Pollut. 262 (March), 114355. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114355.

Wang, Y., N. Akdeniz*, S. Yi. 2021. Biochar-amended poultry mortality composting to increase compost temperatures, reduce ammonia emissions, and decrease leachate’s chemical oxygen demand. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 315, 107451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107451  

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, A. H., Y. Zhai, A. Yang, L. Yan, T.-T. Lim, H. Zhao, J.-D. Gu, D. Wei and W. Wang. 2020. Anaerobic digestion of dairy manure in a fixed bed CSTR: Methane production performance and microbial diversity. Bioresource, 14(4): 7965-7979.

Yang, Y., Ni, J.-Q., Zhou, S., Xie, G.H., 2020. Comparison of energy performance and environmental impacts of three corn stover-based bioenergy pathways. J. Clean Prod. 272 (122631), 1-10. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122631.

Zeamer, K. M., Levesque, C. L., Cortus L., & Thaler, R. C. (2021). Findings from a survey of finishing-barn management benchmarks with South Dakota pork producers. Applied Animal Science, 37, 320-333.  https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02107

Zou B., Heber A. J., Shi Z. X., Du S. H., Jin Y., Lim T.-T. 2020. Comparison of direct and indirect determinations of dynamic ventilation rate in a modern dairy free stall barn. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 13(6): 41–46.

Zulovich, J. M. 2020. “Important Construction Practices for Quality Concrete Slab Floors”.  National Frame Builders Magazine.  Volume 1, Number 6.  October 2020.  (https://www.nfba.org/resources/newsletters/magazines/2020-10/?page=1)

Scientific and Outreach Oral Presentations

Akdeniz, N. 2021. Animal Mortality Composting. Available in English and Japanese. University of Illinois Extension, Animal Manure and Mortality Composting (go.illinois.edu/ammc).

Akdeniz, N., S. Solomon. 2021. Online Certified Livestock Manager Training (updated). University of Illinois Extension, CLMT (go.illinois.edu/clmt).

Akdeniz, N. 2021. Biosecure Disposal of Livestock and Poultry Mortalities. Animal Health Symposium. Annual Meeting of American Society of Animal Science, St, Louisville, KY 40202.

Canter, T., T.-T. Lim, J. Zulovich, R. Stowell, and T. Chockley. Pull-Plug Sedimentation Basin for Solids and Nutrient Removal at Small- and Medium-Scale Flushing Dairies. Pacific and Mountain West Nutrient Cycling, Soil Health and Food Safety Virtual Conference, October 27-29, 2020 (https://extension.wsu.edu/pmwncfsc).

Cortus, E. L., “Balancing Air Quality Needs on and off the Farm”, Virtual 2020 ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meeting (Nov 11, 2020). Invited.

Cortus, E. L., “Communication and Cooperation Around Sustainability Metrics - Opportunities and Needs”, Virtual 2020 ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meeting (Nov 12, 2020). Invited.

Cortus, E. L., Ramirez, B. §, “Ventilation Workshop”, 2020 Swine Educators & Extension Virtual Conference (October 20, 2020). Invited.

Cortus, E. L., “Gestation/Lactation Ventilation Do's and Don'ts”, SowBridge (Sept 2, 2020). Invited.

Cortus, E. L. (Moderator), West, B. (Presenter), Hamilton, D. (Presenter), Smith, W. B. (Presenter). "Managing Manure Beyond the Farmyard: Manure Management for Less-Typical Species and Settings", Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community. (Jan 17, 2020)

Henning, E., A. Schmidt, A. Olivo, and L. Schott. 2020. Degradation of co-mingled cedar wood chips and livestock manure and its impact on soil health. Virtual Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, July 13 – 15, 2020.

Koelsch, R., D. Andersen, E. Cortus, L. Johnson, A.M. Schmidt, S.A. Siek, and M. Wilson. 2020. Perceptions of barriers and benefits of manure use in cropping systems. Proceedings of the 2020 Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Paper #2000753, Omaha, Nebraska, July 12-15, 2020.

Millmier Schmidt, A., and M. Zelt. 2020. Understand. Adapt. Preserve. Increasing knowledge and motivating behavioral changes among food producers and consumers to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics through the iAMResponsible Project. Virtual World One Health Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 30 – November 3, 2020.

Millmier Schmidt, A., and M. Zelt. 2020. Antibiotic resistance profiles in fallow soil receiving raw, composted or stockpiled beef manure, or inorganic fertilizer. Virtual World One Health Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, October 30 – November 3, 2020.

Mware, N., M. Golgosky, A. Schmidt, G. Erickson, S. Bartelt-Hunt and X. Li. 2020. The effectiveness of alkaline stabilization on the reduction of antimicrobial resistance in beef cattle manure. Virtual Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, July 13 – 15, 2020.

Ni, J.-Q., Erasmus, M.A., Li, C., Li, Y., 2020 of Conference. Nine decades of scientific research on air pollution related to food animal health and welfare. Paper Number 2000184. ASABE Annual Int. Meeting. July 12–15, Omaha, Nebraska, USA, p. 10. http://doi.org/10.13031/aim.202000184.

Olivo, A., A. Schmidt and R. Koelsch. 2020. Impact of manure and cedar mulch application on agronomic and soil health variables in corn production systems. Virtual Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, July 13 – 15, 2020.

Ramirez, B. C. 2021. Environmental control for swine facilities: Improved biosecurity and production. Presented at American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Annual Conference, Virtual.

Ramirez, B. C. 2021. What is a connected barn and how do we use it? Abstract presented at Midwest Section American Society of Animal Science Meeting, Virtual. doi: 10.1093/jas/skab054.238

Ramirez, B. C. 2021. My pigs are telling me to troubleshoot ventilation: a beginner’s guide. Paper presented at American Society of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting 2021, Virtual.

Ramirez, B. C. 2021. Applying smart technologies to optimize climate conditions for swine populations. Paper presented at American Society of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting, Virtual.

Zelt, M. and A.M. Schmidt. 2020. The iAMResponsible ProjectTM: Building a communication network to motivate broad action on antimicrobial resistance. Proceedings of the 2020 Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Paper #2001042, Omaha, Nebraska, July 12-15, 2020.

Zulovich, J. M. 2020.  “Building Design for AMS – New and Retrofit”.  Presentation as part of DPC Annual Conference Pre-Conference Workshop – Automated Milking Systems; What We Know, Don’t Know & Learned Along the Way.  November 3-6, 2020.

Zulovich, J. M.  2021. “Is Air Change per Hour (h-1), cfm/ft2 or Something Else?”.  Debate #1 for ASHRAE Virtual Winter Conference, February 9-11, 2021.

Zulovich, J. M. 2021.  “Ventilation Challenges for Animal Environments”.  Oral Presentation for Seminar 12, ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference, June 28-30, 2021.

Zulovich, J. M. 2021. “All Animals Are Not Created Equal”.  Panel member for Panel Session Discussion, ASHRAE Virtual Annual Conference, June 28-30, 2021.

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. Modern pigs urgently need facilities with modern ventilation: Updating swine ventilation standards/guidelines. C. Ramirez, M. D. Hayes, T. Brown-Brandl, J. D. Harmon, S. J. Hoff, G. A. Rohrer. $300,000. USDA/NIFA AFRI Critical Agricultural Research and Extension. 9/1/20 to 8/31/23 (3 yr).

Other relevant accomplishments and activities

Joseph Zulovich is serving as director for Task Force 1 which addresses on-farm dairy production issues through the development of written resources called Guidelines. He also serves as member of Dairy Practices Council (DPC) Executive Board of Directors which includes planning for DPC Annual Conference.