By Leslie Johnson - Animal Manure Management Project Coordinator
Responsible management and utilization of livestock manure is critical to ensure that manure fertilizer and soil quality benefits are maximized while potential environmental and social risks are minimized. Nitrogen leaching to groundwater and phosphorus runoff to surface water are potential water quality concerns that can result when manure is not handled as recommended. By properly applying livestock manure to meet crop fertilizer needs, nutrients that are fed to livestock and excreted in manure can be utilized to produce crops that are, in turn, fed back to livestock. While there are costs associated with collecting, storing, and land-applying livestock manure, these costs can be recovered through increased crop yields and/or decreased input costs from purchased inorganic fertilizers.
Farmers and others responsible for land application of manure are encouraged to participate in either the online course (https://water.unl.edu/lat-online) or the in-person workshops (https://water.unl.edu/lat). Both types of trainings are approved programs for livestock producers who are required to complete manure education training every five years as part of their waste control facility permit issued by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
The workshops and online course are designed to help farmers increase the economic value of manure and to understand and implement the nutrient management planning requirements of Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality regulations. Topics covered include: updates on manure management regulations, value of manure as a fertilizer and soil amendment, biosecurity on livestock operations, and more. Anyone currently using manure or considering adding manure to their cropping system fertility program is encouraged to participate.
REGISTERING FOR THE TRAININGS
Registration is required (https://water.unl.edu/lat) for all in-person Land Application Training events and two attendance options are offered (table of options https://go.unl.edu/kaz9): a full-day session (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for those seeking initial certification and a two-hour session (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.) for those seeking recertification. A $60 fee per operation, which includes attendance by one representative of the operation, will be charged for the full-day workshops. For each additional attendee from that operation, an additional $15 fee is required to cover site-specific costs, including lunch. Attendance for the two-hour session costs $30 for each participant.
For the Online Course, the materials are free, but participants must register and pay a $60 fee to gain access to the exams that must be completed to receive certification. The online course can be accessed at: https://water.unl.edu/lat-online.
Land Application Training opportunities are provided by the Nebraska Extension Animal Manure Management Team, which is dedicated to helping livestock and crop producers responsibly utilize manure resources for agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits
________________________________________
This article was reviewed by Charles Shapiro, NE Extension Soils Specialist and Amy Schmidt, NE Extension Livestock Bioenvironmental Engineer