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

Stakeholder Advisory Committee

• A stakeholder advisory committee was assembled to help set a direction for this project and to help us target the educations messages most critical to the industry. The committee is chaired by Boone McAfee, director or research for the Nebraska Corn Board, and includes 13 individuals from our three state region. A listing of members of the advisory committee is provided in Appendix A.
• An initial March 21, 2019 conversation was hosted with the advisory group with the intended outcome of capturing the advisory group’s experiences and perspectives for the following questions.:

1. 1. What are the barriers to manure utilization?
   2. What do farmers value most from animal manures?
   3. What are the services and education that would be helpful in decisions to utilize animal manures?
   4. Is this project delivering appropriate resources to support those services and education? (likely part of our longer term conversation)

The conversation produced an extensive set of notes that were summarized for each of the questions. Each identified benefit and barrier to manure use was identified as important to one or more of four audiences (crops farmer, livestock farmer, neighbor and public policy participant).

• Benefits were perceived or experience by the stakeholders specifically to four topics: 1) agronomic, 2) soil quality, 3) economic , and 4) water quality. However, generally agreed that many of these benefits are not commonly understood by many members of rural communities. A more extensive listing of “barriers” were identified by the stakeholder group that were generally summarized into topics of 1) logistics of manure access, 2) regulatory scrutiny, 3) agronomic shortcomings of manure, 4) neighbor or rural community concerns, 4) economic limitations, and 5) unrecognized benefits of manure. In addition the group identified critical educational needs or services important for encouraging manure utilization that targeted 1) guidance for crop producers making agronomic planning decisions, 2) guidance for crop farmers specific to integrating manure into a fertility program, 3) guidance to those brokering or advising on manure use, and 4) general public information design to provide an un-biased summary of community benefits and risks.
• The stakeholder advisory group again met in August 2019 to review and pilot test a Manure Use in Cropping Systems needs assessment survey that will be discussed in greater detail below.
• An additional conversation was held with 12 practitioners (NRCS and Extension professionals, private sector advisors and service providers) at the April 2019 Waste to Worth conference. This conversation helped us further refine our understanding of the same questions raised with our stakeholder advisory group.

Needs assessment survey

• Following the previously discussed stakeholder and practitioner conversations, the leadership team agreed to construct a needs assessment survey based upon input from the advisory group. Specifically, a need was identified to 1) separate out the “challenges” associated with manure from the “true barriers” that prevent manure utilization and 2) further refine our understanding of different audiences’ specific perceptions of manure’s benefits, challenges, and service requirements. We also encountered a shared interest in gathering this same data in conversations with American Agronomy Society Certified Crop Advisory program, Manure Manager magazine, and The Fertilizer Institute.
• The resulting survey (http://go.unl.edu/manure) was tested with several group and then released in December 2019 and promoted through February 2020 (see survey’s introductory page in Figure 1).  

Figure 1: Open page of the Manure Use in Cropping Systems survey

• Data was reviewed, summarized, and an initial summary of findings published in Fall 2020 by Manure Manager magazine, the ASA Crops and Soils magazine, and others. In addition, a presentation and paper was delivered at the 2020 International ASABE Conference (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Acceptance of proposal for presentation of survey results to 2020 ASABE International Conference.

Of the 1,140 survey responses that were initiated, 957 (84%) were completed. Results were heavily weighted towards participants from the Corn Belt and the High Plains regions of the United States (67%) with other regions of the U.S. and Canada represented by 21% and 12% of respondents, respectively. 

Year 1 Targeted Educational Messages.

• Based upon stakeholder advisory committee conversation, the Waste to Worth stakeholder conversation and the professional judgement of our leadership team, we agreed to target these educational topics during year 1:

For Crop Farmers and Their Advisors

1. 1. Benefit - How do I pick fields that gain the greatest economic value from manure’s nutrients?
   2. Benefits - What are the soil health benefits from manure? Are there economic benefits that will result?
   3. Barrier – How do I minimize the nuisance and odor risks my neighbors will experience when I use manure?
   4. Barrier - What does it cost ($’s, time & timeliness) to utilize manure?
   5. Barrier - How do I predict the reduction in inorganic fertilizer application when I apply manure? Are there complimentary roles for manure and fertilizer?
   6. Barrier – Are there environmental benefits for use manure that I can discuss with my neighbors?

For Rural Communities

1. 1. What best practices should I expect for land application of manure to protect my property?
   2. Good, Bad, and the Ugly for manure use and water quality protection in my community?
   3. Recycling local nutrients vs importing additional nutrients

For Animal Feeding Operations and Their Advisors

1. 1. Benefit - How do I pick fields that gain the greatest economic value from manure’s nutrients?
   2. Benefits - What are the soil health benefits from manure? Are there economic benefits that will result?
   3. How do I pick a fair value for the manure I wish to sell?
   4. Barrier – How do I minimize the nuisance and odor risks my neighbors will experience when I use manure?
   5. Barrier - How do I predict the reduction in inorganic fertilizer application when I apply manure? Are there complimentary roles for manure and fertilizer?

Nebraska On-Farm Research

• Nebraska implemented a pilot on-farm research (OFR) initiative in year 1 with the model to be applied in Iowa and Minnesota in year 2. Our activities associated with the NC SARE professional development project are leveraged with a complimentary grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to develop six on-farm research sites for animal manure and cedar mulch in Nebraska. This project also partners with local high school agriculture programs, local Extension professionals, and local Natural Resource District for the implementation of OFR projects and local application of resulting knowledge. The local high school agricultural programs were being exposed to concepts specific to OFR, manure management, and soil health.
• Locations of on-farm research partners and collaborating high school agriculture programs are illustrated in Figure 3. Our data collection for the project was carried out during 2020 in three sites where research was conducted during the 2019 cropping season (sites located close to Saint Paul, Pierce, and Ainsworth, NE). However, engagement with high school programs was prohibited during 2020 due to COVID-19. 

Figure 3. Statewide locations of on-farm research and high school agriculture program partners.

The following summarizes data collection that was performed during the 2020 growing season:

• • Soil Chemical Properties (Fall 2019): For all the sites, soil samples were taken up to a depth of 91 cm (36 in), in layers going from 0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in), 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in), 10 to 51 cm (8 to 20 in) and 51 to 91 cm (20 to 36 in). A single sample per plot was transported to a commercial laboratory to be analyzed for nutrient content (pH, Electric Conductivity, Organic Matter, Nitrates, Phosphorous, Potassium, and Cation Exchange Capacity).
  • Soil Physical Properties (Fall 2019): Bulk density was assessed for depths from 0 to 5 cm and 5 to 10 cm, using a bulk density soil sampling kit with a compact slide hammer. Sorptivity measurement was completed to determine initial water infiltration in the soil (Figure 4). Wet soil aggregate stability was measured from soil samples were collected in each field and processed using the wet-sieving method.
  • Crop yield (Fall 2019): Corn harvest was carried out using regular combine harvesters owned by the farmer partners, in 3 of the research sites. For the remaining site, a hand-harvest protocol was implemented; the surface area corresponding to the 1/1000^th part of an acre was collected (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Metal ring utilized in sorptivity measurement (left), and implementation of hand-harvesting protocol for one of the research sites (right).

• Soil Physical and Biological Properties (Summer 2019): Each active on-farm study site was visited at least once during the summer months to collect data around the impact of treatments (manure, cedar mulch and coal ash) on soil biology. Soil samples have been taken in each of the sites to extract, enumerate and identify soil arthropods (Figure 5). A training on identification of soil arthropods was provided by Dr. Julie Peterson (Faculty member in the UNL Department of Entomology) for students and staff working on the project to extract, enumerate and identify soil organisms that can be affected by the treatments under study.

Figure 5. Berlese funnels for soil arthropods extraction.

Minnesota and Iowa On-Farm Research

• Both Iowa and Minnesota established OFR at cooperating farms during 2021 with replicated  plot layout and manure applications conducted during spring 2021.

Guidance for Local On-Farm Research Implementation

In lieu of a "textbook style" guidance document on OFR implementation, team members developed an extensive, publicly available database of content related to OFR principles, outreach messaging, etc. that is available through lpelc.org.

Nebraska Professional Development

• Nebraska agreed to pilot a professional development during first half of 2020 with Iowa and Minnesota implementing their own professional development in last half of 2020 or first half of 2021.
• The Nebraska professional development consisted of 6 participant conversations (one hour remotely presented workshops) and an 8 hour face-to-face educational experience split equally between classroom and field experience. See program summary in Appendix B and sample promotional brochure for program in Appendix C.
• The Face to Face professional development purposes included:  

1. 1. Introduce Value of Manure topics that we would like educators to incorporate into local Extension awareness and educational programs.  
   2. Introduce educators to a model for implementing On-Farm Research (OFR) and field demonstrations focused on manure’s agronomic and soil health values;
   3. Demonstrate In-field activities and/or hands-on learning experience to be implemented locally with farmers.

• The purposes of the Participant Conversations included:

1. 1. Engage participants in conversation around targeted Manure Value topics to further enhance group’s ability and confidence relative to advising/educating clientele on these topics.
   2. Share experiences among participants relative to successes and challenges of engaging with local clientele.
   3. Encourage educators ability to use social media and local media in delivering Priority Educational Messages.

Manure Value Library

• Our team assembled educational products and decision tools that can be 1) re-purposed by extension educators for use in local program and 2) accessed by those advising farmers to assist in their identifying preferred resources for Value of Manure discussions. The Merits of Manure content library (see Figure 6) is designed to accomplish these goals. Educators are encouraged to share and re-purpose educational products in this library with local audiences. Advisors are encouraged to access recommended decision tools and educational products for enriching their discussions with clientele and rural community residents.

Figure 6. Front page for Value of Manure Library

• The initial release of the Merits of Manure library is found on the National Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community web site (https://lpelc.org/value-of-manure-library/ ).  The library is organized by the benefits and barriers identified by our Stakeholder Advisory Committee (see Figure 7) and address:
  • Manure as a fertilizer
  • Manure economics
  • Soil quality/health
  • Water quality benefits and impacts
  • Use in organic systems
  • Neighbors issues
  • Regulatory concerns
  • Logistics

Content is also organized by 1) social media, 2) short news articles and web pages, 3) educational publications, 4) decision support tools; and 5) recommended research articles. The organization of the content in Airtable is illustrated in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Content of Value of Manure library is organized using the commercial web product called Airtable. Content can be reviewed by benefits and barriers topics (shown below) and by type of media.

Selecting Land Application Sites Curricula

• The resources of this project were leveraged with a small grant from the North American Manure Expo to create a highly interactive learning experience with the intent of creating participant discussions leading to identifying preferred fields to receive animal manures. The intent of this curricula is to help audiences think through approaches that will maximize the benefits of manure application to a field and minimize the challenges associated with manure.
• A large 40” by 40” tabletop map (see Figure 8) was created with supporting resources (Figure 9) with several Animal Feeding Operations species options and four alternative manure application sites that can be placed on the map. Six to eight participants are gathered around the map and collectively decide which fields would be preferred for applying manure. The curriculum guides the participants through various exercises and discussions leading to placement of “Happy Manure Emojis” and “Sad Manure Emojis” that help the participants think through the benefits and challenges of each field. Planned exercises target answering these questions:

1. 1. How far will manure need to be transported to agronomically use the nitrogen and phosphorus in the manure?
   2. Which field will gain the greatest economic return from manure’s nutrients?
   3. What is the cost of transporting manure to each field?
   4. What are the higher water quality risks associated with each field?
   5. Which fields will benefit most from soil health improvements?
   6. How do I use a weather forecast to avoid an “odor inversion” that may impact neighbors?

Figure 8. Tabletop map used as the game board for discussions of how to maximize manure’s benefits and minimize its challenges.

Figure 9. Supporting resources for the Selecting Land Application Sites curricula.

These interactions regularly lead to additional discussion among participants relative to other decision factors such as local infrastructure, logistics of moving manure longer distances, etc.

A team of four extension field educators, two extension specialists, two regulatory agency representatives, a private sector advisor, and a graphic art specialists teamed up to produce and pilot test this map with 100 animal feeding operation managers in Nebraska and 100+ manure applicators in Minnesota during fall 2019 and winter 2020.

The exercise has since been delivered during Nebraska Land Application Training programs in 2021 and 2022 to nearly 200 permitted AFO operators.

Work Groups

Appendix A: Participants in Stakeholder Advisory Committee.

Appendix B: Professional Development Agenda - Nebraska

Professional Development Session (8 hour classroom and field experience) Purpose:  

1. Introduce Value of Manure topics that we would like educators to incorporate into local Extension awareness and educational programs.  
2. Introduce educators to a model for implementing On-Farm Research (OFR) and field demonstrations focused on manure’s agronomic and soil health values;
3. Demonstrate In-field activities and/or hands-on learning experience to be implemented locally with farmers.

Participant Conversations (six one-hour distance delivered sessions) Purpose:  

1. Engage participants in conversation around targeted Manure Value topics to further enhance group’s ability and confidence relative to advising/educating clientele on these topics.
2. Share experiences among participants relative to successes and challenges of engaging with local clientele.
3. Encourage educators’ ability to use social media and local media in delivering Priority Educational Messages (shown below)

 Face to Face Agenda

Classroom Experience - March 23 12:45 to 3:30 PM

Field Demonstration (March 24 for all Non-Extension Participants. March 25 for Extension Educators.)

Participant Conversations. (Six 60-minutes or less Zoom Sessions).

All workshops will include discussion of participant successes and challenges.

Appendix C: Sample promotional brochure.