Nutrient Management Plans as Tools to Achieve Sustainable Animal Waste Utilization

Nutrient Management Plans as Tools to Achieve Sustainable Animal Waste Utilization

Summary

Objectives
1.) To provide training and new technology developments to Cooperative Extension Service (CES) county extension agents, Kentucky State University small farm assistants, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) district conservationists, private consultant and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in nutrient management planning and animal waste management.

This training provides farmers with the most current technical and integrative informational tools to assist in developing nutrient management plans and to comply with recent guideline requirements of the Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations regarding the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP).

2.) To bring agriculture trainers, advisors, and leaders together to learn about the issue of nutrient management and its relationship to sustainable agriculture.

Activities
The target participants are farmers, NRCS district conservationists and local conservation district employees that deal with water quality issues, NGOs, county extension agents, small farm assistants, and private consultants (certified crop advisors, etc.). They are identified through representative members on a training development committee. Letters, memorandums, and personal contact will promote and solicit participation, including production agriculture farmers.

Four (possibly five), three-day workshop sessions will be held at locations throughout Kentucky. An on-farm nutrient management planning exercise will comprise the third session at each training location.
The training curriculum is being presented in classrooms, on working farm operations, and through the internet.

On-farm visits will include the development of nutrient management plans for livestock operations. This training will also include some elements of stream and watershed monitoring assessment using Kentucky Agriculture Watershed Awareness Program.

This project builds upon knowledge gained from a previous SARE funded project in Kentucky, Project #98-0409-03 (ES97-28), that provided farm leaders with sustainable agriculture water quality leadership training at the grassroots level. This new project prepares professionals and farm leaders to work together in an interagency environment in addressing nutrient management and related education and recommendation guidelines.

Participants will complete a pre-training evaluation assessment to determine the level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes about animal waste utilization and nutrient management planning. Participants will complete a post-training assessment to determine what they learned from the training sessions.

A follow-up survey of participants will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of project manuals and internet courses used as educational materials.

The percentage and number of participants from different organizations that completed training will also be used as an indicator of success.

Collaborators: