Released October 1, 2008
Manure provides nutrients for farm fields and also improves soil quality and tilth. Mark Risse, University of Georgia professor, will give an overview of the science of manure to lead off the free monthly manure management Webcast from eXtension Oct. 17.
Risse is one of three university specialists who will discuss the impacts of manure application on runoff and soil erosion, water holding capacity of soils and the need for irrigation.
They will talk about manure from an organic farm systems perspective and discuss compost effects on soil quality. They also will discuss the liming effect of some manures including poultry litter, mineralization rates including carbon mineralization and salt accumulation.
Washington State University researchers Craig Cogger and Ann-Marie Fortuna will join Risse. Cogger is a soil scientist who has extensive experience with compost methods and using biosolids. His current research is on organic and sustainable cropping systems.
Fortuna is a faculty member in soil biology. Her research emphasis is to determine the role of organisms in plant nutrient acquisition and health and trace the fate of pathogens and beneficial organisms in the environment.
The Friday, Oct. 17 session begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
The Webcasts are hosted by the Livestock and Poultry Environmental (LPE) Learning Center, an information resource developed by more than 150 experts from land-grant universities, agencies and other organizations. The center is part of the national eXtension interactive Web resource customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites.
The Webcast meeting room opens 15 minutes before the start time. Go to http://www.extension.org/wiki/Live_Webcast_Information to view.
LPE Learning Center
The center advocates that individuals involved in public policy issues, animal production and delivery of technical services for animal producers should have on-demand access to the nation's best science-based resources. Articles about animal manure management are at http://www.extension.org/animal+manure+management.
eXtension is an educational partnership helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. The eXtension site is http://www.extension.org. Land-grant universities were founded on the ideals that higher education should be accessible to all, that colleges should teach liberal and practical subjects and share knowledge with people throughout their states.
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Contacts: Jill Heemstra, University of Nebraska, (402) 748-3909, jheemstra@unl.edu
Lynette Spicer, Iowa State University, (515) 294-1327, lspicer@iastate.edu
