Efficient Management and Use of Animal Manure to Protect Human Health and Environmental Quality

Increase the current effort to develop and evaluate management practices and
treatment technologies that reduce air emissions of ammonia and odor causing
compounds from animal production operations, manure storage areas, and field
application sites. The overall goal of the research project formulated in a real
partnership between ARS and Western Kentucky University (WKU) is to conduct cost
effective and problem solving research associated with animal waste management.

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The
research will evaluate management practices and treatment strategies that protect
water quality, reduce atmospheric emissions, and control pathogens at the animal
production facilities, manure storage areas, and field application sites,
particularly for the unique karst topography. This Project is a unique situation in
the sense that non-ARS scientists from a university are included in a research
project to conduct research under the same National Program. Hence, to achieve the
ultimate goal of this project, the integration and coordination of scientific
expertise of the scientists from ARS and WKU are required within and across all
objectives.

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Nutrient Component <BR>
Objective 1: Develop management practices and decision tools for long-term use of
animal manure as an alternative source of fertilizer for forages and row crops with
regard to the following factors: Impacts on crop yield, nutrient loading,
availability and uptake, application rate and timing, tillage, methods of
application, soil quality, and soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas
emissions.<BR>
Objective 2: Determine if nutrient loading from agricultural watersheds in karst
terrain is a function of physical watershed characteristics.<BR> <BR>
Emission Component<BR>
Objective 3: Reduce odiferous emissions by developing innovative molecular-based
methods to identify and quantify microorganisms and biological activities responsible
for production of odorous compounds in livestock wastes.<BR>
Objective 4: Develop new analytical approaches to quantify gases (e.g. methane,
H2S), volatile odor compounds (e.g. p-cresol, skatole, and other VOCs) and evaluate
treatment technologies for odor abatement at animal production facilities and manureapplied
fields.<BR> <BR>
Pathogen Component<BR>
Objective 5: Employ molecular-based methods to improve detection, quantification,
and evaluation of transport, and survival of pathogens including Salmonella and E.
coli O157:H7 from animal manure. Also, compare survival of these pathogens with
indicator organisms through a series of laboratory and watershed studies.