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Termination Report
Six State Consortium on Animal Waste Management
EPA Project # R-82735001
May 31, 2005
Executive Summary
The Six State Consortium on Animal Waste Management is composed of scientist from
Iowa State University, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University,
Oklahoma State University, Purdue University and the University of Missouri. The
Consortium was initially funded by a commitment of $75,000 each ($450,000) from the
six collaborating universities and a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The Consortium benefited from an additional $1.95 million from
EPA and significant matching support from the collaborating universities and the private
sector. The Consortium was coordinated by personnel at the University of Missouri.
Scientist teams from two or more of the cooperating institutions had to jointly develop a
project proposal and be selected by peer review to receive funding from the Consortium.
A total of 18 projects, involving 46 investigators and numerous graduate and
undergraduate students, were supported by the Consortium during the period 1999
through 2004. The research supported by the Consortium can be grouped into three
general areas:
1. New technologies to improve the management of animal wastes, water quality
and air quality.
2. Diet modifications that can help reduce potential pollutants from animal wastes.
3. Knowledge for improved land application of animal waste, including “willingness
to pay” on the part of producers and potential buyers of swine and poultry waste.
The funded projects were selected from more than 140 proposals that were submitted to
the Consortium for review and potential funding. A summary list of projects,
publications and accomplishments can be found at
http://www.cafnr.missouri.edu/research/consortium/default.asp
Significant impacts of the Consortium-supported research are:
1. New diet formulations that minimize undigested phosphorus in swine and
poultry feces have been broadly adopted by commercial producers that grow
at least 50 percent of grow-finish pigs and 30 percent of broilers. This is adding
millions of dollars to producer profits (estimated to exceed $15 million per
year) and reducing potential phosphorus pollution by animals to lakes and
streams by more than 25 percent.
2. Low cost modifications in industry-accepted swine diets that substitute
inexpensive synthetic amino acids (lysine, methionine, threonine and
tryptophan) for some soybean ingredients (reducing crude protein by four
percentage units) reduced nitrogen excretion in swine by 33-45 percent and had
no effect on growth or performance. Phosphorus excretion was also reduced
by 50- 60 percent.
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3. Modified diet formulations that reduce the potential of copper and zinc
pollution from swine wastes but do not retard growth rates or feed efficiency
have been proven cost effective for both young and finishing pigs. The diet
formulas are being rapidly adopted and should add several millions of dollars to
swine profits within three years.
4. Internet-based software tools (the Manure Management Planner and the Spatial
Nutrient Management Planner) were significantly improved to make them easier
for farmers/producers to use. Consequently, the tools are the primary waste
application planning tools used in 10 states and MMP has been adopted by
USDA-NRCS as the only nationally funded and supported software program
for nutrient management planning by that agency.
5. A Near-infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectography technique that gives rapid
predictions of constituents in animal and poultry waste was developed. The new
NIR technique that reduces analysis time from days to hours predicts: Total
solids, Volatile solids, Total nitrogen and Ammonia nitrogen for six forms of
manure. The technique also predicts phosphorus content accurately for swine
slurry, lagoon liquid and beef cattle feedlot manure.
6. A soybean oil and water misting system was evaluated that improves the
environment inside large swine finishing buildings by reducing air ammonia by
19%, total suspended solids by 35-63% and particulate matter of 10 microns in
size by 67-70%. The system is requiring further testing because of the buildup of
residues and the increased possibility of accidents due to slick surfaces.
7. A “new concept” belt system with a convex shape so liquids flow off into gutters
that are positioned along each side of the belt and solids remain on the belt and
are conveyed out of the housing unit has been developed and tested. By
achieving manure and urine separation as excreted by the animal, bacterial urease
(present in the feces) has limited opportunity to metabolize the urea in urine to
ammonia and carbon dioxide, giving improved water and air quality. The
evaluated belt system has received excellence acceptance and endorsement as a
“next generation” waste management system that minimizes odor and ammonia
volatilization and separates liquids and solids for processing to value-added
products for off-farm use or marketing.
8. In controlled experiments, it was common to get runoff of reactive P from
waste-receiving pasture land that exceeded regulatory limits from poultry
litter for up to one year after the poultry litter was surface applied.
9. Incorporation of manures into both tilled cropland and pasture land had a
statistically significant impact in reducing phosphorus loss from run-off due
to rainfall events. Surface application increased dissolved reactive P losses by up
to 30X and total P losses by 4X, compared to incorporated manure.
10. A feasibility study on mining sludge as a phosphorus and potassium fertilizer for
crop production from the lagoon at a 1500 sow farrow-finish operation that had
been in operation nine years was conducted. The sludge layer produced an
estimated 0.7 million pounds of phosphate and 0.1 million pounds of potash,
valued at approximately $150,000 in 515,000 cubic feet of sludge.
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The Six State Consortium on Animal Waste Management: Research Knowledge for
Environmental Quality and Animal Waste Management
The research conducted by the Consortium’s scientist teams can be grouped into three
general areas:
1. New technologies to improve the management of animal wastes, water quality
and air quality.
2. Diet modifications that can help reduce potential pollutants from animal wastes.
3. Knowledge for improved land application of animal waste, including “willingness
to pay” on the part of producers and potential buyers of swine and poultry waste.
1. New Technologies to Improve the Management of Animal Wastes
In the project “Near Infrared Technology to Determine Manure Nutrients”
researchers at Iowa State and Oklahoma State universities developed Near-infrared
Reflectance (NIR) spectography techniques that allow rapid predictions of constituents in
animal and poultry waste. The ISU/OSU project conceptualized and calibrated the
process that uses NIR to predict: Total solids, Volatile solids, Total nitrogen and
Ammonia nitrogen for six forms of manure. The techniques can also predict phosphorus
accurately for swine slurry, lagoon liquid and beef cattle feedlot manure. The techniques
perfected on the original NIRs machine (master machine) were also successfully
transferred to a different model NIRs machine to demonstrate the robustness of the
predictive model.
In addition to providing a useful, real-time analytic tool for livestock producers and
animal waste management practitioners, this research resulted in one Masters thesis, one
PhD dissertation and six journal articles or proceedings papers.
Two projects (“Improving Measurement of Emissions from Poultry Houses” and
“Measurement and Control of Aerial Pollutant Emissions from Swing Finishing
Houses”) involving collaborators from Purdue, Iowa State and Missouri developed
means for assessing ventilation, particulates and odors and improving air quality both
inside and external to swine and poultry houses. The results from these studies
complimented and reinforced prior findings regarding (a) ventilation systems/methods
and (b) measures for reducing dust as they impact environmental quality in and around
animal facilities.
Swine: The swine study evaluated the effects of soybean oil sprinkling (SOS), misting of
essential oils containing the phenolic compounds thymol and carvacrol (MEO), and
misting of essential oils and water (MEOW) on ammonia (NH3) hydrogen sulfide (H2S),
non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), total suspended particulates (TSP), particulate
matter less that ten microns diameter (PM10), and odor.
Measurements taken at one minute intervals were recorded for 8/27/02 to 7/21/03 at two
identical fan-ventilated swine finishing barns that were flushed several times daily with
lagoon effluent. TSP and PM10 were monitored using real-time PM monitors. Gas
concentrations were measured with one set of analyzers; sharing time between both barns
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and ambient air. The tests consisted of four trials over three pig groups (cycles): SOS for
the first and second cycles, MEO for the second cycle and MEOW for the third cycle.
Some significant findings were:
Barns treated with SOS resulted in 19% less NH3; 35-63% less TSP; 67-70% less
PM10; and (in one trial) 30% less H2S and odor.
MEO and MEOW results were similar to SOS with the exception of H2S, where
concentrations were significantly higher than for SOS. H2S for these treatments
was also much higher than in the control barn (had no misting).
Daily mean NH3 concentration was directly proportional to pig activity and
inversely proportional to both indoor and outdoor temperature. Higher
temperatures led to higher ventilation rates that diluted indoor gas concentrations.
Average daily mean H2S concentration and emission rates were 98 ppb and 0.72
grams/day/animal unit. These are both significantly lower than mean
concentration found for a comparable finishing barn with deep-pit manure storage
(173 ppb and 8.3 g/d/AU). Using flushing to remove manure every few hours
suppressed anaerobic reactions in the barn, resulting in lower indoor H2S
concentrations.
There were 4-8 minute long H2S concentration bursts following the 2 minute
manure flushing events using effluent for the anaerobic lagoon to flush the barn.
Poultry: The project on “Improving Measurement of Emissions from Poultry Houses”
was path-breaking in nature. The Purdue and Iowa State University study developed
standard protocols for field sampling and measurement of odor, hydrogen sulfide,
ammonia, particulate matter, and carbon dioxide emitted from poultry buildings. Base
line emissions were measured for six months (completed in June 2002) at a 250,000-hen
laying house and spatial and temporal variation of concentrations and emissions were
assessed.
Long path FTIR, electrochemical, photoacoustic infrared and chemiluminescence
ammonia analyzers were compared. Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide were measured
using pulsed-fluorescence, and photoacoustic infrared sensors, respectively (Lim et al.,
2003a). Particulate matter was measured with a tapered element oscillating microbalance
(Lim et al., 2003c). Fan operation was monitored along with building static pressure (Lim
et al., 2003b). More accurate measurements of fan airflows were made possible by
laboratory testing two fans at the University of Illinois to determine actual derated fan
performance. A new FANS (fan assessment numeration system) unit designed by the
ARS Poultry Research Unit, Mississippi State University and constructed by the
University of Illinois was calibrated and used to measure airflow of 22 other fans in the
barn. Nine large shrouded impeller anemometers were used to continuously monitor
airflow rate and a small open impeller anemometer was pilot tested.
Among the study findings:
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The ventilation and emission rate measurements were significantly improved by
utilizing the as-found ventilation rate which was 40% lower than obtained by
using published fan data.
The chemiluminescence ammonia analyzer is more sensitive than the
photoacoustic infrared analyzer at ambient concentrations but the analyzers
agreed well at higher concentrations measured in the barn exhaust air. The
photoacoustic infrared analyzer showed a more stable performance at high
ammonia concentrations than the chemiluminescence analyzer.
The radial plume modeling method as applied in this study apparently
underestimated barn emission rates by 72% to 98% based on four 60-sec sampling
runs.
The mean airflow based on the carbon dioxide balance method was 26% lower
than the mean airflow based on the fan performance curves and fan monitoring.
Impact of Study
This study was the first emission monitoring project that attempted to monitor so
many large exhaust fans (75 fans) for a long period of time (6.5 months). It was
the most comprehensive study of a single layer barn at the time the study was
completed. The methods and equipment developed, and the quality assurance and
quality control experiences learned in this project were directly applied to a
USDA-funded six-state study of swine and poultry barn emissions that was
conducted between late 2002 and early 2004, is being applied to an two-site layer
barn air quality measurement in Ohio from 2004 to 2006, and will be applied to a
two year national air emissions monitoring study scheduled, at publication of this
study, to begin in 2006.
The lessons learned from air flow measurement in this project led to a new
method of detecting the vibration of the fan housing with an inexpensive vibration
sensor that allows the status of each individual fan to be positively monitored.
The use of a calibrated open vane anemometer was pilot tested during this study.
Since then, it has been used by several universities to measure barn emissions
more accurately.
This project confirmed the validity of using a less expensive ammonia monitor
(IR) to monitor high concentrations of ammonia at layer barns. Since this project,
several other universities have begun to utilize this same instrument to back up
the chemiluminescence method or as the sole instrument.
In the project, Internet-Based Computer Programs for Comprehensive Nutrient
Management Planning and Record-Keeping, researchers at Purdue, Michigan State
and Missouri focused their efforts on improving existing internet-based software tools for
record-keeping and making decisions about applying animal wastes: the Manure
Management Planner (MMP) and the Spatial Nutrient Management Planner (SNMP).
Both software programs were significantly improved to make them easier to use by both
livestock producers and the public/private advisors who assist them. The team also
successfully developed training tools, including example plans for several states.
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The team further developed and implemented two recordkeeping options for users of
MMP and SNMP. One tool is a simple record-keeper for tracking manure applications as
a custom tool for MMP. The other option is a far more comprehensive crop production
recordkeeping software program called WinMax. Multiple options for importing soil test
data directly into MMP have been developed. One option uses a universal import
capability that can be used in any software capable of recognizing Extensible Markup
Language (XML). Eight soil test laboratories provided their soil test export format to
Michigan State University developers who converted this export format to a transfer
support language (TSL) format called the TSL Parser 1. Soil test results from these
laboratories can now be directly imported to MMP using the TSL format. In addition,
Purdue University developers have developed a direct soil test import format for four soil
test laboratories as a custom tool implementation in MMP. The imported soil test data
can then be exported as a .dbf file for use in any other software program. The research
team linked MMP and SNMP so users in the 9 states supported by SNMP can lay out
farm and field boundaries as well as manure application setbacks for all states with soils
data where available in SNMP and finish the manure management planning process in
MMP.
SNMP is now available in all of the lower 48 states. MMP will be available in 40 states
by the end of 2005. The programs work together to complete the tasks to create a
nutrient management plan. Many states have worked independently or with Purdue
University to develop state-specific templates for creating a nutrient management plan
including Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, and Oregon. The research team provided training in all the mentioned states,
and several others, on use of the software. In Missouri, training is being conducted for all
NRCS nutrient management planners, all interested University Extension personnel,
consultants and industry representatives.
The research team has web sites that explain the extensive support information developed
for the programs including tutorials (SNMP at http://www.cares.missouri.edu/snmp/ and
MMP at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/mmp/).
Even though Consortium funding has been expended, the group continues to work
together to develop, expand and improve the capabilities and coordination of SNMP and
MMP. This is the only coordinated effort to provide nationally available software for
nutrient management planning that includes extensive state-specific recommendations
and regulatory restrictions. The long-term plan is to have MMP available for 48 states.
As a result of the progress made in MMP development through support provided by
the Multi-State Animal Waste Consortium, MMP has been adopted by USDA-
NRCS as the only nationally funded and supported software program for nutrient
management planning by that agency. In addition, both MMP and SNMP are now
receiving national funding from the US-EPA for further improving these software tools to
implement the nutrient management planning components of the AFO/CAFO regulations
released by EPA December 15, 2002. Any nutrient management software capable of
recognizing XML can use the XML-based soil test import functionality developed by
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Michigan State University. The support provided for this project by the Consortium and
ERA has allowed MMP and SNMP become the standard software tools for nutrient
management planning throughout the US. This project has exceeded even the most
ambitious initial expectations of the research team.
The project, Comparison of new Swine Manure Collection Techniques for Improved
Nutrient Utilization and Removal from the Waste Stream, involved a team of
researchers from North Carolina State, Michigan State and Iowa State. Their research
focused on the design and management of different types of swine facilities to assess the
potential to capture valuable nutrients in the waste stream, reduce ammonia volatilization,
reduce odor, and improve animal performance. They compared the Iowa deep-bedded
hoop structure, the Ohio High-Rise Hog Building, the Michigan Pit With Scraper System
and the North Carolina Belt System.
Iowa Hoop Structure: This study investigated the mass flow of nutrients through
alternative swine production systems, with a focus on solid manure handling systems in
what is commonly referred to as a hoop-house structure.
Swine hoop structures are a naturally ventilated housing system where the pigs are raised
on a bedded manure pack. This bedded pack begins a natural composting process inside
the building, providing supplemental heat for the pigs, and this composting process can
continue after hoop cleanout if the manure is stacked before application.
Composting is known to release ammonia and greenhouse gases, but little data is
available on the extent of those releases from bedded swine production systems. One of
the challenges to collecting such data is the lack of controlled inlets and outlets in
naturally ventilated buildings. Because emission rates are typically calculated by
multiplying gas concentration by air flowrate, without a reliable flowrate measurement
this traditional approach cannot be used.
An European-tested measurement strategy uses known inputs of an inert tracer gas to
provide a benchmark to related downstream concentration measurements back to the
original source. This system is considered state-of-the-art for measuring gas emissions
from naturally ventilated structures, but had not been applied to swine systems in the US
prior to this study. In principle, the European system should provide a reproducible
measurement of emissions. It assumes complete mixing of the tracer and emitted gases
in the structure and no separation of plumes downwind.
In this study, detailed profiles of downwind plumes demonstrated that the European
assumptions did not always hold. Because of inadequate mixing and plume separation,
gas emission estimates varied with sampling location as well as time. Large numbers of
samples and statistical averaging techniques provide better estimates of actual emissions,
but additional development work is needed for this method to be practical and widely
applied. However, the extensive data provided by this study did indicate several
important results.
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Methane emissions from hoop structures are lower than have been reported for
other livestock housing systems, ammonia emissions are comparable, and nitrous
oxide emissions are higher. Although methane and nitrous oxide emission rates
were comparable, because nitrous oxide is 15 times as potent a greenhouse gas as
methane (and has three hundred times the potency of carbon dioxide), nitrous
oxide was the most environmentally significant air emission observed.
While there was no statistically significant relationship between gas emissions
and bedded pack characteristics, some evidence suggests these emissions do
fluctuate in response to bedding management and particularly the introduction of
large round bales.
Additional research is needed to develop bedding management strategies that
reduce gas emissions and minimize their environmental impact.
Outputs from this effort include four conference papers already submitted, with two
journal articles and a Ph.D. dissertation (in Statistics) in preparation.
Ohio High-Rise Building: The High Rise Hog Building (HRHB) System at Ohio State
University provided comparative date on nutrient preservation and losses for that
specialized building type. Among the significant findings were.
N, P and K losses: 57, 23, and 49% respectively of the total N, P, and K inputs
(including the part from the amendment used for composting) were lost from the
whole HRHB system. Approximately 17% of the nitrogen, 3 % of the
phosphorus, and 4 % of the potassium were lost during composting (based on an
average of three 100 day composting trials).
Ammonia concentration in the HRHB: the average “in building” ammonia
concentration in winter was 16.2 6.3 ppm based on all measurements at two
different levels in the hog area.
Ammonia emission rates from the HRHB: were calculated based on
measurements of ammonia concentration and airflow rates across the exhaust
fans. In winter, ammonia was released from the building at a rate of
approximately 12.4 4.5 g NH3/pig/day, which was about 33% of the total
nitrogen loss from the HRHB. In summer, ammonia emission was approximately
14.4 5.1 g NH3/pig/day, probably due to higher ventilation rates. The nitrogen
loss through ammonia emission was around 37% of the total nitrogen loss from
the HRHB in summer. The rest of the nitrogen loss could be due to the loss of
other nitrogenous gases such as N2, N2O and NOx or to nitrogen contained in
leachates.
Compared to a conventional hog farm where 55% of the total P imported into the
farm accumulates in stored liquids, and 90% of this accumulates in the lagoon
(Nelson and Mikkelsen, 2001), the HRHB system had less than half the
phosphorous accumulation in the liquid fraction (23% of total P input). About 40
to 47 % of total P was stored in animal and the rest was in the compost product. In
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another words, the HRHB could significantly reduce the potential of phosphorous
pollutions to surface and ground water.
The nitrogen loss of 3.86 kg N/pig for pigs growing between 20 kg and 120 kg
from the High Rise Hog building was comparable to that of 3.0 kg N/pig for pigs
growing between 25 kg and 105 kg in a deep litter system (Thelosen et al., 1993)
and to 3.9 kg N/pig for pigs between 23 kg and 117 kg reported for a hoop
structure growing system (Garrison et al., 2001). In the HRHB system, about 34
to 36% of the total nitrogen input remained in the marketed animals. This is
comparable to 33-35% reported by Dourmad et al. (1999). They also reported that
17 to 19% of the N intake was present in the feces and 45 to 50% in the urine.
Michigan Pit With Scraper System: This system uses a V-shaped pit floor with scraper
installed beneath the slatted floor. Feces and other solids stick on the pit floor slope and
are scraped to a collection point. The liquid, including urine, runs to a center pipe and is
pumped to a holding tank.
A primary objective of research with the Michigan system was to determine the efficacy
of the system to isolate phosphorus in the collected solid fraction; determine the efficacy
of isolating water and urine; measure the ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations
in the buildings with the system; determine the P balance for grow-finish pigs and
determine pig performance.
The research results showed 97% of the P, 89% of the K and 70% of the N was
accounted for in a mass balance analysis. Ammonia concentration never exceeded 7.5
ppm and hydrogen sulfide never reached the minimum detection level of 0.5 ppm.
Average daily gain was 0.86 kg. and feed efficiency was 2.53.
North Carolina Belt System: Two belt systems have been evaluated at North Carolina
State under the Development of Environmentally Superior Technologies Program
described at:
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/smithfield_projects/smithfieldsite.htm#technologies.
The belt system for swine waste removal and utilization is a single component or unit
process for a total swine waste production/waste management system. The pilot scale
system constructed and evaluated is for a swine finishing facility consisting of five pens
that contain a total of fifteen pigs and provides 7.94 square feet of floor space per pig.
Flooring in the pens is slotted which allows the waste to drop through the floor to the belt
below. The belt has a convex shape so the liquids flow off into gutters that are positioned
along each side of the belt. Solids remain on the belt and are conveyed out of the housing
unit. By achieving manure and urine separation as excreted by the animal, bacterial
urease, which is present in the feces, has limited opportunity to metabolize the urea in
urine to ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Approximately 90% of the phosphorus, copper and zinc is in the solid portion of the
waste and can be readily transported off farm for further processing. Greater than 60% of
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the nitrogen is in the liquid portion of the waste stream can then be further treated or
recovered for off farm utilization. A reduction in overall liquid treatment volume and
cost is also realized because liquid and solids are not mixed and flush or pit pre-charge
water is not used with the belt system. The separation of solids and liquid and their
frequent removal from the barn environment by the belt system has the potential benefits
of reduced odor and ammonia volatilization and improved animal performance.
The belt system provides a platform for alternative waste utilization strategies for
converting manure constituents to value-added products for off-farm use and thereby
greatly reduces the land acreage required for terminal land application.
The evaluated belt systems have received excellence acceptance and endorsement as a
“next generation” waste management system that minimizes odor and ammonia
volatilization and separates liquids and solids for processing to value-added products for
off-farm use or marketing. Collaborative projects are being conducted with several belt
and hog equipment companies to provide a belt system for new facilities at the North
Carolina State University Lake Wheeler Field Laboratory and for a full-scale new house
or as a retrofit for an existing house.
2. Diet Modifications that Help Reduce Potential Pollutants from Animal Wastes
Consortium researchers contributed to path-breaking nutrition research on reducing
phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc and copper in animal wastes. Diet modification is the
simplest, most economical and direct way to impact water and environmental quality
issues involving confined livestock. Among the findings:
Use of phytate, an inexpensive feed additive, in swine and poultry rations will
dependably reduce phosphorus excretion in feces and urine by approximately 40
percent, but can range from 30 to 50 percent depending on age of animals and the
combination of feed ingredients. Progressive producers are rapidly adopting this
research finding and positively addressing the potential problem of phosphorus
overload on land where animal wastes are spread. Researchers estimate this
dietary improvement has been adopted by producers of over 50 percent of
the pigs in the U.S.
Research showed that feeding grow-finish pigs supplemental phosphorus to
125% of NRC requirements increased phosphorus excretion by 11 to 16 percent
over the 100% level and increased diet cost.
Newly developed varieties of corn and soybean that have been bred to be low-
phytate (i.e., have high phosphorus availability, HAP) are effective means for
developing rations that give large reductions in phosphorus excretion. However,
the HAP varieties are not being marketed because the private seed companies
cannot obtains sufficient profits to justify developing the production and
marketing system that would be required, i.e., feeding the supplemental phytate
enzyme is more cost-effective.
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A Purdue study with 48 grow-finish steers obtained no significant phosphorus
reduction in feces from feeding 0.10% phytase (600 FTUs) in four different
common rations. There was a small reduction in ammonia emissions.
Research by Consortium scientists on feeding phytase to dairy cows to reduce
phosphorus excretion is inconclusive. A study at Purdue University obtained at
45 percent reduction in fecal phosphorus, but studies at Iowa State and Michigan
State did not find significant phosphorus reductions from feeding similar rations
that included phytase. Phosphorus excretion is highly correlated to phosphorus
intake, i.e., Phosphorus excretion = phosphorus intake minus phosphorus
removed in milk.
Low cost modifications in industry-accepted swine diets that substitute
inexpensive synthetic amino acids (lysine, methionine, threonine and
tryptophan) for some soybean ingredients (reducing crude protein by four
percentage units) reduced nitrogen excretion in swine by 33-45 percent and
had no effect on growth performance. Further, aerial ammonia in confinement
buildings where pigs were fed the diets containing synthetic amino acids were
significantly lower than in barns where pigs were fed standard corn-soy rations,
according to olfactometry panels. Progressive swine producers are already
incorporating these finding into their feed formulations.
Pigs fed balanced diets with synthetic amino acids had phosphorus excretion
that was more than 60 percent less (4 g/day vs 10.5 g/day) than standard,
industry-accepted rations.
Manure Production and Composition from Current Swine Genetic Lines
Research was conducted at the University of Missouri, Michigan State University and
Purdue University with the objective to determine the volume and composition of manure
and animal performance from different genetic lines of pigs. Digestibility trials, small
scale group feeding trials, or on-farm studies were conducted with 7 different genetic
lines. Standard commercial diets (control) and treatment diets (low nutrient excretion;
LNE) were evaluated.
Animal performance and carcass quality were similar when comparing the standard
commercial diet to the LNE diets (a combination of various diet modification practices
such as low crude protein, synthetic amino acid addition, high available phosphorus
(HAP) corn, phytase, low sulfur minerals and highly available zinc).
There was considerable variation in manure production from pigs fed the LNE diets. In
some cases, manure volume was increased especially when fiber sources (soy hulls) were
added to the diet. Water wastage or reduced water consumption may have contributed to
this variation.
Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion varied with level of protein in the diet, availability of
the nitrogen and phosphorus, and nutrient retention in the pig. As expected the amounts
of nutrients excreted varied with age of pig. The ranges of nitrogen and phosphorus
excretion reductions with diet were 7 to 55% and 7 to 66%, respectively.
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The range for nitrogen excretion (on a gram/pig/day basis) between the genetic lines was
within the estimated values reported by the Midwest Plan Service, NRCS and the ASAE.
The phosphorus excretion from these genetic lines was much less than the estimates
reported by the Midwest Plan Service, NRCS and the ASAE and would be significantly
less with the use of phytase, reducing the safety margin and if HAP corn would become
commercially available.
Data from this research can be used by pork producers to estimate manure production
values and composition in the development of comprehensive nutrient management
plans.
Project Highlights
1. Manure production values can vary considerably due to diet dry matter
digestibility especially if fibrous ingredients are added to the ration.
2. Nitrogen excretion varied between genetic lines from pigs fed typical
commercial diets, however, excretion values on a grams of N excreted per pig
per day were within the ranges of previous values reported by the Midwest
Plan Service, NRCS and the ASAE.
3. Nitrogen excretion can be dramatically reduced by reducing the crude protein
in the diet and supplementing with specific synthetic amino acids that meet
the requirements of the pig for lean tissue production.
4. Phosphorus excretion (grams of P excreted per pig per day) was reduced from
the pigs fed typical commercial diets compared to values reported by the
Midwest Plan Service, NRCS and the ASAE.
5. Phosphorus excretion can be dramatically reduced by reducing the inorganic P
levels in the diet along with phytase supplementation and supplementation
with high available phosphorus (HAP) corn. Combining phytase and HAP
corn further reduces P excretion compared to each treatment alone.
This study has provided supplemental data to complement the new ASAE Manure
Production and Characteristics Standard that will be used by NRCS, consultants, and
technical service providers in the development of nutrient management plans and
comprehensive nutrient management plans. Producers are rapidly implementing the use
of low crude protein diets with supplementation of synthetic amino acids, and the
reduction of inorganic phosphorus in the diet with phytase supplementation to reduce
nitrogen and phosphorus excretion.
Reducing Excretion of Zinc and Copper in Swine Waste Through Dietary
Manipulation
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Increasing soil concentration or zinc and copper in areas where intensive swine and
poultry production occur have lead to concerns about possible long term effects on plant
growth. Consortium research at North Carolina State and Michigan State universities
demonstrated that supplemental concentrations of zinc and copper can be greatly reduced
below the amounts that are typically fed (150 ppm zinc, 5 ppm copper) in grow-finish
swine rations without adversely affecting either growth or efficiency. Specifically:
The addition of phytase at 5.75 PTU/kg of the complete diet greatly increased the
availability of zinc and reduced zinc excretion in grow-finish swine trials. This
allows rations to be fed that contain no supplemental zinc without affecting feed
efficiency or gain of grow-finish pigs. Zinc excretion was reduced 82 percent.
Grow-finish swine rations with phytase at 5.75 PTU/kg, supplemental zinc at
either zero or 35 ppm, and a Ca:P ratio of 2:1 produced fecal excretion reductions
of 17-36%, 19-34%, 6% and 68-82% for copper, iron, phosphorus and zinc,
respectively, when compared to a diets containing 150 ppm zinc.
There was no value to having copper supplementation of greater than 5 ppm in
any grow-finish swine diets.
3. Knowledge for Improved Land Application of Animal Wastes
Quantifying the Impact of Soil Test Phosphorus and Manure Application on
Phosphorus Losses from Benchmark Soils
The Consortium’s executive committee sought research to address the perceived problem
of impaired rivers and lakes as a result of non-point source pollution from animal
agriculture sources, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus run-off associated with
intensive animal production. Among the findings:
Manure placement has as large an impact on phosphorus loss from land receiving
animal manures as either animal diet or type of animal that produced the manure.
Incorporation of manures into both tilled cropland and pasture soils had a
statistically significant impact in reducing phosphorus loss from run-off due to
rainfall events. Surface application increased dissolved reactive P losses by up to
30X and total P losses by 4X, compared to incorporated manure.
Dissolved reactive P in runoff from plots where manure was incorporated was 5X
the loss from a tangent untreated control, but loss of total P was not significantly
different between the two.
Phosphorus run-off from plots treated with manure from animals that were fed
either diets containing low-phytate (highly available phosphorus) grain or diets
that contained phytase tended to be lower than run-off from soils treated with
manure from animals fed standard (broad industry acceptance) diets. However,
the differences were not always statistically significant at the P<.05 level.
In controlled experiments, it was common to get runoff of reactive P that
exceeded regulatory limits from poultry litter up to one year after the litter was
surface applied.
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Implementing State-Specific P Indexes
Case studies were used to assess potential impacts of implementation of the P Loss
Assessment Tool (PLAT) in North Carolina on the poultry industry. Case studies were
conducted in three counties each of which produce poultry worth more than $110 million
dollars annually.
It was determined that implementation of PLAT assessments as a part of waste
management planning will have serious impacts on poultry operations in Wilkes County.
High soil P indices, occurrence of waste receiving fields on landscapes with steep slopes,
limited land for waste application and production of silage corn using conventional tillage
are factors contributing to High risk of P loss from waste receiving fields. Conversion to
no-till soil management should have a significantly favorable impact on P loss from
waste receiving fields cropped with silage corn. Note: even though waste receiving fields
in Union County occur on landscapes with steep (15 to 20%) slopes and have soil P
indices in the 200 to 300 range, PLAT ratings were in the Medium range. This is
associated primarily with no-till soil management which is widely used in this area of the
Piedmont.
The impacts of PLAT assessments in Union county is expected to be manageable because
most waste receiving fields are in no-till soil management which ameliorates the impact
of steep slopes. Also, more crop land is available to receive waste. As a result lower rates
of litter are applied (3 tons/ac every second year). Large row crop farmers purchase litter
from small poultry operators (~ $5.00/ton) and use as a fertilizer source. A reasonably
sustainable system has evolved for management of poultry waste in Union County and, as
a result PLAT assessments should not lead to large scale changes from N-based to P-
based waste management. The two large row crop farms evaluated in this study have a
sustainable system since litter application every second year keeps P input and P removal
in harvested product in balance. Thus, PLAT ratings of fields in the Low and Medium
range should not change over time as long as management practices remain the same. If
fields have a High PLAT rating management practices will not change because they
currently have a system that meets the CAFO rules. (i.e. P input equal to crop removal of
P).
The waste receiving fields on farms evaluated in Wayne County had mostly Low to
Medium PLAT ratings as a result of low particulate P loss associated with low soil
erosion. However, these ratings may not be indicative of the entire Wayne, Duplin and
Sampson County area. Soils evaluated in this study are not similar to the sandy soils with
high P leaching potential that are common in Duplin and Sampson Counties.
Waste analyses were provided by 6 of the 7 producers interviewed in this study.
Phosphorus concentrations in the litter ranged from 20 to 50 lbs P2O5/ton. The default
value used for broiler litter in PLAT is 80 lbs P2O5/ton. Thus the default value which is
used in PLAT when manure analysis is not available should be decreased to 35 lbs
P2O5/ton to reflect P2O5 concentrations that are currently measured in samples submitted
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to the NCDA waste analysis laboratory. This will have a significant impact on prediction
of soluble P loss by PLAT.
In Missouri research, the objective was to evaluate the effect of rainfall scenarios on
phosphorus in runoff soon after phosphorus application. The researchers established 3
moisture scenarios after applying 70 kg ha-1 phosphorus as poultry litter or diammonium
phosphate before measuring phosphorus in runoff 8 days after application. A no
phosphorus control was also included. Scenario 1 had no runoff or rainfall until day 8;
scenario 2 had rainfall, but no runoff 2 days after application and runoff 8 days after
application; and scenario 3 had rainfall with 30 minutes of runoff 2 days after application
and runoff 30 days after application. Runoff was collected from plots 15 days after
application comparing plots that had no rainfall since application with plots that had
runoff 2 and 8 days after application. Plots were covered during rainy periods so that no
natural rainfall fell on the plots during the trial. The experiment was replicated 4 times
and required 60 plots in a randomized complete block design.
Conclusions of the study were that rainfall events soon after application had a significant
impact on the availability of recently applied phosphorus (both chemical and poultry litter
phosphorus) in forage systems. Previous research implied a rapid reduction potential in
runoff phosphorus concentration within days after application. This study indicated a
rainfall event was needed to initiate reductions in potential runoff phosphorus
concentration.
Missouri case study on phosphorus loading and land requirements for sludge
disposal from anaerobic lagoons.
Anaerobic lagoons are commonly used to treat and store manure from animal feeding
operations in states including Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma. These systems
typically are not agitated leading to substantial buildup of nutrients, especially
phosphorus, on the bottom of the lagoon. Up to 96% of the phosphorus entering the
lagoon in the manure may be retained in the sludge layer. These lagoons have life spans
of at least 20 years. There is limited information on removing sludge from these types of
lagoons for crop production. The research objective was to develop case studies on the
efforts to use sludge from lagoons as a fertilizer for crops.
A graduate student completed a feasibility study on mining sludge from the lagoon at a
1500 sow farrow-finish operation had been in operation nine years as a phosphorus and
potassium fertilizer for crop production. The farmer was worried about nutrient buildup
in the lagoon and curious if the fertilizer value of the sludge could offset costs of
removing it from the lagoon and for land application. The farm had 1200 acres of
cropland mostly in corn-soybean rotation. Soil test phosphorus and potassium values
were low to medium in most fields.
Based on industry standards, the sludge layer was estimated to contain over one million
pounds of phosphate and 0.6 million pounds of potash in 460,000 cubic feet of sludge,
based on animal inventory and feed ration. Direct sampling of the sludge layer produced
estimates that the sludge layer had 0.7 million pounds of phosphate and 0.1 million
pounds of potash in 515,000 cubic feet of sludge. Hence, there was significant difference
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between estimated and “measured” nutrients. This implies that the sampling method
used was inadequate for sampling sludge nutrient concentration, or the standards
commonly used to estimate nutrients in swine lagoon sludge need to be re-evaluated.
Preliminary estimates suggest that only 50% of the phosphate in the sludge is needed to
raise soil test phosphorus levels to agronomic optimum levels and provide sufficient
phosphorus for five years of crop production on the case study farm. The phosphorus
fertilizer value should be greater than $150,000 over the next five years. Hence, the
farmer is considering dredging the sludge from the lagoon in fall of 2005.
Concluding Comments
The Six State Consortium on Animal Waste brought leading scientists together in
collaborative research to address some of the more complex issues in animal waste
management. Although research was funded on beef and dairy waste management, the
most significant research results are impacting swine and poultry production. Some of
those results are summarized in this report, but there is much more that is available in
research papers and journal articles in the summary list of publications at the website:
http://www.cafnr.missouri.edu/research/consortium/default.asp
All associated with the Consortium are indebted to Senator Christopher Bond for his
interest in the research topic and his assistance in gaining funding support for the
Consortium. Appreciation also goes to the project managers at the Environmental
Protection Agency, Roberta Parry and Keith Sargent. Their counsel and suggestions
were invaluable.
Appreciation is also extended to all researchers who developed proposals for
consideration for funding, to the reviewers who provided valuable evaluation and
suggestions and to the Administrative Executive Committee that made the difficult final
funding decisions.
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