Fall 1997
Workshops reach nearly 800 producers
by Jim Johnson, interim assistant director, Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources and Elaine Edwards, extension communications specialist
In Iowa, failure to take adequate credit for manure is a major factor in the environmental loading of excess crop nutrients. An estimated 50 million tons of manure is produced annually by Iowa's livestock and poultry industry. Managed improperly, manure represents a serious environmental threat to surface and groundwater and a potential health threat to citizens that rely on those water sources. Managed properly, manure represents a source of significant nutrients for Iowa's 23 million crop acres that could save farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in fertilizer costs.
More than 150 workshops on Manure Nutrient Management were conducted by ISU Extension in 1997, reaching nearly 800 livestock and crop producers across the state. Teaching teams of crops, farm management and agricultural engineering field specialists, using color soil maps of a producer's own field and personal manure management plans, helped participants reduce fertilizer costs between $6 and $20 per acre this past cropping year.
The overall rating of the 1997 workshops was excellent. Approximately 99 percent of participants would recommend the workshop to others.
"ISU has really kept up with the times. With this help, farms and businessmen are here to stay," one workshop participant said.
The workshops will be held again this winter. For information on this year's Manure Nutrient Management workshops, contact your local ISU Extension office. Pre-registration is required.
