Terry L. Steinhart, Field Specialist/Swine, Eastern Iowa
Problem
Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators
to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year
certification period, or to take and pass an exam once every three years. The workshop
also serves as initial certification for those applicants who are not currently
certified. If a confinement livestock operation has more than 500 animal
units the operator must be certified to apply manure, unless the manure is
applied by a commercial manure applicator.
Response
Iowa State University (ISU) Extension conducts
these continuing education programs each year with a crop and livestock specialist
helping to provide information every other year and agriculture engineer
specialist taking the lead every year. These workshops provide valuable information
to all livestock producers, not just the producers who are required to attend
to be certified.
During the workshop, applicators learned about manure application rules,
what to do if a manure spill occurs and emergency action plans after a spill,
animal and human safety issues, and proper use of the manure management plan.
Impact
Ninety-one percent of the participants said that the information presented was useful on their farm. Fifty-nine percent said developing an emergency action plan or spill kit to prepare for manure spills would be adopted because of the current training. As a result of the previous years program, 80 % of the producers said they understood and implemented new separation distances for land application of manure. Another 74% said they understood the phosphorus impacts on water quality and made changes to manure management plans or application rates.
March 17, 2005
103 -- Nutrient Management
Page last updated:
July 8, 2006
Page maintained by Linda Schultz, lschultz@iastate.edu
