AMES, Iowa — Commercial manure applicators can attend three hours of annual training to meet commercial manure applicator certification requirements on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will conduct a Commercial Manure Applicator Satellite uplink from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop but applicators must...

On December 9, 2009, the Amana Farms Renewable Energy Center and Iowa State University Extension will be holding the education outreach program “On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion: Considering the Options”. The program will be held at the Iowa Artists Theatre Co. in the Amana Colonies, and it will be followed by a digester tour at the Renewable Energy Center. The three hour program beginning at 9:00 a.m. will contain information on the Amana...

Livestock producers and service providers can receive training on how to use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2) and the Iowa Phosphorus Index for use in nutrient management and manure management plans at workshops being offered by Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG), in collaboration with the Iowa USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. The workshop will be held on Dec....

News reports have surfaced again detailing flash fires and explosions in livestock buildings while liquid pit manure was being agitated and pumped. Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineers say these episodes highlight the caution needed when agitating and pumping manure from pits beneath buildings. Liquid manure in pits undergoes slow decomposition which creates several gases including methane and hydrogen sulfide, both of...

Written by: Ann Perry, Agricultural Research Service Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that solid dairy manure is better than commercial fertilizer in miti- gating the amount of phosphorus that can accumulate in water percolating through the soil. But using liquid dairy manure can make it worse. These findings could help farmers in the semiarid western United States protect local watersheds from agricultural pollut-...

Written by: Karen Grimes, Information Specialist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources As confinement livestock and poultry producers make plans for the future, they should be aware of changes in state law that may affect them. The laws are already in effect or will be in effect shortly. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has begun drafting rules to implement the laws and is planning to hold two stakeholder meetings in midsummer...

Written by: AngieRieck-Hinz, Iowa State University Iowa State University Extension, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be hosting a statewide re-show of the 2009 Commercial Manure Applicator training program on August 19, 2009 from 9 a.m. to noon. This web- cast program will be the same training program that was offered in January 2009 and the training will meet the 3 hour re- quirement for the 2009 manure...