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Willmar turkey grower, U of M professor studying manure runoff Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Agri News staff writer
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. -- A University of Minnesota professor and a Willmar turkey grower are working together to learn more about turkey manure runoff.
John Moncrief, a professor in the U of M Department of Soil, Water and Climate, has organized a research project on 290 acres owned and operated by Kim Gorans of Willmar.
The duo began organizing the four-year project last fall and began to set up the instruments in spring 2007.
The goal is to measure 100 percent of the water that leaves the field. Flow levels and chemical concentration are measured in both surface runoff and tile drainage.
Turkey manure, and poultry manure in general, have higher phosphorus concentrations than other types of manure, Moncrief said. Phosphorus runoff is a concern in the Willmar area because phosphorus that runs off farm fields ends up in area lakes and can cause algae to grow. Excess algae can deplete the dissolved oxygen in water, stressing fish and making the lake unfit for swimming or fishing, Moncrief said.
The study is set up so that commercial fertilizer is applied to 140 acres, turkey manure to another 140 acres and no fertilizer to 10 acres for a control strip.
Gorans applies turkey manure to his fields after soybeans. His rotation is two years of corn and one year of soybeans. The manure provides all his needed nitrogen for the first year, plus additional benefits for the second year because of its slow-release characteristics.
"If you were designing a good fertilizer, it's how you'd do it," Gorans said.
Gorans is sticking his neck out in allowing the study to be done on his farm fields, Moncrief said, which farmers don't often do. He's allowing real world data to be collected from his farm fields, knowing whatever data is collected will be reported. Gorans also contributed $20,000 to the research effort.
At the same time, Moncrief is also sampling County Ditch 23 that collects about 60 percent of the stormwater from Willmar. Preliminary data show the e-coli concentration is higher in the ditch than in what leaves the farm field.
This is the first time a study has been done on urban and rural runoff at the same time in Kandiyohi County, Moncrief said.
Gorans said he decided to cooperate with the study because he would probably be targeted as a polluter when the lakes near his farm fields were listed as impaired waters. He wanted to be proactive.
Moncrief said the project will provide science-based information to be shared at meetings, rather than just hearsay.
"Let's have some data for our finger-pointing sessions," Moncrief said.
Manure has a lot of benefits as a fertilizer, he said. It makes soil less erosive, increases its available water holding capacity and increases water infiltration into the soil.
Some say that turkey manure is better than commercial fertilizer, Gorans said.
He typically piles his turkey manure in sloping piles that are 12 feet deep at their peak. The manure is spread once a year from a spreader that resembles a grain cart with a tiller in the back to break up chunks and evenly spread the litter. The manure is tilled into the soil within 24 hours of application, both to minimize odor and minimize volatilization losses.
The project also includes research on small plots at West Central Research and Outreach Center near Morris.
The research project cost is $232,000, with the cost being paid for by a variety of organizations and individuals including Gorans, Kandiyohi County's Water Task Force, the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the University of Minnesota and the Turkey Research and Promotion Council.
Moncrief hopes to secure additional funding to add monitoring sites in the city of Willmar and to extend the term of the study. |
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