March 28, 2024

Getting Started with Livestock: Understanding farm scale manure management

FREEPORT, Ill. — Join Jay Solomon, University of Illinois Extension natural resources, environment and energy educator, for “Understanding Farm Scale Manure Management,” the final program in the Getting Started with Livestock webinar series.

This webinar will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 13, via the Zoom platform. There is no cost to attend, but you must pre-register by April 12 to receive the link.

To register or for more information call 815-235-4125 or go online to go.illinois.edu/jsw.

One of the most overlooked parts of planning and starting a smaller livestock operation is a manure management plan.

All operations — from grazing to confinement systems — need to put some considerations into how manure will be handled.

While manure can be a valuable nutrient resource for forage and crop production, when not managed correctly it can become a significant source of pollution and liability.

Grazing animals tend to spread the manure across the pasture, effectively recycling the nutrients eventually back into the plants.

However, grazing systems may include handling facilities, quarantine and treatment pens, sacrifice areas and so on. Manure deposited in these areas will need to be managed properly.

A frequent misconception is that state regulations apply only to larger operations. Solomon will discuss how these rules and regulations apply to even the smallest of operations and how to avoid ending up on the receiving end of a notice of violation or other legal actions.

Pens, stalls and dry lots are examples of management systems where a manure management plan becomes very important to the long-term success of the operation. The manure will need to be contained and land applied at agronomic rates.

During the webinar, Solomon will discuss the difference between pastures, exercise areas and dry lots. The classification of an area has a major impact on how manure needs to be managed.