Farms.com Home   News

K-State to Host April 11-12 Tours on Livestock Watering Options

By Pat Melgares

Kansas State University extension agents and watershed specialists will host a livestock water systems tour on April 11-12 at several sites in northeast Kansas.

Officials say the free event will offer expert advice to producers about various livestock watering options to safeguard water quality. These projects will include a hands-on tire tank installation, solar panel pumping systems, wet wells, gravity fed waterers and more.

The program begins at 9 a.m. at Hidden Hill Farm in Auburn on April 11. A full agenda for the two-day event can be found online from the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment. Lunch will be provided on both days.

“We are excited to give participants the opportunity to learn about these watering systems in person,” said Daniel Skucius, K-State Research and Extension watershed specialist. “We understand that every livestock operation is different, so this is a great way for producers to see the different options they have for protecting water quality on their lands.”

The field day is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension (Douglas and Shawnee Counties, Meadowlark and Frontier Districts, and KCARE) , Douglas County Conservation District, and the Upper Wakarusa WRAPS (Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams).

Source : ksu.edu

Trending Video

Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.