1. Development and integration of a national feed management education program and assessment tools into a comprehensive nutrient management plan.
- Author
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Harrison, J. H., White, R. A., Applegate, T. J., Burns, R. T., Carpenter, G. H., Erickson, G. E., and Sutton, A. L.
- Subjects
FACTORY farms ,SCHOOL administration ,ANIMAL feeds ,NATIONAL unification ,CONSERVATION of natural resources ,AGRICULTURAL wastes - Abstract
In 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new guidelines for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). Under the new guidelines, permitted CAFOs will be required to develop a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP). In most cases, with minor additions, a USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) will satisfy the requirements of an NMP. One of the Core Elements of the CNMP is feed management. In 2005, a national feed management education project was funded by the NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant program (CIG). The project will develop, test, and implement a National Feed Management Education Program and Assessment Tools into a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan. The goal of the project is to increase the understanding of feed management to agricultural professionals, with an emphasis on environmental and financial sustainability of livestock and poultry operations. A team consisting of consulting animal nutritionists, technical service providers (TSPs), Extension Specialists, and research scientists will accomplish the following program objectives: 1) develop and evaluate a two-tier tool for assessing the impacts of feed management practices on whole farm nutrient balance for animal nutritionists, NRCS staff and TSP advisors, 2) develop the content of a Feed Management chapter for the NRCS Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook (AWMFH), and 3) develop and implement an education program targeting integration of feed management into a CNMP. Specific outcomes are: 1) develop educational materials that are applicable at the national level, 2) provide training for NRCS staff, agricultural professionals, and TSPs in feed management concepts and practices that minimize import of nutrients to the farm, 3) provide training in the use of computer models and software for strategic ration balancing, whole farm nutrient balance, and nutrient excretion estimates based upon feed and animal performance inputs, and 4) develop a chapter for the NRCS AWMFH on Feed Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006