Diet Modification to Reduce Phosphorus Surpluses: A Mass Balance Approach.

This article discusses the use of diet modification of farm animals to reduce the amount of phosphorus surpluses caused by manure in the United States. According to the authors, mass balance shows the amount of phosphorus removed by crop production exceeded manure phosphorus additions in most counties. However about 10% showed a manure surplus. Surplus could be reduced significantly by feeding the animals according to their individual dietary requirements and using phytase in monogastric diets. They recommend diet modification to decrease manure phosphorus and to alleviate environmental concerns about surplus phosphorus runoff.