Auburn leads project to improve phosphorus management on farms
Project to study poultry litter in Alabama, dairy manure in Wisconsin.
June 8, 2018
The poultry industry in Alabama contributes more than $15 billion to the state’s economy each year, but along with the revenue and jobs, it also produces about 1.8 million tons of waste, or litter, annually.
Ensuring this litter doesn’t become a source of excessive phosphorus in surface waters is one of the goals of research that Auburn University’s College of Agriculture is conducting in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-Riverside, according to an announcement.
The three-year study is being funded by a $415,765 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food & Agriculture’s Agriculture & Food Research Initiative.
Poultry litter is rich in phosphorus, and the loss of this nutrient into waterways is a large concern, especially in states like Alabama, where litter is commonly used to fertilize fields, Auburn said. An excessive amount of phosphorus can cause toxic algae blooms in surface water, leading to deficient oxygen levels and fish kills.
In Wisconsin, the situation is similar to that in Alabama, but with dairy cows instead of chickens. More than 1.8 million dairy cows generate 8.7 billion gallons of manure annually in the state in a $43 billion enterprise. In fact, manure production in Wisconsin is beginning to exceed the capacity of the land base, as evidenced by surface water, groundwater and air quality issues, the announcement said.