Special Ag Expo Event Helps Livestock Producers Manage Water Issues
6/19/09
Contact: Beth Stuever
517-432-1555, ext. 105
or
Lois Wolfson
517-353-9222
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Using good management practices on livestock farms not only decreases the risk of runoff into streams and waterways but can increase a farm’s profitability. That’s why Michigan State University (MSU) Extension is featuring the topic during Profitable Environmental Options for Livestock Producers, a series of demonstrations that will take place July 21, the first day of Ag Expo.
"Contamination of water by bacteria is one of the leading causes of impairment in surface waters," says Lois Wolfson, Extension specialist with the Institute of Water Research at MSU. "There are many management practices that livestock producers can use to reduce this runoff."
MSU Extension will offer valuable advice to farmers to help them continue to keep manure from running off the land. By identifying high-risk fields, using cover crops and vegetative filter strips, and managing manure on drained cropland, livestock producers can prevent bacteria from contaminating surrounding waterways.
"Tillage and manure management practices that quickly move manure into the root zone help to protect water quality and improve farm profitability by recycling valuable crop nutrients," Wolfson says.
Profitable Environmental Options for Livestock Producers will feature demonstrations at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. July 21 at the Beef Cattle Research and Teaching Center, at 3200 Bennett Road, Lansing, less than a mile from the main Ag Expo site. Transportation to the center will be available from Ag Expo, and parking is available at the center. Other presentation include Improving Pasture and Hayground with Manure, Slurry-enriched Seeding, the Basics of Low-stress Cattle Handling, Grazing Management for Riparian Areas, Watering Systems for Grazing, Managing Beef Winter Feeding Sites to Protect the Environment and Save Fertilizer Dollars, Controlling Silage Leachate and Hay Feeder Design.
Ag Expo, July 21-23, features commercial farm equipment from throughout the Midwest and several Canadian provinces on the 35-acre main exhibition site and the 40-acre field demonstration area, as well as educational exhibits from several MSU colleges and departments. For more information about Ag Expo, call 800-366-7055 or visit www.agexpo.msu.edu.
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