Reducing Employee and Environmental Risk with For-Hire Manure Applicators
Agricultural Issues
Jerry Clark
AGRICULTURE AGENT
Division of Extension UW-Madison
CHIPPEWA FALLS
Abstract
Wisconsin dairy farms produce approximately twelve billion gallons of dairy manure annually. This manure is a valuable source of crop nutrients, potentially saving farmers $180/cow/year in fertilizer costs. Improperly managed manure can contribute nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and pathogens into surface water and groundwater. Most of the manure, >7 billion gallons, is transported/applied by for-hire manure applicators. These 185 small businesses in Wisconsin are a critical part of proper manure application and nutrient management plan implementation. A comprehensive educational program was developed for front-line employees to address manure applicator training on the topics of spill prevention, proper application, and employee safety. The educational program consists of classroom training, workbooks, spill response training, and manure gas monitoring. More than 500 unique individuals from 76 businesses have completed the training reaching over 1,500 individuals from 2017-2021. Being able to explain key concepts to a concerned citizen or landowner is a measure of success, and >70% felt very or quite confident explaining how to decrease the risk of manure runoff (85%), setback maps (75%) and how to follow a nutrient management plan (74%). The success of our program is evident in the manure spill data. Working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 15 years of manure spills and incidents were analyzed. Our target audience applies >60% of the dairy manure yet is responsible for less than 25% of the manure spills/incidents. This program has led to the launch of similar programs in Michigan, North Dakota, and Oklahoma.
Authors: Jerry Clark
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Jerry Clark AGRICULTURE AGENT, Division of Extension University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wisconsin, 54729