Another study aimed at benefiting the environment as well as producers is the Animal Waste in Semi-Arid Agro-Ecosystems research project located at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Goodwell.
In this study, members of OSU's Plant and Soil Sciences Department,
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Economics,
and Animal Science are looking at feasible ways to apply swine
effluent to crops as part of an overall plant nutrient management
system.
Some of the larger swine feeding operations in the western,
semi-arid parts of the state can provide up to three million gallons
of lagoon effluent for field application a year. Timely research
could maximize beneficial use of that effluent, creating a win-win
situation for panhandle growers as well as swine producers. To
supply the right amount needed for crops and knowing the right
method to apply it is critical in preserving ground water supplies,
as well as protecting downstream lakes and rivers from nutrient
overload.
Studies already confirm that nitrogen losses occur freely following
surface application. This is true whether the effluent is applied
from a truck or through a sprinkler irrigation system. This study
will include detailed investigations of direct fluid injection,
sprinkler, and surface application methods. While three million
gallons of effluent seems like a lot, bear in mind that is only
about one acre-inch of water applied through a quarter-section
center pivot system. By comparison, corn requires 30 acre-inches
of water per year to produce a crop.
While nitrogen losses are fairly rapid-and the researchers did expect that-they needed to know exactly how much and how rapid the losses were to establish usage parameters. The agricultural economists are watching the data closely to see if it pays producers to utilize swine effluent.