Proceedings available at: http://www.extension.org/67725 Teaching Best Management Practices (BMP) or introducing new agricultural waste management practices to livestock producers and farmers is a challenge. This poster describes a series of on-farm field days designed to deliver information and demonstrate on-site several waste management techniques, most of them well established in other parts of the country but sparsely used in Idaho. During these field days, Extension personnel presented each technique and offered written information on how to apply them. But without a doubt, presentations by the livestock producers and farmers who are already applying the techniques and hosted each field day at their farms was the main tool to spark interest and conversations with attendees. Presented by: Mario E. de Haro-Marti

1. Project activities
 All four programs included an on-farm field day and the development of associated
educational materials. Three of the programs have an on-farm research component.
 The four programs where we conducted on-farm field days and the activities included
in each program are:
a: Dairy manure collection and composting
• Demonstrated operation and use of a vacuum manure collection system, manure
scraping system, manure separation, hydraulic plume manure transport, and
compost turner system.
• How different manure management techniques can be integrated on a dairy.
• How to use the manure vacuum, composting turner, and stockpiled bedding
combined to achieve better manure management and improve composting
techniques and compost quality.
Demonstrating the vacuum trailer At the composting yard
b: Dairy manure land application
• Demonstrated operation and use of a floating manure storage mixer and pump,
tanker manure application, and drag hose manure injection system.
• Research data was collected to compare odor and ammonia emissions between
manure application using sub-surface injection as compared to broadcasting
application.
ON-FARM FIELD DAYS AS A TOOL TO DEMONSTRATE AGRICULTURAL WASTE
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND EDUCATE PRODUCERS
Mario E. de Haro-Marti1, Lide Chen2, Howard Neibling2, Mireille Chahine2, Wilson Gray2, Tony McCammon1,
Ariel Agenbroad1, Sai Krishna Reddy Yadanaparthi3, James Eells4
1 Extension Educator, 2 Extension Specialist, 3 Graduate Student, 4 Research Assistant. University of Idaho Extension.
Introduction and significance
 This poster shows a series of Extension and research efforts designed to introduce
and locally test proven Best Management Practices (BMP) to dairy producers and
crop farmers in southern Idaho in an effort to increase their adoption and incorporate
those BMP as regular practices in Idaho agriculture.
 On-Farm field days are a powerful educational tool, offering attendees the opportunity
to see first-hand how the presented BMP work, interact with the producers who use it,
and share experiences with other producers, educators, agency agents, and other
professionals.
 On-farm field projects also give researchers a possibility to conduct on-farm research
by collecting quality data. Proper design and participation of all parties involved is
paramount. Data collected during these type of projects can serve as a stand alone
research or, much better, as a tool to help during the educational portion of the
program during the field day and at further publications and presentations.
Project objectives
 The principle of conducting on-farm research and coupling it with on-farm
demonstrations was applied to four projects.
 Each project has it own objectives and intended impact, but all of them have in
common the on-farm field day component, an applied research component, and the
participation of the producer during each step of the project.
Project activities (cont.)
c: Grapevine prunings and dairy manure composting
• Demonstrated three different windrow composting techniques: mechanically turned, static
passive aeration, and static with forced aeration.
• Research data is being collected to determine how increasing the carbon content using
grape vine prunings and other carbon materials affects the composting of dairy manure in
each system mentioned above.
Producer presenting in his barn On-farm composting research and demonstration area
d: Mortality and offal on-farm composting
• Demonstrated in-vessel forced aerated mortality and offal composting to properly dispose
of mortalities and animal processing waste.
• One composter is operating at a diversified farm that includes a sheep and goat dairy,
and lamb meat processing.
• A second composter will be located at a dairy to process calves mortalities. A field day
and data collection will also be included in this project.
Project outcomes
 A common outcome in all four programs was the attendance of producers, and
personnel from Extension, federal and state agencies, and allied industries. Their
presence helped us to reach a diverse audience, having a multiplier effect in the
community.
 Specific outcomes for each project include:
a: Dairy manure collection and composting: 20 attendees at field day. Improved
composting techniques at the host dairy after the program. Based on program
observations, the Extension team obtained funds to develop a Dairy Composting School
in Spanish and English for dairy operators to fulfill the urgent need for that type of
training.
b: Dairy manure land application: 10 attendees at field day. Through our research
data, we demonstrated that the deep injection system produces less ammonia and odor
emissions than the manure broadcasting system. Producers were more interested in
applying this technology to reduce their environmental impact and their loss of fertilizer
value in the applied manure.
c: Grapevine prunings and dairy manure composting: 50 attendees. Field day
participants significantly increased their knowledge on available composting techniques.
Several producers showed interest in starting their own systems. We don’t have a
complete dataset yet, but enhanced vine prunings and manure compost windrows are
showing much better performance and they look better than only manure windrows. An
expected outcome of this program is increased use of composting as an alternative to
grape vine prunings’ burning, reducing the impact of the grape industry on air pollution,
and improving the characteristics of dairy manure compost in the area.
d: Mortality and offal on-farm composting: 40 attendees. Before the program most
participants didn’t know that mortality composting was even possible or how to do it
properly. The hosting farmer was so impressed with the composter performance that she
started a second mortality composter using her own materials. The producer now
disposes of all her mortalities, offal waste, whey, and other organic wastes through this
composting technology, stopping shipments of wastes to the local landfill. Several
livestock producers showed interest in applying this technology on their own farm
operation.
Take home message
 On-farm field days are an excellent tool to include in Extension, research, and
educational programs.
 Properly planned programs can include on-farm research and field days to increase
the benefits and get a very cost effective use of funds.
 Producers’ participation at each step of the program is paramount. As well as
identifying new producers willing to host and collaborate with such programs.
 By seeing the demonstrated techniques first hand, and talking with hosting producers,
attendees are more likely to consider the application of those techniques at their own
operation.
Acknowledgements
Projects a. and b. were supported by a USDA-NRCS Conservation and Innovation Grant
(CIG). Project c. was supported by a USDA-NRCS Idaho CIG. Project d. was supported
by a University of Idaho USDA-SARE mini grant. We also want to thank all producers
involved in these projects for their support and openness to work with us, and for their
innovative spirit.
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Broadcast Injection Background
Ammonia(mgofNH3-N/m3)
Second day sample results from test site 1
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Broadcast Injection Background
Ammonia(mgofNH3-N/m3)
First day sample results from test site 1
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Background Subsurface Injection Surface Broadcast
OdorDetectionThreshold(OU/m3)
Test site 1
Odor Results
Site
Manure
pH
Manure
total N
concentration
(mg/L)
Manure total N
Application
Rate (kg/acre)
Site 1 7.4 3433 257
Site 2 7.3 3519 265
The liquid manure application rate
was approximately
20,000 gal/acre at both sites
Mortality composter built by Extension
personnel (front) and composter built by
producer using straw bails
Showing the dairy calves’ mortality composter
Injection of manure using a drag hose
and injector system
Data on manure, ammonia and odor emissions