Despite the wet weather in the Midwest all summer, the skies spared the 2019 North American Manure Expo and attendee enthusiasm ran high.
About 1,000 people visited Fair Oaks, IN, over the two-day show to see and learn the latest about manure management and application. Attendees from over 25 U.S. states, from California to Florida and everything in between, and three Canadian provinces took part.
The event got underway with a morning of bus tours featuring three themes – beef and poultry, dairy and swine. More than 200 people took part in the tours and educational opportunity to see operations up close.
Attendees got to see the poultry manure operation at Rose Acres White County Facility and how things work at Bio Town Ag, a 4,500-head natural beef cattle operation. Attendees of the dairy tour visited Windy Ridge Dairy to see their new aerobic digester and the Midwestern BioAg warehouse to see their natural fertilizer manufacturing operations.
As a result of biosecurity and concerns over African swine fever, the swine manure workshop was held inside a classroom instead of on-site. Buiter Farm and Klemp Farms presented on their manure operations, including some notes on swine transportation.
The rest of the Expo included an agitation demo, education sessions, and solid and liquid manure application demonstrations. Attendees got to see equipment up close and in action, as well as learn about manure, compost, safety and upcoming technology in the industry.
The 2020 North American Manure Expo will be held in Listowel, Ontario from August 26 to 27.
It will be only the second time the event is hosted in Canada, the first hosted by Guelph in 2013. It will be hosted by Maplevue Farms, who were chosen for their unique approach to manure which includes taking in biosolids.
