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Manure rewind: Key highlights from 2021


January 4, 2022  by  Bree Rody

While 2020 was the year of massive change, 2021 was also eventful in many ways – the world saw some return of in-person events, but also added a whole new class of virtual events. Supply chain issues and climate challenges threatened the businesses of farmers in North America, but new scientific innovations also allowed for plenty of advancement.

Here’s our biggest stories of 2021.

Events: Manure Expo goes virtual

Summertime just isn’t summertime without the North American Manure Expo – sadly, due to ongoing complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, Manure Manager, the Manure Expo board and local hosts OMAFRA decided to keep things safe and online. While things went online via the virtual Pheedloop platform, some old traditions returned, such as the slogan contest. And new traditions were created, such as the “Soil Your Undies” contest. With content shot on-location at Maplevue Farms, here’s some of the highlights from the virtual Manure Expo. | READ PART I | READ PART II

Research: Tackling “superbugs” through manure management

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Antibiotic resistance has been an ongoing concern for producers and in the scientific community for years. But new research from Iowa State University shows that manure management might play a key part in tackling antibiotic resistant “superbugs,” keep animals healthy and also keep humans healthy – according to a 2019 report titled “When Antibiotics Fail” by the Council of Canadian Academies, approximately 26 percent of all bacterial infections reported in Canada in 2018 were resistant to first-line treatment. Additionally, 14,000 people died from those infections, with 5,400 of those deaths as a direct result of the infection’s resistance to antibiotics. | READ MORE

Profiles: Fort Hill Farms

Fort Hill Farms in Connecticut is not your average dairy farm. All day, owner Kies Orr alternates between tending to and milking her hundreds of dairy cows, managing retail and agri-tourism activities such as a maze, working with stakeholders and overseeing one of the farm’s biggest undertakings in decades: a massive anaerobic digester. The project is effectively turning Fort Hill into a “microgrid,” using manure and local food waste to provide bedding for the cows – and powers the farm, including the installation of its upcoming robotic barn. | READ MORE

Farm management: The best storage solutions for you

There’s no “right” or “wrong” with storage options – the right solution for the right farm. But how do you know what the right kind is? Are there types of storage that are currently becoming “passé?” And what do you have to keep in mind managing a pit versus a lagoon in a modern climate? Experts weigh in on how each storage solution can affect the economic, environmental and animal health of your farm. | READ MORE

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