August 13, 2010, East Lansing, MI – Jerry May, a Michigan State
University Extension educator specializing in pork production, was one
of more than 20 professionals who helped create the National Air
Quality Site Assessment Tool.
August 13, 2010, East Lansing, MI – Jerry May, a Michigan State University Extension educator specializing in pork production, was one of more than 20 professionals who helped create the National Air Quality Site Assessment Tool.
In cooperation with the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center, the group has scheduled two training sessions Aug. 20 and Oct.15 for farmers and farm managers.
“NAQSAT was developed mainly for educational purposes, and using it is completely voluntary,” May explained.
NAQSAT can be used for swine, dairy, beef, broiler chicken, laying hen and turkey operations. It addresses eight concerns that relate to air emissions: animals and housing, feed and water, collection and transfer of manure, manure storage, land application, mortalities, on-farm records and public perception.
Users of the tool are asked a series of questions under each area of concern. Based on the answers to previously answered questions, the tool determines what additional questions need to be answered. Only questions that pertain to the operation currently being evaluated will be asked. Pop-up pictures assist the user in determining the relative rating to select when questions require a visual evaluation of the existing practices.
NAQSAT was designed in cooperation with more than 20 university professionals and 15 partnering agencies for use on farms throughout the United States. It is available at http://naqsat.tamu.edu. All sessions on NAQSAT are strictly confidential, and there is no farm identification required to access the tool.
The two online NAQSAT training sessions are for anyone interested in learning how to use the tool. The Aug. 20 session will provide case studies about using the tool on beef and dairy farms. The second session will cover the tool's application on pork and poultry operations. Both sessions begin at 2:30 p.m. and can be found by visiting http://bit.ly/airqualitywebcast. All webcasts are archived and available for later viewing.
“Whether it is a large operation worried about greenhouse gas emissions or a small farm worried about public image and odor, NAQSAT provides valuable insight for farmers,” May said.
