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Seminar teaches Michigan farmers to make the most of their manure

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Seminar teaches Michigan farmers to make the most of their manure

Skyrocketing energy costs and increasing fertilizer prices have
farmers looking for ways to minimize their time and input costs.
“Manure $ense: Making the Most with your Manure” will discuss how
farmers can find multiple ways to get more value from manure.

Skyrocketing energy costs and increasing fertilizer prices have farmers looking for ways to minimize their time and input costs. Manure $ense: Making the Most with your Manure will discuss how farmers can find multiple ways to get more value from manure.

The meeting, to be held in three locations around Michigan, will feature educational information from Michigan State University (MSU) experts. Topics include composting, making energy on the farm, future opportunities in the carbon market, conserving nutrients in livestock diets, conserving manure nutrients during storage, and optimizing fertilizer and manure applications.

Natalie Rector, MSU Extension nutrient management educator, says the information being shared during the one-day seminar isn’t just for livestock producers. The seminar will also show how crop farmers and livestock producers can work together to make the most of the nutrient resources from animal manure. “These topics aren’t limited to people who have animals,” she says.

Rector anticipates that farmers will be especially interested in ways they can decrease their feed and fertility costs. “Bringing down the cost of fertilizer is a big consideration for farmers. There are valid ways to do that, and several of them will be discussed during this seminar.”

Manure $ense will be presented in three locations:

• Feb. 3 at the RESA Center in St. Johns, MI
• Feb. 17 at the Farm Bureau Building in Bad Axe, MI
• Feb. 25 at the Howard Miller Library in Zeeland, MI

The meeting will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at each location. The registration fee is just $40 for the first person from a farm, with a discounted $20 registration for each additional person from the same farm or business. Lunch is free with registration. Learn more, including how to register, at www.animalagteam.msu.edu, or call Faye Watson at (517) 353-3174.

Attendees can earn Phase I credits from the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).