2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Determine the activity and/or concentration of hormones and ag chemicals in animal waste under various manure handling conditions in order to develop practices that minimize potential environmental impact. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) This will be a joint effort between VPI and SU, who will be responsible for setting up and conducting the experimental trails, and ARS who will develop methodology and perform analyses of samples. Both partners will collaborate in the design of the experiments and interpretation of the results. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document progress on research conducted under a Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement between ARS and Virginia Polytechnic University & State University. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the in-house associated project 5442-32000-012-00D, Metabolic Variables Affecting the Efficacy, Safety, and Fate of Agricultural Chemicals. A microbial-based method for detection of bacitracin in water extracts has been completed. Bacitracin is an antibiotic commonly used as a feed additive in the poultry industry. Although extracts of excreta from bacitracin-treated birds contained antibiotic activity in >90% of the pens assayed (and none of the control pens) water-extractable residues of the bedding were typically below the limits of assay quantitation and were similar for both control and antibiotic-fed animals. Commercially available kits for bacitracin analyses did not provide consistent data and a second analytical method will be used to validate results. To date, results of this study suggest minimal environmental impacts emanating from field-application of poultry litter from bacitracin treated birds. ADODR monitoring activities to evaluate research progress included conference calls with the cooperator's personnel.