Project Number: 6406-12630-006-09
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jan 01, 2009
End Date: Dec 31, 2013

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research project are to: 1) determine spatial distribution, concentration, and types of mineral nutrients, gases, and microbes in poultry litter in a broiler house as affected by environment, house management, and successive broods of broilers; 2) determine base line and changes in pasture land as poultry litter is applied as a fertilizer; and 3) determine influence of environmental and agronomic practices on the fate and transport of nutrients and microbes from litter applied to pasture lands that have not previously had litter applied.

Approach:
Work will be done on cooperator's farm in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. ARS will work with cooperator in establishment and maintenance of multi-year on farm experiments designed to identify, quantify, and determine the fate and transport of nutrients and microbes and to generate data and new information to improve efficient farm practices. ARS researchers will work with cooperator to collect litter, soil, runoff, and crop plant samples from the cooperator's farm. Samples will be transported to ARS Genetics and Precision Agriculture laboratories at Mississippi State, Mississippi, for nutrient and microbial analysis. Air samples will be collected systematically from the houses as they are stocked with birds and as subsequent flocks of birds are stocked and grown in the houses.