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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #377123
Research Project: Sustaining Agroecosystems and Water Resources in the Northeastern U.S.

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Opportunities to implement manureshed management in the U.S. poultry industry

Author
item Bryant, Ray
item Endale, Dinku
item Spiegal, Sheri
item Kleinman, Peter
item FLYNN, COLTON - Pennsylvania State University
item MEINEN, ROBERT - Pennsylvania State University
item CAVIGELLI, MICHEL - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
item SABO, ROBERT - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/5/2020
Publication Date: 11/8/2020
Citation: Bryant, R.B., Endale, D.M., Spiegal, S.A., Kleinman, P.J., Flynn, C., Meinen, R.J., Cavigelli, M., Sabo, R. 2020. Opportunities to implement manureshed management in the U.S. poultry industry[abstract]. American Society of Agronomy. P. 1.

Interpretive Summary: No Interpretive Summary is required for this Abstract Only. JLB.

Technical Abstract: US poultry production and processing industries provide close to 2 million jobs and have annual economic impact of close to $500 billion. In 2019, over 9 billion broiler chickens were produced across the US with 60% or so concentrated in southeastern states. The production of approximately 1.2 kg of manure per broiler chicken poses daunting challenges in terms of beneficial use that is economically and environmentally acceptable. The issue is exacerbated due to production and processing being located in relatively small confined spaces. Currently, opportunities for transporting surplus manure from confined animal operations for use on nutrient-deficient crop and hay lands elsewhere are limited. A potential solution recently proposed by the USDA’s LTAR Network study is the concept of “Manureshed” – the lands surrounding confined animal operations onto which manure nutrients can be redistributed to meet production, economic, and environmental goals. Using this concept, this presentation reviews the manure management issues within the poultry production and processing industry and seeks to explore opportunities for intra-county pathways for redistribution of poultry manure nutrients to recouple crop-livestock agricultural systems disconnected for some time due to specialized livestock production industries. Key case studies where local accumulation of poultry manure nutrients are manifest at forefront at a national scale will be examined.