Project Number: 6406-12630-004-08
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Dec 28, 2007
End Date: Aug 14, 2009

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research project: 1) Determine spatial distributions, concentrations and types of mineral nutrients and microbes in swine lagoon effluent as affected by environment and lagoon management. 2) Determine the influence of environmental factors and agronomic practices on the fate and transport of lagoon mineral nutrients and microbes to water, soil and plants following land application of swine lagoon effluent.

Approach:
Work will be done on cooperator farms located in Lowndes, Chickasaw, and Clay Counties, Mississippi. ARS researchers will work with cooperator farm managers 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 effluent and crop management practices. ARS researchers will work with cooperator farm managers to collect swine lagoon effluent, soil, and crop plant samples from cooperator farms. Samples will be transported to ARS Waste Management and Forage Research Unit laboratories at Mississippi State, Mississippi for nutrient and microbial analyses.