Project Number: 6227-21310-008-03
Project Type: Trust

Start Date: Jun 25, 2007
End Date: Dec 31, 2008

Objective:
1. Develop technology to enable the direct incorporation of poultry litter into perennial pasture. 2. Quantify the effect of the new litter incorporation technology on phosphorus and nitrogen losses in surface runoff from perennial pasture.

Approach:
1. Design, assemble, and test a prototype tractor-drawn implement that incorporates poultry litter into perennial pasture. 2. Field trials will be conducted at the Dale Bumpers Small Farm Research Center in Booneville, AR. Bermed watersheds (0.23 Ha each) have been constructed in well-established perennial pasture (6% slope) that is grazed continuously. Each watershed is equipped with flumes and autosamples for runoff collection. Background runoff has been monitored for more than a year. Treatments will consist of broiler litter applied (5.6 Mg/Ha rate) by one of two methods: conventional surface application or incorporation using the prototype implement. Runoff will be sampled before and after litter application following established protocols, and nutrient losses from the two application methods will be compared.