Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007SD106B

Evaluation of Manure Application Risk on Frozen Soils

Institute: South Dakota
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2010-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $28,036 Total Non-Federal Funds: $56,784

Principal Investigators: Dennis Todey, David German

Abstract: Animal feeding operations are a major industry in South Dakota and across the Midwest. The practice of applying manure to frozen or snow covered ground varies from state to state in the Midwest because of variation in state regulations and interpretation of the risk of this practice by producers receiving conservation funding from the USDA-NRCS. Substantial data and research is needed to evaluate the potential water quality impacts (relative to standard practices) and to assess the risk of occurrence of weather conditions that can lead to increased risk from applying manure on frozen or snow covered ground. This project will evaluate this practice by assessing the frequency (risk) of climatic conditions expected to lead to excessive runoff from winter conditions and the laboratory comparison of winter applications to typical spring/summer/fall applications.