The continuing rise in chemical fertilizer prices may push crop farmers even more to use manure for their fertilization needs.

To help them better understand manure, the theme of the Great Lakes Manure Handling Expo is The Economics of Recycling. The program will include commercial field and educational demonstrations and sessions, and commercial vendor displays. The event is July 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, OH.

Educational sessions include:

• Manure 101 – understanding how application rates and timing affect utilization of nutrients and maximizing the value of manure, presented by Robert Mullen, Ohio State University (OSU) soil fertility specialist.
• Records: what, why and how? Understanding the value of good documentation of manure application can save time and money. Explaining how records help determine nutrient needs and provide essential evidence in the case of an accidental spill is Kevin Elder, Ohio Department of Agriculture.
• Growing a management team: Good communication between producers and applicators is the key to a successful team. Providing key pieces of information that producers and applicators need to ask and tell each other is Bill Knapke, Cooper Farms of Ohio.
• Safety concerns: Livestock facilities and other structures housing manure can create safety issues such as high emissions of gases or particulates. Explaining how to reduce these emissions and provide safety steps to follow is Dee Jepsen, OSU Extension state safety leader.

Case studies will also be presented covering using liquids on crops, brokering manure, environmental management and extending the application window.

Educational demonstrations cover calibration of manure handling equipment and application rates; best management practices of stockpiling manure; slurry seeding application; and maintaining and properly handling equipment to ensure safety.

To learn more, log onto http://ohio-environmental.org or contact Tami Combs at (614) 292-6625 or combs.155@osu.edu.