For two days in early July, life in Springfield, Missouri, is becoming all about manure management.
July 8 and 9, 2014 the North American Manure Expo is being hosted at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, 3001 North Grant Ave., Springfield, MO.
The theme for the 2014 event is Valuing Manure and the Environment.
On July 8, interested parties can register on-line to take part in a free bus tour featuring stops at a local dairy operation plus a wastewater treatment and biosolids facility.
The first stop on the tour will be a pasture-based dairy with concrete manure storage and lagoon. There, tour attendees will learn more about the farm's unique needs in the area of manure management.
The dairy will also be the location of several agitation equipment demonstrations utilizing both a lagoon storage system and a concrete tank storage system.
The second stop will be at the Southwest Clean Water Treatment Plant in Springfield, MO. This award winning facility can handle 42.5 million gallons of wastewater per day. The facility removes approximately 70,000 pounds of pollutants from the wastewater per day before it is discharged. The Southwest plant also generates about 15 dry tons of biosolids per day. The biosolids are processed and utilized as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.
During this stop, tour participants will have an opportunity to tour the treatment facility and learn more about biosolids, anaerobic digestion, nutrient management plans and field mapping.
The tour buses plan to return to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds by 3 p.m. when the North American Manure Expo tradeshow will open, providing attendees an opportunity to see the latest technology and innovations involving manure handling, management, environment protection, and treatments and services. More than 80 exhibitors are taking part in the indoor and outdoor event.
At 4:30 p.m., a tour day and exhibitor appreciation dinner is scheduled and, starting at 5:30 p.m., visitors can take part in one of the three information sessions: Pump school, recycling dairy bedding, and precision nutrient management.
Attendance is free for both the tour day (July 8) and all events attached to the North American Manure Expo (July 9) but pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, visit ManureExpo.org.
5.7.2014