2018 North American Manure Expo: Learning first-hand

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

In-field, hands-on learning environments offer the ability to engage and learn in a way that cannot be readily duplicated in a classroom setting.

This is why the 2018 North American Manure Expo – being held August 15 and 16 in Brookings, South Dakota – wants to offer attendees a chance to get out of the classroom into some dirt with three on-farm demonstration tours.

On Wednesday, August 15, three local operations from differing sectors will open their farm gates to Expo attendees. Tours include:

Tour 1: Mooving manure on dairies

This tour will take attendees to a local dairy operation to see first-hand how manure separation, aeration and irrigation are working together. Learn about the design, implementation, management and experiences of mooving manure.

Tour 2: Beefing up the system

This tour will visit a local farm that raises beef cattle and manages manure in open lots, bedded pack barns and deep pit systems. The tour will also showcase the South Dakota State University Cow-Calf Education and Research Facility, which showcases research and manure management for both pasture and confinement systems.

Tour #3 - A look inside swine systems

This tour will take participants inside swine barns to see how manure storages are designed and managed, and the pig environment. The tour includes a swine barn under construction. At the South Dakota State University Swine Education and Research Facility, a viewing hallway allows tour participants to see inside the gestation barn and view stall and pen gestation and farrowing in action.

"The tours are a great opportunity to see a range of Midwest farms. More importantly, the tours provide a chance to talk with the owners and managers about their day-to-day experiences managing manure as part of their overall operations,” says Erin Cortus, tour organizer and extension specialist with the University of Minnesota. “All the cooperating producers share a common goal of continual improvement and openness about what and why they do what they do. Register soon because space is limited for some tours!"

Tours cost $20 to attend and include transportation to and from the Swiftel Centre in Brookings, as well as a box lunch. Preregistration is required.

Don’t miss out, register today! For more information, please visit: manuremanager.com/manure-expo/

The North American Manure Expo is an annual educational and demonstration event. Launched in 2001, the event consists of a trade show, equipment showcases, farm tours and educational seminars. The 2018 Manure Expo will bring together decision makers from highly intensive livestock operations (dairy, beef, pork and poultry), custom manure applicators, researchers, consultants and government agencies.

For more information about this event, please contact David Kringen, chair of South Dakota NAME planning committee, at (605) 995-7378 or david.kringen@sdstate.edu.

For information about the tours, please contact Erin Cortus, assistant professor and extension specialist, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota at 612-625-8288 or ecortus@umn.edu.