The Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG) reports that the Iowa Beef Center is currently funding a demonstration project to look at the cost-effectiveness of using pumps to manage effluent from settling basins at small feedlots which qualify under the permitted size of 1,000 beef animals. Iowa law requires all feedlots, regardless of size, to settle the manure solids coming off a feedlot. Once the solids are settled, the effluent can be released as long as it does not cause a water quality violation. One effective solution is to use small pumps to divert the effluent runoff water from drainage pathways and distribute it on crop fields where growing crops can utilize the water and the nutrients. The demonstration project will include several field days at feedlots where beef producers can learn about these systems, as well as the development of a fact sheet and a video. 

Visit the Iowa Beef Center Web page at http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/.