Pulling a quality soil sample is rule number one of soil analysis. The most accurate laboratory in the world cannot accurately evaluate anything without a quality, representative sample

I’ve written numerous articles and made many presentations extolling the virtues of manure. Yes, we know it has some unpleasant characteristics and can be dangerous when not respected, but when well

I recently helped a client work through a regulatory quagmire. The violation was a storage pond freeboard exceedance. The resolution was application of manure on cropland — two months later. An anti

Careful manure management is a principle of farm profitability and environmental stewardship. Thinking critically about your nutrient management plan can help protect your fields

Biogas is attracting huge interest these days. In this article, I want to share three pieces of American law and policy that are coming together to offer unique opportunities related to anaerobic dige

Manure handling starts with the animal, but the end user is an essential part of the equation

For years, cover crops have been touted as a way to protect water quality among other benefits, such as soil health, a forage source, and carbon sequestration

The Washington Department of Ecology is proposing updates to the state’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) water quality permit. Several of the proposed updates are in response to a decis

This summer, Dutch farmers have been protesting at the nation’s parliament building and beyond in response to government proposals intended to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a general permit to a Smithfield hog feeding operation in the north central part of the state. Environmentalists and others opposed to the

Last month, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf approved the state’s budget, which dedicates $13.6 million to the Pennsylvania Farm Bill for the next fiscal year. In 2019, Pennsylvania became the first

The concept of a manureshed was developed to describe the amount of cropland needed to use the manure nutrients produced by a livestock operation without negative environmental impacts

There is no certainty when it comes to farming. The only thing we can really plan on is that next year will not be the same as this year. The agricultural markets are a prime example of this. Com

Aaron Augustian said he and his brother, Todd, were looking to try something different with manure application when they were asked to join the Great Lakes Demonstration Farms Network a few years ago

The agriculture community continuously adapts to fulfill the ever-growing desires and needs of society. This willingness to try innovative practices that protect soil and water resources

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal recently about how food is produced and labeled. The following statement raised my ire: “Confinement livestock operations have polluted ground and surfac

When in Wisconsin a number of years ago, I had the opportunity to tour the Dane County Community Digester, which produces biogas (a mixture of high-energy methane and no-energy carbon dioxide)

A report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noted that one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten

An ordinance crafted by a partnership of six towns in northwestern Wisconsin this spring would allow for more local input and control over farms with more than 500 animal units

State officials released a final version of the adaptive management plan for handling algal blooms on Lake Erie. This serves as a companion document to the Domestic Action Plan for Lake Erie