2005 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Wastes from animal feeding operations (AFOs) and confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and other agricultural effluents pose threats to soil and water quality. Research is being conducted to evaluate a range of methods for utilizing these wastes. The objective is to provide land managers with techniques for appropriately utilizing all of their wastes such that environmental quality is not negatively impacted. The research is addressing problems associated with dairy, swine, and poultry production. All of the systems are designed to cleanse wastewater of excess loads of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and microbes. Research includes use of conservation tillage, cover crops, and composted municipal sludge to conserve soil and water quality; use of floating vegetative mats on wastewater lagoons to incorporate nutrients into biomass which can be composted and used as a soil amendment; investigation of N cycling and carbon (C) accretion in strip tillage systems amended with poultry litter and use of grass buffers to assimilate nutrients in surface runoff from cotton fertilized with poultry litter; and determination of N mineralization rates of poultry litter in Coastal Plain soils as a function of moisture and temperature. All of the systems are designed to cleanse wastes of excess loads of N, P, and microbes. How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? Pollution of soil and water from byproducts, animal wastes and agricultural effluents is a serious problem nationwide. In recent years AFOs have changed from small farms to large confinement operations with thousands of animals. Dairy and swine wastewater from these operations is commonly lagooned. Water from the lagoons must be removed so that they will not overflow. Dry poultry litter commonly is initially stacked, but ultimately is also land applied. Composted municipal sludge also is generally land applied. Land treatment/utilization methods are needed for composted municipal sludge, lagoon wastewaters and poultry litter which utilize the nutrients while not contaminating the environment. Pollution of soil and water from byproducts or agricultural effluents matters because degradation of the environment affects human, plant, and animal life. Environmental degradation may cause human or animal health problems or death of individual plants or animals and may in the long run result in decreased species diversity. This research is relevant to byproduct and animal producers, who must dispose of wastes daily, and to the general public which needs surface and ground waters to be protected from environmental degradation. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Milestone 1 (8 months, 12/05) Selection of plant species which successfully grow on floating mats on an anaerobic swine lagoon. Milestone 2 (8 months, 12/05) Conduct field validation studies at Tifton. Milestone 3 (14 months, 6/06) Submit field validation data from Tifton N mineralization field experiments to Honeycutt for Nmin Team database. Milestone 4 (32 months, 12/07) Determine impacts of compost, cover crops, and conservation tillage on microbial biomass, C accretion and soil physical properties of a sandy coastal plain soil. Milestone 5 (32 months, 12/07) Participate in Southeast Poultry Litter Conference. Milestone 6 (38 months, 6/08) Critically evaluate results of conservation tillage, cover crop, and composted municipal sludge study to develop fact sheets to provide recommendations to land managers. Milestone 7 (44 months, 12/08) Determine impacts of poultry litter application in conventional or strip tillage systems on water quality. Milestone 8 (44 months, 12/08) Determine impact of grass variety and buffer length on assimilating nutrients from poultry litter applied to cotton. Milestone 9 (56 months, 12/09) Completed manuscripts and fact sheets recommending best management practices for use of compost, cover crops, and conservation tillage systems. Milestone 10 (56 months, 12/09) Determine biomass produced from floating mats on wastewater lagoons, nutrient content of composted biomass material, and suitability as a horticultural amendment. Milestone 11 (56 months, 12/09) Fact sheets and manuscripts providing information/guidelines for using floating vegetative mats on anaerobic wastewater lagoons, composting the material, and marketing as a horticultural amendment. Milestone 12 (56 months, 12/09) Fact sheets and manuscripts providing guidelines for application of poultry litter in the Southeast. Milestone 13 (56 months, 12/09) Fact sheets and manuscripts providing guidelines for using grass buffers to prevent contamination of surface waters from poultry litter applied to cotton. 4a.What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year? This is a new CRIS project, effective April 3, 2005. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. This project just started April 3, 2005. See CRIS 6602-13000-016-00D that it replaced. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Science/technologies from this research should be available by the fourth year of the project. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). A presentation on the effects of conservation tillage and cover crops on physical properties of coastal plain soils was made at the Agronomy Meetings in Seattle, WA, October 2005.