By Bruce Cochrane.
A study planned by the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative will seek options for addressing the nutrient management challenges posed on tile drained farm lands.
Although tile drainage of agricultural land offers improved water management, it creates nutrient management challenges when applying livestock manure fertilizer.
Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative Executive Director John Carney says a planned literature review will identify strategies being used in other areas that might be applicable to Manitoba.
John Carney-Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative:
Certainly there continues to be more acres tile drained in the province and so of course we're interested in what are beneficial management practices that can be used in Manitoba to not only realize the agronomic benefits of tile drainage, but of course also to do so in a way that's environmentally sustainable because nobody wants these nutrients running off fields into water courses.
So we're doing a literature review on beneficial management practices that are being done in other areas to see how we could use those here.
Fortunately there's been a lot of research done into this topic.
What we would like to do is have some knowledgeable people put together a good objective review of what's been studied and what's been learned across North America frankly but then superimpose the Manitoba prism on that to say, relative to Manitoba conditions, what could be relevant in terms of been beneficial management practices here in the province.
What we're really trying to establish is what's been learned throughout North America about beneficial management practices that could apply to Manitoba conditions and then very important what gaps exist and where there's gaps is there a need for more research that's done here in the province.
Carney anticipates release of a completed report in June.
Source: Farmscape