This webinar will focus on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program, a new conservation initiative aimed at helping farmers put their land back on a sustainable path forward. The discussion will highlight how the program is designed to support regenerative farming practices that rebuild soil health, strengthen farm resilience, and promote the production of healthier food. Webinar speakers will provide a general overview of the pilot program, including NRCS’s role in offering technical and financial assistance to producers, and discuss how the program fits within broader conservation and soil health goals. This presentation was originally broadcast on April 17, 2026. Continue reading “NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program”
Nutrient Management Solutions for Small Farms
This webinar will examine practical nutrient management strategies tailored for small and diversified farms. Presenters will explore how organic operations can meet National Organic Program (NOP) requirements for manure, compost use, and soil fertility, followed by a look at the real‑world challenges facing small-acreage livestock properties. We will discuss additional considerations and solutions for effective nutrient stewardship on small farms. Whether you’re a producer, educator, conservation professional, or simply looking to improve land management on limited acreage, this session will offer actionable insights to support sustainable and environmentally sound practices. This presentation was originally broadcast on March 20, 2026. Continue reading “Nutrient Management Solutions for Small Farms”
Pathogens Beyond the Animal: Environmental Drivers of Disease in Livestock Systems
This webinar examines the role of the environment in livestock disease risk and surveillance. Presentations will explore the association between manure handling activities and PRRSV outbreaks in wean-to-market swine, as well as the use of environmental sampling to better understand pathogen distribution on HPAIv-infected egg layer farms. Together, these studies highlight how environmental data can inform biosecurity practices, disease monitoring, and future research applications in livestock production systems. This presentation was originally broadcast on February 20, 2026. Continue reading “Pathogens Beyond the Animal: Environmental Drivers of Disease in Livestock Systems”
Clear Communication, Safer Operations: Why Multilingual Manure Management and Farm Safety Training Matters
This webinar discusses how prioritizing Spanish-language and culturally informed training, agricultural operations can improve clarity, strengthen worker confidence, enhance environmental stewardship, and foster a safer, more resilient workforce. This presentation was originally broadcast on January 23, 2026. Continue reading “Clear Communication, Safer Operations: Why Multilingual Manure Management and Farm Safety Training Matters”
A view from above – application of drones and remote sensing for air and water quality measures around livestock farms
Aerial photos of farms and farming practices are becoming easier to find and collect. But drones and satellites can provide more than pretty pictures. In this webinar, the three speakers will share applications of drones and remote sensing for air and water quality measures around livestock farms. Dirk Charlson will share his simple approach to collecting drone imagery, and the range of opportunities for analyzing images and mapping practices. Nesli Akdeniz has collected air quality measures in pasture systems with drones. Finally, Becca Muenich has used remote sensing to examine land application practices. While it may seem like these applications are flying by faster than we can see, the speakers will help ground us with their experience. This presentation was originally broadcast on December 12, 2025. Continue reading “A view from above – application of drones and remote sensing for air and water quality measures around livestock farms”
Mortality Management – From Routine to Catastrophic
This webinar will explore how mortality is part of livestock production, whether in the day-to-day on the farm or after a catastrophic disease or environmental disaster. Handling and disposal of mortality in a safe and efficient manner is critical for continuity of operations. In this webinar, the presenters will present on studies evaluating different techniques of mortality management and the lessons learned from each study This presentation was originally broadcast on October 10, 2025. Continue reading “Mortality Management – From Routine to Catastrophic”
Rethinking Manure Management with 360Rain: Expanding Application Windows and Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency
This webinar will explore how the 360Rain autonomous irrigation system is being used as a new tool for manure management. By enabling in-season manure application, 360Rain opens opportunities to better match nitrogen availability with crop uptake, reduce manure storage time (and associated methane emissions), and even provide supplemental irrigation. This presentation was originally broadcast on September 26, 2025. Continue reading “Rethinking Manure Management with 360Rain: Expanding Application Windows and Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency”
Flies, Frass, Feces, and Fields
This webinar will examine how black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) can transform food and agricultural waste into valuable products for both animal feed and soil health. Presenters will discuss large-scale BSFL production, the frass co-product, and how nutrient content can vary based on inputs and processing. This presentation was originally broadcast on August 15, 2025. Continue reading “Flies, Frass, Feces, and Fields”
Manure processing for discharge water quality – technical performance and county perspectives for advancing water quality
This webinar will examine the potential of advanced manure processing systems to treat manure to water quality standards suitable for discharge. It will feature insights from Dane County Land Conservation, including their objectives in supporting system installation, the ownership and operational structure, financial support mechanisms, observed outcomes, and future planning. This presentation was originally broadcast on June 20, 2025. Continue reading “Manure processing for discharge water quality – technical performance and county perspectives for advancing water quality”
Impact of ammonia reduction management practices in land applied manure on nitrogen losses and nitrogen use efficiency
Purpose
Manure nitrogen losses from agricultural soils presents a significant challenge with far-reaching implications for global food security and environmental health. This project evaluates common manure application practices and studies some mechanistic factors and relationships that influence manure nitrogen losses via leaching and volatilization when manure is soil applied. The study highlights the tradeoffs between reduction of ammonia emissions and nitrogen leaching aiming to promote effective manure management techniques that increase crop nutrient use efficiency while minimizing nutrient losses to the environment.
What Did We Do?
Dairy manure was applied to a silt loam agricultural field using different manure applications. The study involves six experimental treatments, each applying 94 m³ ha-1 of liquid dairy manure through different methods: injection, incorporation, surface broadcast, and two treatments with urease inhibitor-one injected and one surface broadcast. Additionally, there are control plots with no manure application. Immediately after manure application, ammonia emissions were routinely measured using an FTIR while cumulative nitrate leaching for the growing season was assessed using the resin cartridge methodology. Corn silage was planted and yield data collected at the end of the growing season and nitrogen use efficiency following each experimental treatment determined.
What Have We Learned?
Preliminary results suggest that manure incorporation and injection with or without the urease inhibitor, have a comparable significant impact on corn silage yield when compared to surface manure application and plots with no manure application. However, there were no significant differences in N uptake among treatments. Additionally, there were significant differences in the cumulative nitrates leached when comparing the manure application methods to the no-manure plots. Manure injection and incorporation resulted in the highest significant nitrates leached with averages of 104.4 kg ha-1 and 108.4 kg ha-1 respectively, in comparison to surface manure application. Overall, current project data suggests that ammonia emissions tend to be lower in the manure injection especially when the manure is treated with urease inhibitor compared to when manure is surface applied.
These preliminary results suggest that certain manure application practices may offer superior environmental benefits while the agronomic benefits may remain comparable across different practices.
Future Plans
The field project will be extended into a second year under similar soil types to collect additional data for better comparisons and identifications of trends among experimental treatments. Future plans will also include a new project involving the incorporation of biochar and investigating its potential in simultaneously reducing ammonia volatilization and nitrogen leaching in manure and crop systems.
Authors
Presenting & corresponding author
Juma Bukomba, PhD Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison, bukomba@wisc.edu
Additional authors
Rebecca Larson, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison;
Mathew Ruark, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EFMA-2132036. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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