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Title: IMPACT OF ANIMAL NUTRITION AND FEED MANAGEMENT ON THE ENVIRONMENT: SUCCESS, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTION

Author
item KOHN, RICHARD - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
item ANGEL, ROSALINA - UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
item MITCHELL, RANDY - PERDUE FARMS
item WEBER, GARY - NATIONAL CATTLEMEN'S BEEF
item Kerr, Brian
item SUTTON, ALAN - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item CARPENTER, GLENN - USDA-NRCS-AHCWPD

Submitted to: Animal Residuals Agricultural Animal Manure Management Policy and Technology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2002
Publication Date: 5/8/2002
Citation: Kohn, R., Angel, R., Mitchell, R., Weber, G., Kerr, B.J., Sutton, A., Carpenter, G. 2002. Impact of animal nutrition and feed management on the environment: success, challenges and future direction. Animal Residuals Agricultural Animal Manure Management Policy and Technology.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: To predict the future direction of animal nutrition and feed management on the environment, one must understand where we are today in terms of making animal production more environmentally friendly. With current regulations on phosphorus (P) (soil runoff and ground water infiltration), nitrogen (N) (aerial emissions, soil runoff, and ground water infiltration) and sulfur (S) (aerial emissions); nutrition and feed management personnel utilize published and ongoing research to reduce the release of these nutrients into the environment. Prior to discussing technologies that will impact losses of these nutrients, however, the future direction of nutrient management may need to consider other `nutrients¿ of environmental concern. For this discussion, nutrients or compounds that may need to be considered in future Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans are those fed to animals that are not fully utilized by the animal or by the crop to which the manure is applied. Besides N, P and S as stated above, compounds (including nutrients) that may be of future concern include zinc, copper, iron, production facility particulate emissions, malodorous compound emissions from production or manure storage facilities, pharmaceutically active compounds, and microbes. Although the combination of existing (diet manipulation, program feeding, etc) and future technologies (genetic modification of crops and animal/microbes) will greatly aid in reducing the impact of animal production on the environment, the road to this improvement will be difficult as improvements in one area of the animal production¿environmental puzzle often impacts other areas of concern. In context of this discussion, alterations in diet composition with subsequent assimilation through the biological system of the animal, after which excretion products are further contained and modified in manure storage facilities; creates an inherently complex situation with which to make rapid progress on reducing the impact of animal production on the environment. Ultimately, efforts are needed to link dietary treatments to animal metabolism, to manure development, to the soil and water environment, to crop utilization; to generate a model of cause and effects of changes in the entire production cycle.