For producers who manage and apply manure, accurate and diligent record-keeping can be of the utmost importance. This is especially true for CAFOs in states that require manure records in order for those operations to maintain their permits.
Now, a new web-based system being rolled out by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will allow livestock producers to map fields, plan applications and – among other things – maintain records. It replaces a spreadsheet-based manure management planning platform also maintained by the MPCA, which the agency said was too intensive for it to maintain and update as often as it needed to be.
Recently tested on participating area farmers, the application can be used on a personal computer and is meant to simplify nutrient management planning. It can be especially valuable in the current day, say Minnesota officials, in which fertilizer prices are incredibly volatile and producers are under pressure to get maximum efficiency out of their inputs. The old program will eventually be phased out, but is still in use in some counties as the new system is still being refined.
Although initially developed – and highly beneficial – for larger livestock operations, the agency plans to expand it to other farmers, including non-livestock producers who receive manure. And, although it can work to track application of commercial nutrients, it is optimized for manure application. Data entry is required upon setup in order to optimize field mapping.
