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Farm & Ranch 8 FRIO-NUECES CURRENT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 need as they adapt to virtual learning environments that have quickly become the primary mode of education for most Texas families; and parents gain access to reduced cost, reliable tutoring services focused on empowering students to succeed. As part of the program launch, TRTF in currently undertaking an ambitious $10 million fundraising effort to donate 250,000 hours of tutoring to Texas schools. “These are unprecedented times. We have a responsibility to think bigger and do more than ever,” Lee said. “Just imagine the difference we can make together by connecting thousands of Texas retired teachers with our students and schools. “TRTF is also calling on all interested TRS retirees to consider being a tutor on the platform. Our belief is that demand will be very high, and we want to rise up and meet the challenge.” For additional information or to sign-up for the program, visit www. trtf.org. The Texas Retired Teachers Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping active and retired educators with their financial needs. The foundation offers three programs to assist educators, and designates more than $25,000 per year towards public education. Additional information on the foundation is available online at www.trtf.org. ^Portal (Continued from page 7) layer in a large saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Add the vinegar (see tip) and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, and turn off the heat. Let stand until completely cooled. Peel the eggs, then rinse and dry them. Slice them in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the yolks into a large bowl. Set the whites aside. Add the mayonnaise, relish, dill, chives, mustard powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the egg yolks. Mix well, mashing the yolks with the back side of a fork. Use a spoon to gently fill the whites with the filling. (Alternatively, transfer the filling to a zip-top plastic bag, snip 1/2 inch off one corner, and pipe the filling into the egg whites.) Chop the reserved bacon (if using) and generously top the eggs with it. If desired, sprinkle dill and/or chives on top or dust with paprika. Arrange the deviled eggs on a platter, cover lightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving. Makes 24 deviled eggs; 8 to 12 servings. Pro tip: adding vinegar to the boiling water makes it easier to peel the eggs. and really just stopped by a gift display at some big store and grabbed the first thing she saw. But she’s my sister… shouldn’t she at least try to get me something that I actually like, or will use? Ryann Hey Ryann, I feel like I might need to say this, just to draw attention to what I feel like is happening. Did you write to me to express your unhappiness about receiving a gift? I know it’s much more complicated than that, but I want you to really think for a moment on what this season is supposed to be about. Maybe all your sister did was get you a robe and some socks, but at some point, everyone could use some warm and fuzzy in their life. The obvious first answer I have to give you is that there are homeless people who would be thrilled to receive a robe and some socks because they have none. Trouble is, that’s too obvious. So, I also feel I need to remind you that even when a gift feels underwhelming, you should appreciate that a person took the time to think of you at all. Approach each day with a grateful heart, even when that day doesn’t call for warm socks. Especially in this season of giving, and after such a tough year, let’s just be thankful we woke up on the day the package came in. Happy Holidays, Tessie hospital in Lamesa, Texas found out (its directors had purchased the special freezer just for the vaccine) the deciding factor was the size of the hospital’s staff. Contrast this story with another making the rounds of the news desks. USA Today reports senior members of the U.S. government have already been vaccinated. Included in this group are Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. As the news source Roll Call reports, “Top officials at the White House and Capitol Hill and the judiciary will receive priority for vaccination against COVID- 19 as part of continuity-of- government planning.” In simple terms, continuity- of-government means that political leaders will receive additional protection to ensure the government can continue to function during a disaster. The Bible contains an early version of continuity- of-government perks. During an insurrection against King David, his advisors asked him to stay back where it was safe and not to take part in a battle. “It is better for you not to go out: for if we are put to flight, they will not give a thought to us, and if death overtakes half of us, it will be nothing to them: but you are of more value than ten thousand of us: so, it is better for you to be ready to come to our help from this town” (2 Sam 18:3). Who could fault the king for taking the advice of his staff? However, this was the second time David gave himself an exemption from danger that was not available to his constituents. American voters have a more democratic understanding of shared risk than the people of ancient Israel. Perhaps that is why the USA Today article quoted more members of Congress justifying their early inoculation with the statement “At the advice of the attending physician in the Capitol” rather than citing continuity-of- government. However, since the House and the Senate combined does not total 975, the attending physician for the Capitol must have a huge staff for this explanation to justify a shipment of vaccines to the Capitol rather than a rural hospital. Or the reason might be exactly what was pointed out by election results: there is a divide between big cities and rural areas in our country. The good news is that Frio Regional Hospital and hundreds of other rural providers received shipments of the vaccine this week. This means that pretty soon continuity- of-government will be extended down to the voters. ^Granny (Continued from page 7) ^Bible (Continued from page 7) ^Tessie (Continued from page 7) By Kay Ledbetter Dairy manure is a natural crop fertilizer, and Texas A&M AgriLife scientists believe they have discovered a way to make sure that the valuable resource stays on crops where it is applied as a fertilizer, and out of waterways, where it is a potential pollutant. Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Tarleton State University scientists are joining forces to develop and demonstrate a biochar- assisted phytoremediation system for enhancing water quality during dairy manure application in the Stephenville and Vernon crop production areas. Biochar is a charcoal-like compound made through gasification from waste, including manure. This “Biocarbon- enhanced dairy manure management demonstration for enhanced water quality” project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Innovation Grants, CIG, program. The premise of the research is the specially designed biochar, created by using heat, pressure and other adjuvants, produces unique carbon structures tailored for dairy and other waste material. This unique biochar, when used in conjunction with growing plants, can help enhance the water quality of any potential runoff. “The nexus between agriculture and water quality is incredibly important research, particularly in Texas,” said Patrick Stover, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “These findings will further improve how we marry agriculture and health, and are a positive step forward toward understanding how we can make dairy manure a beneficial adjuvant to the ecosystem.” Research partnership addresses regional issue The project’s lead scientist is Eun Sung Kan, Ph.D., an AgriLife Research biological engineer at the AgriLife Research center at Stephenville with joint appointments in Texas A&M’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and at Tarleton State University. Kan concentrates his research on using a unique biochar he has developed to transform wastewater into water for agricultural needs. “Not all biochar is created equal,” said Bill McCutchen, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director at Stephenville. “Some will bind phosphorus and ammonia better and also amend soil, so we not only help agricultural areas, but also prevent runoff of phosphorus and other contaminants into streams and reservoirs, which is the lifeblood between the rural- urban nexus.” Joining Kan on the project are Jim Muir, Ph.D., grassland ecologist, and Barb Jones, Ph.D., dairy professor, both of whom also have joint positions with AgriLife Research and Tarleton State. Paul DeLaune, Ph.D., AgriLife Research soil scientist, Vernon, and Jeff Brady, Ph.D., genetics specialist, Stephenville, will also participate. The Tarleton State University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is particularly pleased about this grant, said W. Stephen Damron, Ph.D., dean of Tarleton’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Not only is the work much needed, but the grant emphasizes the value of the AgriLife/Tarleton partnership,” Damron said. “Drs. Kan, Jones and Muir have joint appointments with AgriLife and Tarleton State University. By joining forces, we bring more person power and resources to the project to help ensure its success.” Damron said Tarleton students also benefit, as several graduate and undergraduate students will work on the project gaining much-needed research experience and technical and analytical skills. When too much of a good thing is a bad thing Jones said on average, a dairy cow will secrete over 100 pounds of manure daily. So, the manure needs to be properly handled through nutrient management plans, which all dairies have on their farms. Some farms vacuum the manure slurry from the barn and apply it directly to the land, weather and permits allowing. Other farms, including the Southwest Regional Dairy Center, use recycled effluent to wash the manure slurry from the barns. The flushed effluent travels through various stages to separate out bedding and manure solids before landing in the lagoon. Still other farms may scrape out manure slurry into manure pits. “Manure is a valuable resource to the farm as it is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus,” Jones said. “Farms will use manure as a natural fertilizer to enhance plant growth.” At issue is the manure’s nutrient content, especially its high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. When manure is applied to fields, nutrients can potentially leach to groundwater or run off and accumulate in surface water bodies, resulting in algal blooms. Kan said not only does the specifically designed biochar remove phosphorus and ammonia, but also provides agronomic benefits to the soil and plants by slowly releasing these nutrients as plants need them. “Several previous projects have applied biochar to make the plants grow and to fertilize the soil,” he said. “But no one has demonstrated how biochar enhances water by removing pollutants from water runoff. The biochar process eliminates contaminants and pathogens. In this project, we have a special biochar we will crush into a powder and spray it on a crop to mix with the soil to remove the phosphorus, ammonia and active bacteria that pollute waterways as runoff.” The biochar should enhance plants’ ability to recycle nutrients from the soil, a process called phytoremediation, Muir said. “Our proposal uses biochar to stabilize the nutrients until pasture plants have time to pick them up and use them,” he said. “Then dairies can feed these plants to cows, completing the cycle.” Field testing in regenerative agricultural cropping systems Over the past few years, Kan has been perfecting this new biochar process. He has proven the concept in the greenhouse but not in the field, he said. “These CIG grants are directed at applying technology that is already created and tested,” Muir said. “CIG provides the funding to take it from the research level to application in the field. This is an application project.” The project will determine the efficiency and economics of biocarbon- enhanced phytoremediation on reactive nitrogen and phosphorus from dairy manure in the water and soil. The team will integrate field-scale research, laboratory analyses and systematic evaluation. The research will redistribute dairy nutrients on perennial forage- based systems on AgriLife Research property near Stephenville. In addition, some of the biochar will be transported to the Vernon area where DeLaune will look at its use in regenerative agriculture cropping systems. “This project will allow us to evaluate the impact of this novel practice in perennial systems that have a long-history of dairy manure applications and typically sufficient soil phosphorus levels compared to cropping systems with deficient soil phosphorus levels,” DeLaune said. Regenerative agriculture promotes reduced tillage and the use of organic nutrient sources, he said. This project will demonstrate a novel technology, and if utilized by both established and new adopters, it can improve sustainability. “This project will allow for the evaluation of synergies among tillage systems, addition of cover/ forage crops, and amended dairy manure on nutrient cycling and subsequent fate of nutrients in the soil profile and surface runoff,” DeLaune said. Kan said field tests of biochar are ready to be conducted and they will begin with a culturally acceptable rate per acre. In addition, they will compare commercial biochar with the novel dairy manure kind at different rates. What does biochar do in the field Brady will study the microbial profile of the soil after applying the biochar, particularly looking at how bacterial communities in the soil fare under green manure versus biochar. “If you add green manure or biochar to the soil, you change the microbial activity,” he said. “Nitrogen and phosphorus are good for plants, but there’s too much of a good thing when you apply green manure to the soil. Dr. Kan’s system ties up those nutrients to keep them from washing off and becoming a pollutant. We will be monitoring the soil for positive changes on the microbial community.” Muir explained that some north Central Texas soils are very poor in nitrogen and phosphorus, and the surrounding dairies could provide copious amounts of those nutrients to an expanded land area through regenerative ag use of its manure. Typically, biochar must be incorporated into the soil to bind those nutrients. Answering how long that binding lasts and how gradually the nutrients are released for plant uptake are the applied aspects of this project. As a forage agronomist and agroecologist, Muir said his focus will be on the integration of the biochar into forage production systems. Because the region’s climate and rainfall limit row crop production, the main focus is on livestock. “A large percentage of our pastures are perennial Bermuda grass pastures, and you can’t take this biochar and apply it without tillage in those systems,” he said. “Most Bermuda grass pastures are already functioning, so that will be one of the challenges we will face: how to incorporate this into soils of perennial systems that are not tillable. We will also be looking at cost effectiveness.” Following the research The researchers maintain that the knowledge gained through this research project will provide solutions to improve the sustainability of animal- based agricultural systems and food security while enhancing environmental quality for future generations. If successfully implemented, Kan said he expects that his unique biochar will be applied with other livestock manures. “We are going to try to find equilibrium between the technology and costs,” McCutchen said. “Then we expect this will lead to larger-scale studies in other regions and with other confined animal manures.” Unique process ‘cleans’ crop water runoff when using dairy manure as fertilizer Texas A&M AgriLife, Tarleton State University ‘biochar’ research maintains nutrients in crop production fields
Transcript of Service Directory...1 day ago · king of scrap TEXAS AUTO SALVAGE We Buy: Scrap Metal, Iron,...
Farm & Ranch8 FRIO-NUECES CURRENT THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020
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need as they adapt to virtual learning environments that have quickly become the primary mode of education for most Texas families; and parents gain access to reduced cost, reliable tutoring services focused on empowering students to succeed.
As part of the program launch, TRTF in currently undertaking an ambitious $10 million fundraising effort to donate 250,000 hours of tutoring to Texas schools.
“These are unprecedented times. We have a responsibility to think bigger and do more than ever,” Lee said. “Just imagine the difference we can make together by connecting thousands of Texas retired teachers with
our students and schools. “TRTF is also calling on
all interested TRS retirees to consider being a tutor on the platform. Our belief is that demand will be very high, and we want to rise up and meet the challenge.”
For additional information or to sign-up for the program, visit www.trtf.org.
The Texas Retired Teachers Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping active and retired educators with their financial needs. The foundation offers three programs to assist educators, and designates more than $25,000 per year towards public education. Additional information on the foundation is available online at www.trtf.org.
^Portal (Continued from page 7)
layer in a large saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Add the vinegar (see tip) and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, and turn off the heat. Let stand until completely cooled.
Peel the eggs, then rinse and dry them. Slice them in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the yolks into a large bowl. Set the whites aside.
Add the mayonnaise, relish, dill, chives, mustard powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the egg yolks. Mix well, mashing the yolks with the back side of a fork. Use a spoon to gently fill
the whites with the filling. (Alternatively, transfer the filling to a zip-top plastic bag, snip 1/2 inch off one corner, and pipe the filling into the egg whites.)
Chop the reserved bacon (if using) and generously top the eggs with it. If desired, sprinkle dill and/or chives on top or dust with paprika.
Arrange the deviled eggs on a platter, cover lightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving.
Makes 24 deviled eggs; 8 to 12 servings.
Pro tip: adding vinegar to the boiling water makes it easier to peel the eggs.
and really just stopped by a gift display at some big store and grabbed the first thing she saw. But she’s my sister… shouldn’t she at least try to get me something that I actually like, or will use?
Ryann
Hey Ryann,I feel like I might need
to say this, just to draw attention to what I feel
like is happening. Did you write to me to express your unhappiness about receiving a gift? I know it’s much more complicated than that, but I want you to really think for a moment on what this season is supposed to be about. Maybe all your sister did was get you a robe and some socks, but at some point, everyone could use some warm and fuzzy in
their life. The obvious first answer
I have to give you is that there are homeless people who would be thrilled to receive a robe and some socks because they have none. Trouble is, that’s too obvious. So, I also feel I need to remind you that even when a gift feels underwhelming, you should appreciate that a person
took the time to think of you at all.
Approach each day with a grateful heart, even when that day doesn’t call for warm socks. Especially in this season of giving, and after such a tough year, let’s just be thankful we woke up on the day the package came in.
Happy Holidays,Tessie
hospital in Lamesa, Texas found out (its directors had purchased the special freezer just for the vaccine) the deciding factor was the size of the hospital’s staff.
Contrast this story with another making the rounds of the news desks. USA Today reports senior members of the U.S. government have already been vaccinated. Included in this group are Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. As the news source Roll Call reports, “Top officials at the White House and Capitol Hill and the judiciary
will receive priority for vaccination against COVID-19 as part of continuity-of-government planning.” In simple terms, continuity-of-government means that political leaders will receive additional protection to ensure the government can continue to function during a disaster.
The Bible contains an early version of continuity-of-government perks. During an insurrection against King David, his advisors asked him to stay back where it was safe and not to take part in a battle. “It is better for you not to go out: for if we are put to flight, they will not give a thought to us, and if death overtakes half of us, it will be nothing to them:
but you are of more value than ten thousand of us: so, it is better for you to be ready to come to our help from this town” (2 Sam 18:3). Who could fault the king for taking the advice of his staff? However, this was the second time David gave himself an exemption from danger that was not available to his constituents.
American voters have a more democratic understanding of shared risk than the people of ancient Israel. Perhaps that is why the USA Today article quoted more members of Congress justifying their early inoculation with the statement “At the advice of the attending physician in the Capitol” rather than citing continuity-of-
government. However, since the House and the Senate combined does not total 975, the attending physician for the Capitol must have a huge staff for this explanation to justify a shipment of vaccines to the Capitol rather than a rural hospital. Or the reason might be exactly what was pointed out by election results: there is a divide between big cities and rural areas in our country.
The good news is that Frio Regional Hospital and hundreds of other rural providers received shipments of the vaccine this week. This means that pretty soon continuity-of-government will be extended down to the voters.
^Granny (Continued from page 7)
^Bible (Continued from page 7)
^Tessie (Continued from page 7)
By Kay LedbetterDairy manure is a natural
crop fertilizer, and Texas A&M AgriLife scientists believe they have discovered a way to make sure that the valuable resource stays on crops where it is applied as a fertilizer, and out of waterways, where it is a potential pollutant.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Tarleton State University scientists are joining forces to develop and demonstrate a biochar-assisted phytoremediation system for enhancing water quality during dairy manure application in the Stephenville and Vernon crop production areas. Biochar is a charcoal-like compound made through gasification from waste, including manure.
This “Biocarbon-enhanced dairy manure management demonstration for enhanced water quality” project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Innovation Grants, CIG, program.
The premise of the research is the specially designed biochar, created by using heat, pressure and other adjuvants, produces unique carbon structures tailored for dairy and other waste material. This unique biochar, when used in conjunction with growing plants, can help enhance the water quality of any potential runoff.
“The nexus between agriculture and water quality is incredibly important research, particularly in Texas,” said Patrick Stover, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “These
findings will further improve how we marry agriculture and health, and are a positive step forward toward understanding how we can make dairy manure a beneficial adjuvant to the ecosystem.”
Research partnership addresses regional issue
The project’s lead scientist is Eun Sung Kan, Ph.D., an AgriLife Research biological engineer at the AgriLife Research center at Stephenville with joint appointments in Texas A&M’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and at Tarleton State University. Kan concentrates his research on using a unique biochar he has developed to transform wastewater into water for agricultural needs.
“Not all biochar is created equal,” said Bill McCutchen, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center director at Stephenville. “Some will bind phosphorus and ammonia better and also amend soil, so we not only help agricultural areas, but also prevent runoff of phosphorus and other contaminants into streams and reservoirs, which is the lifeblood between the rural-urban nexus.”
Joining Kan on the project are Jim Muir, Ph.D., grassland ecologist, and Barb Jones, Ph.D., dairy professor, both of whom also have joint positions with AgriLife Research and Tarleton State. Paul DeLaune, Ph.D., AgriLife Research soil scientist, Vernon, and Jeff Brady, Ph.D., genetics specialist, Stephenville, will also participate.
The Tarleton State University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is particularly pleased about this grant, said
W. Stephen Damron, Ph.D., dean of Tarleton’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“Not only is the work much needed, but the grant emphasizes the value of the AgriLife/Tarleton partnership,” Damron said. “Drs. Kan, Jones and Muir have joint appointments with AgriLife and Tarleton State University. By joining forces, we bring more person power and resources to the project to help ensure its success.”
Damron said Tarleton students also benefit, as several graduate and undergraduate students will work on the project gaining much-needed research experience and technical and analytical skills.
When too much of a good thing is a bad thing
Jones said on average, a dairy cow will secrete over 100 pounds of manure daily. So, the manure needs to be properly handled through nutrient management plans, which all dairies have on their farms.
Some farms vacuum the manure slurry from the barn and apply it directly to the land, weather and permits allowing. Other farms, including the Southwest Regional Dairy Center, use recycled effluent to wash the manure slurry from the barns. The flushed effluent travels through various stages to separate out bedding and manure solids before landing in the lagoon. Still other farms may scrape out manure slurry into manure pits.
“Manure is a valuable resource to the farm as it is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus,” Jones said. “Farms will use manure as a natural fertilizer to enhance plant growth.”
At issue is the manure’s nutrient content, especially its high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. When manure is applied to fields, nutrients can potentially leach to groundwater or run off and accumulate in surface water bodies, resulting in algal blooms.
Kan said not only does the specifically designed
biochar remove phosphorus and ammonia, but also provides agronomic benefits to the soil and plants by slowly releasing these nutrients as plants need them.
“Several previous projects have applied biochar to make the plants grow and to fertilize the soil,” he said. “But no one has demonstrated how biochar enhances water by removing pollutants from water runoff. The biochar process eliminates contaminants and pathogens. In this project, we have a special biochar we will crush into a powder and spray it on a crop to mix with the soil to remove the phosphorus, ammonia and active bacteria that pollute waterways as runoff.”
The biochar should enhance plants’ ability to recycle nutrients from the soil, a process called phytoremediation, Muir said.
“Our proposal uses biochar to stabilize the nutrients until pasture plants have time to pick them up and use them,” he said. “Then dairies can feed these plants to cows, completing the cycle.”
Field testing in regenerative agricultural cropping systems
Over the past few years, Kan has been perfecting this new biochar process. He has proven the concept in the greenhouse but not in the field, he said.
“These CIG grants are directed at applying technology that is already created and tested,” Muir said. “CIG provides the funding to take it from the research level to application in the field. This is an application project.”
The project will determine the efficiency and economics of biocarbon-enhanced phytoremediation on reactive nitrogen and phosphorus from dairy manure in the water and soil. The team will integrate field-scale research, laboratory analyses and systematic evaluation.
The research will redistribute dairy nutrients
on perennial forage-based systems on AgriLife Research property near Stephenville. In addition, some of the biochar will be transported to the Vernon area where DeLaune will look at its use in regenerative agriculture cropping systems.
“This project will allow us to evaluate the impact of this novel practice in perennial systems that have a long-history of dairy manure applications and typically sufficient soil phosphorus levels compared to cropping systems with deficient soil phosphorus levels,” DeLaune said.
Regenerative agriculture promotes reduced tillage and the use of organic nutrient sources, he said. This project will demonstrate a novel technology, and if utilized by both established and new adopters, it can improve sustainability.
“This project will allow for the evaluation of synergies among tillage systems, addition of cover/forage crops, and amended dairy manure on nutrient cycling and subsequent fate of nutrients in the soil profile and surface runoff,” DeLaune said.
Kan said field tests of biochar are ready to be conducted and they will begin with a culturally acceptable rate per acre. In addition, they will compare commercial biochar with the novel dairy manure kind at different rates.
What does biochar do in the field
Brady will study the microbial profile of the soil after applying the biochar, particularly looking at how bacterial communities in the soil fare under green manure versus biochar.
“If you add green manure or biochar to the soil, you change the microbial activity,” he said. “Nitrogen and phosphorus are good for plants, but there’s too much of a good thing when you apply green manure to the soil. Dr. Kan’s system ties up those nutrients to keep them from washing off and becoming a pollutant.
We will be monitoring the soil for positive changes on the microbial community.”
Muir explained that some north Central Texas soils are very poor in nitrogen and phosphorus, and the surrounding dairies could provide copious amounts of those nutrients to an expanded land area through regenerative ag use of its manure. Typically, biochar must be incorporated into the soil to bind those nutrients. Answering how long that binding lasts and how gradually the nutrients are released for plant uptake are the applied aspects of this project.
As a forage agronomist and agroecologist, Muir said his focus will be on the integration of the biochar into forage production systems. Because the region’s climate and rainfall limit row crop production, the main focus is on livestock.
“A large percentage of our pastures are perennial Bermuda grass pastures, and you can’t take this biochar and apply it without tillage in those systems,” he said. “Most Bermuda grass pastures are already functioning, so that will be one of the challenges we will face: how to incorporate this into soils of perennial systems that are not tillable. We will also be looking at cost effectiveness.”
Following the researchThe researchers maintain
that the knowledge gained through this research project will provide solutions to improve the sustainability of animal-based agricultural systems and food security while enhancing environmental quality for future generations.
If successfully implemented, Kan said he expects that his unique biochar will be applied with other livestock manures.
“We are going to try to find equilibrium between the technology and costs,” McCutchen said. “Then we expect this will lead to larger-scale studies in other regions and with other confined animal manures.”
Unique process ‘cleans’ crop water runoff when using dairy manure as fertilizer
Texas A&M AgriLife, Tarleton State University ‘biochar’ research maintains nutrients in crop production fields
