Alt— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 22,1982
How best to control water pollution from small feedlots
COSHOCTON, Ohio - Many
cattle on small farms in the
eastern United States are being fed
on small paved lots, and runoff
from these lots often carries
pollutants into nearby streams
Although we do not know exactly
how serious the problem is, federal
tax funds and farmers’ dollars are
being spent to reduce runoff from
these small feeding operations,
reports Agricultural Research
Service
William M Edwards, soil
scientist at the North Appalachian,
Experimental Watershed,
designed a 3-year study to evaluate
the runoff quality from a typical
small paved feediot and from an
unpaved feediot He also developed
and tested facilities to control
pollutants in the runoff
Each October for.! years a 2,600-
square-foot feediot was stocked
with 56 steers that were fed corn
silage until March Then the ration
was gradually shifted to shelled
corn for the last 3 months of
growth The animals were
removed in small groups as they
reached market weight
A 400-square-foot setting basin
caught all runoff from the paved
lot Overflow from the basin then
moved in sequence through two
filter strips of fescue sod, each 100
feet long by 15 feet wide
Runoff material was evaluated
at four points as it came off the
Vegetable Co-op
holds annual
meeting
BERWICK - Berwick
Vegetable Cooperative’s 29th
Annual Dinner Meeting for
members and area farm leaders
will be held Saturday, June 26,
here at the Maria Assunta Hall.
The Cooperative's guest speaker
of the evening will be E. Chester
Heim, Deputy Secretary of
Agriculture. His speech will be
entitled “Structuring a Successful
Marketing Program.”
Heim has a lifetime experience
in farming and agriculture. Just
prior to being appointed Deputy
Secretary of Agriculture in
February of 1979, he was employed
by the Pennsylvania Farmers
Association as Manager of the
Public Affairs Department.
The evening’s activities begin
with registration and a cash bar at
6 p.m. dinner at 7 p.m., Heim’s
address at 8:30, followed by the
annual business meeting.
f~ Sensenig Spouting
I R.D. 3 Box 23
s New Holland, PA
I Seamless Spouting Now in Seven Colors
Old Style Half Round Spouting
| Aluminum & Vinyl Siding
I Soffit & Fascia & Window Capping
r Sheet Metal Work & Roof Ventilators
I Nelson S. Sensenig 717-354-4481
" Free Estimates
feediot, as it overflowed the setting
basin, and as it left each of the
filter strips.
Edwards, working with another
ARS soil scientist, Lloyd B. Owens,
and agricultural engineer Richard
K White of Ohio State University,
analyzed the water for chemical
oxygen demand, biological oxygen
demand, total solids, total and
soluble nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium
The settling basin was verj
effective in reducing solids and
nonsoluble materials in the
runoff.” Edwards said The filter
strips were more effective in
removing the soluble ammonium
nitrogen, phosophorus, and
potassium Reduction of these
chemicals was as effective in the
second filter strip as in the first,
indicating the value of the ad
ditional filtering area under these
test conditions ”
Concentrations of all materials
being measured were higher in the
latter part of the feeding cycle
when the ration was higher in
shelled corn than in coin silage
Animals fed corn silage produce a
coarser textured manure, which is
more easily retained in the settling
basin after each runoff event
Runoff from the paved lot
equalled about two-thirds of total
precipitation while runoff from the
unpaved lot equalled about one-
Why we are selling- due TO A CHANGE IN OUR FARMING ENTERPRISES, WIS
ARE REGRETFULLY FORCED TO LIQUIDATE OUR ENTIRE
SHEEP PROGRAM. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT FROM OUR
ENTIRE HAMPSHIRE AND SUFFOLK FLOCKS. NO SHEEP WILL
BE RETAINED OR SOLD BEFORE THE SALE.
third.
“In many cases money is spent
to unprove feediot runoff quality
with inadequate knowledge of how
bad the problem is and how much
.. a _.jt rum Agricultural stations were estai ;d at the feedlot (A),
Research Service scientists evaluated the the settling basin (B), the first filter strip (C),
quality of water exiting a typical small paved and the second filter strip (D).
and unpaved feedlot. Measuring and sampling
Selling:
★ 46
★ 16
★ 3
What we offer you- OUR FLOCK HAS BEEN BASED ON TOP INDIVIDUALS
FROM LEADING FLOCKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TOP GOALS
AND SUPERIOR GENETIC SELECTION HAVE BEEN EM
PHASIZED. ALL CULL EWES HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED, TO
INSURE YOUR INVESTMENTS. EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE COMMERCIAL. PUREBRED, AND NEW BREEDER.
Sale Managed by
BRUCE HORNING FAMILY
HAMPSHIRE & SUFFOLK
BEDFORD FAIRGROUNDS - BEDFORD, PA.
Hampshire Brood Ewes
Hampshire Ewe Lambs
Hampshire Ram Lambs ★
2-Suffolk Stud Rams
Ken Brubaker
1100 W. Chester Pike, B-18
West Chester, PA 19380
215/696-5483
Charlie Strickler
Banco, Va. 22711
703/923-4266
703/923-4717
good the proposed treatment will
do. Applying the results of this
study will improve the efficiency of
money invested in control of
feediot runoff," Edwards said.
ANNOUNCING
DISPERSAL SALE
JUNE 19, 1982
1:00 pm
In continuing research, Edward** l ))
is testing reed canarygrass in th
efilter strips and is also evaluating
the effects of tile drainage systems
beneath them.
★ 75 - Suffolk Brood Ewes
★6l - Suffolk Ewe Lambs
★ 7 - Suffolk Ram Lambs
WRITE FOR CATALOGS
BRUCE HORNING FAMILY
R.D. 1
Berlin, PA 15530
814/267-3843
w