Jason Oliver, PhD, joins the PRO-DAIRY team as Senior Extension Associate of the Dairy Environmental Systems program. 

Since the early 1960s nearly, 150 people have died in the U.S. because of manure-related gas incidents. Of these, almost half occurred on dairy farms, with the most common activity at the time of death being conducting repairs or maintenance on manure-handling equipment or attempting to rescue another individual.

Manure management is inescapable when you are a dairy farmer. And dealing with the more than 20 gallons of manure and urine each cow generates every day requires a significant investment by farms of all sizes.

The way nutrients are applied to cropland has changed significantly over time, with adoption of various precision agricultural practices such as nutrient management planning, grid soil sampling and variable rate application technology. However, the way we handle manure nutrients has undergone little change.

Safe and secure manure storage is very important on your dairy. In order to maximize contents during the growing season, manure pits must be agitated and pumped out regularly