Southern Regional

Pathogens, nutrients, and oxygen-depleting substances commonly associated with livestock and poultry waste are listed by EPA as three of the top five contaminants of concern for water quality. The situation only gets further complicated when the source of these nutrients is manure from Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)- (example- Lake Okeechobee and the Suwannee River Basins in, where significant animal agriculture is present in Florida). Land application of these sources leads to accumulation and/or accelerated losses of N, P and typically Cu and Zn. Therefore, water quality issues associated with animal production have received significant regulatory scrutiny as state and local regulatory agencies have expanded their authority to include these issues as associated with confined animal production.

The Animal Waste Management Team provides leadership and coordination in the Southern Region for providing educational and outreach programs disseminating accurate, scientific information about animal waste management to livestock and poultry producers, environmental groups, commodity organizations, and decision makers, in the region. This objective strengthens the link between the southern land grant university system and federal/state/local agencies that are stakeholders in the nutrient management process on livestock farms and is another primary goal of the Southern Region Water Program.