At 21 million pounds a day, Georgia farmers produce more
poultry than any other state.
Now they’re poised to take the lead in safeguarding soil and
water quality.

Through a new, voluntary program, Georgia growers are
recycling the nutrient-rich
litter from their poultry houses into valuable organic
fertilizer.

“As far as we know, we’re the only state in the nation
with a voluntary program
and deadlines for training and implementation,” said Abit
Massey, executive director
of the Georgia Poultry Federation.

In the past year, more than 95 percent of the state’s poultry
farmers have been
certified in the Poultry Nutrient Management course, said Henry
Marks, head of the poultry
science department of the University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.

“The statewide program ensures growers have the know-how
to handle litter — a
combination of wood shavings and chicken droppings — in a way
that protects and enhances
the environment,” Marks said.

A Public-Private
Partnership

The idea originated at a joint meeting of the UGA Extension
Service, the Georgia
Poultry Federation and the Natural Resources Conservation
Service.

While the GPF provided the incentive, the poultry processing
companies sponsored the
training and encouraged farmers to attend the three-hour course.
UGA faculty and county
extension agents coordinate and teach the classes.

Scientists in poultry science, biological and agricultural
engineering and crop and
soil sciences helped test and develop the training.

“We wanted to reduce the potential for environmental
risk,” Marks said,
“and give them the knowledge and tools to match the
nutrient
levels in the litter to
the needs of their soils.”

Farmers learn how to keep good records and determine the
right
amount of litter to
spread on a given field. The course also covers ways to prevent
soil and water
contamination and soil erosion. It reviews government
regulations, too, such as the Clean
Water Act and the Water Quality Act.

Government
Regulations

No state or federal regulations exist for dry poultry litter.
That’s why the industry
and growers are voluntarily setting up programs.

“Farmers really want to do the right thing regarding
protecting the
environment,” Marks said. “Government regulations
should only be implemented as
a last resort. The industry wants to be proactive and make sure
there’s no problem. We’re
working closely with industry to safeguard the
environment.”

Besides helping the environment, farmers are making a profit
from the litter instead of
paying to get rid of it. “The value of the fertilizer
components in chicken litter is
estimated at $28 per ton,” Marks said.

Chemical
Analysis

Chicken litter contains nitrogen and phosphorous, two of the
main ingredients in most
commercial fertilizers. To prevent excess nitrogen and
phosphorous from getting into
surface water and groundwater, growers have their litter
analyzed
at the UGA Agricultural
and Environmental Services Laboratory.

The tests are free to participants in the Georgia poultry
industry program, thanks to
support from Gov. Roy Barnes and appropriations from the Georgia
General Assembly. The
funding was requested by the Poultry Federation.

The GPF also has started a program to help match poultry
farmers with the people who
want to buy the litter and the companies that will haul it.
Early
inquiries showed 13
poultry farms with manure available and 73 respondents who
wanted
it. The list of haulers
or handlers has grown to 69 in 34 counties.

Now that poultry farmers are certified in nutrient management
planning, the next goal
is to have them develop and implement their plans by January
2002. Many have already
started.

“The poultry science department and the industry wanted
to put this on the fast
track,” Marks said. “We’ve all been very busy.”