Scientists in Tifton, Ga., hope a new project will reveal
economical ways to prevent water quality problems related to
animal farming in Georgia.



Animal production is a major industry in Georgia. And it keeps
growing. But due to the concentrated amount of waste produced on
confined-animal farms, maintaining water quality around these
farms is a growing concern, too.



Researchers with the University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will focus on poultry and hog farms in the
Suwannee River Watershed in south central Georgia.



The research and findings, though, could be used as a model for
other regions, said Richard Lowrance, a USDA ecologist.

A watershed is the entire land area that drains into a river. The
project will study the Alapaha, Little and Withlachoochee rivers,
the headwaters of the Suwannee River. This includes 2.6 million
acres
in all or parts of 19 Georgia counties.



“With this project, we’ll be able to find out what’s going on in
the watershed as far as animal production,” Lowrance said. “Then
(we can) determine best-management practices farmers can use to
avoid any (water quality) problems in the future.”



Improperly managed animal farms can expose watersheds to fecal
matter. This waste can carry disease-causing pathogens or choke
streams with excess nutrients and bacteria.



Map, research, spread it
around

Scientists will work with area farmers to map and inventory
animal farms. Then they’ll study the characteristics of the
watershed and see how the two are related, or not related,
Lowrance said.



With more animals being raised on smaller parcels of land,
farmers will have to use innovative ways to handle the waste,
said Glen Harris, an agronomist with the UGA Extension
Service.



For example, the poultry industry keeps expanding, adding $12
billion a year to the state’s economy. Georgia is the fourth
largest poultry-producing region in the world.



Harris said the project will show farmers and other area
stakeholders, such as landowners and recreational users, the
value of management practices such as:



* Setting up buffer zones around waterways.



* Using chicken litter to fertilize farm crops.



* Planting cover crops to prevent erosion.



Further research, he said, will study the effectiveness of the
better management practices.



Research will also find out how much of an increase in animal
production, if any, the area can safely handle in the future.



A $323,000 grant will fund the project as part of Georgia’s
Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. This program supports
the study and prevention of pollution that comes from scattered,
undeterminable (nonpoint) sources.



To learn more about the Animal Production & Water Quality project
in the Suwannee River Watershed, call Andrea Milton at (229)
386-3377. Or e-mail her at awhatley@tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu.