The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar taking place November 29 at noon will feature Nancy Bohl Bormann, Ph.D. candidate, University of Minnesota. Bohl Bormann is pursuing a Ph.D. through the Soil, Water, and Climate Department at the University of Minnesota, focusing her research on developing and implementing ManureDB, a nationwide manure database. She has also spent some 14 years in nutrient management as a CCA and together with her husband Matt is an Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner operating a family grain farm in northern Iowa.

In the webinar, “ManureDB: The Creation and Launch of the Largest Manure Nutrient Database in the U.S.,” Bohl Borbman will describe the purpose and function of ManureDB as well as highlighting the diverse nutrient book values of manure and how these values may inform nutrient management practice implementations. She will also discuss how ManureDB demonstrates the wide nutrient variability of manure from different animals, storages, regions, and management practices in the U.S. Bohl Bormann will also provide an overview of the dynamic manure test database structure and capabilities implemented through a partnership with the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. The ManureDB project is being conducted under a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant under the direction and leadership of Melissa Wilson, Ph.D. and Erin Cortus Ph.D.

“Most manure book values used today are from the Midwest Plan Service (MWPS) and American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, which were derived from samples prior to 2003,” said Bohl Bormann. “Knowing current manure test values will assist in more accurate nutrient management and education and planning, manure land application, and agricultural modeling and encourage even more wide-spread manure testing. In addition, providing a more precise nutrient value of the manure or organic amendment being applied is important to achieving both agronomic potential and environmental stewardship.”

Shortly before noon CST, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xtAwWXycQZW8iwtNLz34GA#/registration