Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Southern soils mitigate manure microbes

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A U.S. Department of Agriculture study in Mississippi shows that swine manure doesn't appear to bring dangerous bacteria to soils when it is spread on fields and used to grow hay, a common southern U.S. practice.

The fields tested – on five farms and 20 soil types – had been sprayed with manure for 15 years or more. There was no difference in the amount of E. coli and Enterococcus found in sprayed and unsprayed fields. Campylobacter and Salmonella enteritidis could not be cultured in a significant amount from the spray fields. An analysis of data from three public health districts found no difference in the number of reported disease incidence between areas with concentrated animal feeding operations and those without.

Team microbiologist John Brooks said: "Finding similarly low levels inside and outside the spray fields suggests that the low levels of pathogens in [manure] are further diluted in spray fields and either do not survive in soil or survive at low levels below cultural detection limits."

The results were published in the September-October issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Environmental Quality, published by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top