Purdue News

April 15, 2002 Purdue computer program available for manure management WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Producers in need of a better way to manage manure can take advantage of a Windows-based computer program developed at Purdue University. The Manure Management Planner can be used to create waste management plans for crops and animal-feeding operations. The user enters information about their operation's fields, crops, storage, animals and application equipment. The planner then helps the user decide how to allocate manure (where, when and how much) on a monthly basis for the length of the plan. This allocation process helps determine if the current operation has sufficient crop acreage, seasonal land availability, manure storage capacity and application equipment to manage the manure produced in an environmentally responsible manner. "MMP is also useful for identifying changes that may be needed for a non-sustainable operation to become sustainable, and determine what changes may be needed to keep an operation sustainable if the operation expands," says Brad Joern, co-author of the program. MMP currently supports 14 states and generates fertilizer recommendations based on each state's Extension guidelines. The planner uses manure nitrogen content, time and method of application, soil properties and long-term weather data to estimate the amount of manure nitrogen available for crop uptake. The states are Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin. To access the Manure Management Planner, go to the Web site and follow the instructions to download the software to your home computer. For more information on MMP log on to the web or contact one of the authors – Brad Joern, (765) 494-9767, bjoern@purdue.edu; or Phil Hess, computer programmer, (765) 494-8050, pjhess@purdue.edu. CONTACT: Brad Joern, Extension environmental specialist, (765) 494-9767, bjoern@purdue.edu. Writer: Andrea Gregory, (765) 494-8402, news_students@aes.purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu; https://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/AgComm/public/agnews/ Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page