The purpose of this grant is to demonstrate two innovative systems for treating and handling dairy manure and to manage nutrients, pathogens and odor. A farm was selected to demonstrate an Anaerobic Fixed-Film Digestion manure handling system that was constructed on their 100 head dairy operation. A second farm was chosen to demonstrate an Aerobic Composted Biodrying system.

Both of these innovative manure handling systems will be evaluated to determine their effectiveness in managing phosphorus and pathogens as well as the economic viability of these BMPs to be used on other watershed farms. Construction of both projects was completed in July of this year.