Evaluating biosecure entry and exit protocols and education methods in a mock livestock facility

Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2026-02-03

Introduction Teaching biosecure protocols to farm workers and visitors is essential to maintaining healthy herds and flocks in animal agriculture. Our study objective was to evaluate the effects of protocols with varying steps, education methods, and short and mid-term retention on the number of errors and time to complete entry and exit processes in a mock livestock facility. Methods University participants were recruited to learn and demonstrate biosecure protocols. Three simulated farm entryways were constructed with a unique set of protocols assigned (Protocol) to each entryway. Using common industry practices, Protocol 1 established three core procedures: signing a logbook, removal of outerwear and personal items, and management of a phone or other device. Protocols 2 and 3 used the same core procedures with 3 and 4 additional steps, respectively. The additional steps included changing footwear, crossing a line of separation, using hand sanitizer, donning barn-specific clothing (Protocol 3 only). Participants learned procedures via one of three educational modalities (Method): listen, read, or watch. Short-term retention was assessed as participants completed all three protocols in forward (Entry) and reverse order (Exit) starting from a randomly assigned initial protocol (Initial). When half of the participants returned after a lapse of time (>1 month; Round), they had to rely on their recall of the procedures. Mixed-effects linear regression was used to model entry and exit time (Time), and a Poisson regression was used to model the entry and exit errors (Errors) committed. Results Analysis showed education Method did not influence Errors or Time during Entry or Exit. Participants made 1.37 times more Entry Errors ( P ≤ 0.02) and 1.19 times more Exit Errors ( P ≤ 0.17) during round 2 compared to round 1. Compared to Protocol 1, participants made 1.47 times more Errors on average during Protocol 2 ( P ≤ 0.02) and 1.87 times more during Protocol 3 ( P ≤ 0.001). The time to complete the entry procedures was associated with Protocol, Round and the Initial experience, but exit time was only associated with Protocol and Round.

United States poultry flocks remain unvaccinated against H5 influenza—but why?

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 2026-04-17

Vaccination is commonly used to minimize disease impacts on birds and promote sustainable poultry production. Vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) differs because HPAI is classified as a foreign animal disease in the US and disease control falls under federal jurisdiction. Vaccination for HPAI could negatively affect the nation's ability to export poultry and poultry products, representing the largest barrier to implementation. However, the continued burden of global HPAI cases requires a reevaluation of the cost of ongoing outbreaks and the need for new mitigation strategies, including HPAI vaccine use.

Impact of manure pit agitation and pumping on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) detection dynamics in oral fluids

AASV Annual Meeting · 2026-02-15

Rethinking stakeholder engagement: A multidimensional framework inspired by meta-synthesis of food, energy, and water research

Environmental Science & Policy · 2026-03-21

The benefits of involving stakeholders in natural resource projects are well established and in food-energy-water nexus work specifically, those benefits are increasingly being documented. We conducted a review of food, energy, water systems manuscripts and assessed whether stakeholders were engaged, when they were engaged, which stakeholders were involved, the level of their involvement, whether stakeholders' needs were considered, and whether stakeholder engagement was evaluated and monitored. Stakeholder engagement is effective when it is considered as an integrated process, but our review suggests that this is not common practice. We developed a framework for engaging stakeholders that includes six dimensions: 1. When should stakeholders be engaged? 2. Who should be engaged (identification and diversity)? 3. What role should stakeholders play? 4. How can researchers meet stakeholder needs? 5. What methods of engagement should be used? 6. How should researchers evaluate and monitor stakeholder engagement? We discuss the implications of adopting this framework for natural resource studies, including those focused on food-energy-water systems. • Stakeholder engagement is uncommon in FEWS research. • We describe if, how and when stakeholder engagement has been used in 483 FEWS papers. • We propose a conceptual framework for use in effectively engaging stakeholders.

Comparison of three bioaerosol samplers for bacterial diversity

Journal of Aerosol Science · 2025-11-20

Manure use benefits and barriers according to agricultural stakeholders

Agronomy Journal · 2025-07-01 · 1 citations

Abstract Using manure as a crop fertilizer promotes recycling of locally available organic nutrients and reduces needs for manufactured inorganic fertilizers. However, the factors that motivate and constrain manure use are unclear. To explore stakeholder perceptions, we designed a quantitative survey assessing potential benefits and barriers to manure use, knowledge of manure impacts, and preferred information resources. Using mailing lists and mass media, we distributed the online survey to a broad sample of crop farmers, animal feeding operation managers, and public and private sector advisors in the United States and Canada ( n = 709 responses). In addition to computing descriptive statistics, we examined associations between participant role and years of experience with response choices using cumulative logistic and log‐binomial models. Overall, respondents rated manure as highly beneficial to crop yields, soil fertility, soil physical properties, and soil biological properties, but shared mixed perceptions regarding the impacts of manure on environmental quality. The most frequently identified barriers to manure use were (1) the cost of manure transportation and land application, (2) odors and air quality impairment, and (3) the timeliness of manure application. Respondents reported they were likely to use scientific information sources and their professional networks in making manure nutrient management decisions. Additionally, we found that role and years of professional experience were often associated with response choices, illustrating distinct extension and education needs of different stakeholder segments. Our results indicated wide recognition of manure benefits to crop yields and soil properties and suggested that practical barriers may often limit manure use.

ManureDB: Aggregation of U.S. Manure Nutrient Data

Journal of the ASABE · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

Highlights A database housing U.S. manure and organic amendment data was developed and is publicly available. A template standardized the data coming in from multiple laboratory sources. The ManureDB website allows for simple summaries, data visualizations, and data downloads. ABSTRACT. Manure nutrients serve a valuable role in crop production. Due to the variable nature of manure relative to animal type, storage type, animal husbandry practices, climate, etc., manure sampling and analysis for composition are recommended. However, when specific manure samples are not obtainable, published averages from the past (“book values”) are referenced. Temporal, spatial, and animal-specific book values are difficult to update and maintain for use in nutrient management planning and environmental modeling. The vision for a manure nutrient database (ManureDB) was to collect past, present, and future manure sample analysis data from multiple commercial and university laboratories that conduct manure analyses in the United States (U.S.) and dynamically aggregate this data in space and time while meeting FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) (Wilkinson et al., 2016). This paper details ManureDB development, database schema, sample template, data-sharing agreement, data upload process, and website to support the database. The prototype database was developed as a Python web app using an sqlite3 database, and a Linux VM deployed the web application. The database schema outlined the organization, labeling, and layout of the database. Laboratories shared manure data without customer names and limited geographical data to protect customer privacy. Data that met minimum requirements were uploaded into the database. The public-facing website showed aggregate summary data for a region, animal type, or time span. As of March 2025, ManureDB included over 481,000 samples from 49 states, 15 laboratories, over 65 animal type characterizations, and 12 organic amendments (e.g., biosolids, feed waste, and swine mortality). With changing animal genetics, feed sources, manure handling and storage systems, climatic conditions, and improved laboratory testing, having more current manure nutrient test values will improve nutrient management planning, manure storage design, prioritization of conservation programs, and agricultural modeling for farmers, agronomists, researchers, and policy makers. Keywords: Agricultural waste, Data standardization, Database, Laboratory, Manure, Nitrogen, Nutrients, Organic amendments, Phosphorus, Potassium.

Chloride in Livestock and Poultry Manure Samples in the U.S. Upper Midwest

Journal of the ASABE · 2025-01-01

Highlights Chloride was quantified in ~900 samples to determine its range in the manure of prominent livestock production systems. Median chloride concentrations were greater in liquid than solid manure samples (dry basis). Chloride was strongly correlated with sodium, nitrogen, and potassium in manure, especially liquid manure. ABSTRACT. This work describes chloride content in Upper Midwest manure samples by livestock production systems (dairy, beef, swine, poultry) and manure types (liquid, solid). This work examines the relationships between chloride and other manure analytes (moisture, total N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, S, Zn, Mn, and Cu). A survey of approximately 900 samples collected from Minnesota and regional farms was conducted between 2021 and 2023. A commercial laboratory conducted routine nutrient analysis and analyzed chloride by potentiometric titration. Descriptive statistics for liquid dairy and swine, and solid dairy, beef, and poultry manure samples are provided on a wet basis and dry basis. Median dry basis chloride concentrations were greater for liquid manure samples than solid manures. There were strong correlations between concentrations of chloride and sodium, potassium and nitrogen, especially for liquid manures. These correlations are discussed relative to potential chloride sources, including feed, water, disinfectants, and bedding. These data support manure nutrient management planning and modeling efforts. Keywords: Beef, Chloride, Dairy, Manure, Poultry, Swine.

Building value for dairy farmers and advisors in the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Environmental Stewardship Program

Translational Animal Science · 2025-01-01

Major industry-led efforts aim at reducing the cradle-to-farmgate environmental impacts of milk production (e.g., U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative). Our qualitative, exploratory work sought to characterize farmer and advisor perceptions of an environmental sustainability assessment program [FARM ES Version 2] in the Upper Midwest. We aimed to 1) explore the ways participants valued environmental stewardship (ES) assessments, 2) describe feasible on-farm improvement strategies identified regionally, and 3) characterize how participants assigned responsibility for enacting selected improvement strategies. In Fall 2023, we held a series of 2 to 3 focus groups for each of 5 regions (n = 14 meetings total) including farmers (n = 24), advisors (n = 20), and processor representatives (n = 1). Facilitators guided participants through semi-structured prompts to generate qualitative data including meeting transcriptions, consensus lists, and consensus diagrams. First, we used a deductive-inductive process to analyze meeting transcriptions and identify themes related to the value of environmental stewardship assessments. Results suggested that participants valued simplicity, ease of data entry, availability of regional comparisons, and the ability to enumerate a baseline for environmental performance. Conversely, participants reported skepticism about accuracy and fairness and the usefulness of assessments as decision-support tools. Second, we examined consensus documents to generate a list of feasible strategies for on-farm improvement. Participants identified immediately feasible management strategies including cover cropping, genetic improvement, no-/minimum-tillage, precision nutrient management, herd/facility management technologies, monensin supplementation, and the conversion of fossil fuel to electric motors. Finally, we inspected collaborative actor-network diagrams generated with participants, which illustrated that participants envisioned implementation as complex and (in some instances) contingent on cooperation across supply chains and allied industries. Overall, our findings suggested that dairy farms need both accessible entry points into ES management and advanced technical and social support for implementing changes.

A Multi-Airspace Model to Investigate Airflow Patterns and Carbon Dioxide Emission Sources in Deep-pit Beef Cattle Finishing Facilities

Journal of the ASABE · 2024-01-01

Highlights A multi-control volume mass balance approach tested with data from cattle finishing barns. Airflow estimates were highest in the barn airspace, compared to the animal-occupied zone and manure pit headspace. Slurry CO2 emission calculations were sensitive to gas concentration differences between zones and animal numbers. Abstract. An increasing number of cattle finishing barns in the Midwest are naturally ventilated (NV) with slatted floors over deep-pit manure storages. However, there is limited gas emission data currently available for this type of cattle housing and manure storage. Emission rate measurements are particularly challenging in NV barns where there are low gas concentrations and large variations in air velocity and direction. This research explores gas emission estimation using carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations measured at the north and south wall openings, floor, nose level, and above the manure surface in the storage pit. With these measurements, three control volume mass balances for the barn airspace, animal-occupied zone (AOZ), and manure pit headspace were used to estimate airflows between control volumes and CO 2 emissions rates. In this study, the estimated airflow and CO 2 emission values for two NV barns were calculated for the summer, fall, and spring seasons. Nominal airflow rates calculated between the three control volumes for each barn were variable using three different solution approaches applied in this study. There was a general pattern where airflow through the barn airspace was larger than airflow between the barn airspace and animal-occupied zone, followed by airflow through the slatted floors. The range of estimated CO 2 emissions considering both barns and three solution approaches was -1.16 g/s to 29.3 g/s. Overall, while calculated airflow and CO 2 emission results were variable across three solution approaches, this study provides insight on a range of CO 2 emissions and airflow rates through deep-pit NV cattle finishing facilities. Further model validation would be needed prior to the use of this model for gas mitigation purposes. Keywords: Airflow, Beef cattle, Carbon dioxide emission, Deep-pit barns, Modeling.