Assessing the Feasibility of Establishing the Ozark Poultry Litter Bank

This project aimed to determine the feasibility of a system in which poultry litter is removed from watersheds in Northwest Arkansas and distributed to farms in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. There is an excess of phosphorus in the watersheds due to the density of poultry litter in the region, thus an Ozark Poultry Litter Bank would be formed to coordinate the transport of poultry litter to farms in the four states, thereby reducing the levels of phosphorus that enter the water sources as runoff and providing fertilizer for farmers. According to the research conducted by the project, those involved found that it is economically and politically feasible to establish a poultry litter bank for litter distribution in Lincoln and Decatur. This project was completed in 2005.

Details

Project Start

2003

Location

Eucha/Spavinaw, Illinois River, Elk River, and Beaver Lake watersheds

Funding Source

Clean Water Act Section 319 funding