48 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 1/4 Horizontal Nebraska Cattleman Full Color Eisenmenger Farms, Inc. August 2023 “Big yard features, small yard attention.” Eisenmenger Farms, Inc. Joe Eisenmenger, General Manager ▪ Cell: (402) 920-0665 Customer Relations & Cattle Procurement John Eisenmenger, Yard Manager ▪ Cell: (402) 920-1933 ▪ 9,000 head capacity ▪ Within 100 miles of six packers – three of them major ▪ Within 60 miles of four ethanol plants ▪ Grain banking capabilities of corn ▪ Feed financing capabilities 26708 385th St. ▪ Humphrey, NE 68642 ▪ Phone: (402) 923-0401 ▪ Fax: (402) 923-0404 Eisenmenger Farms, Inc. PEERS PEN SURFACE PROGRESS FROM USMARC U.S. MEAT ANIMAL RESEARCH CENTER COMMUNICATIONS Climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions. Global warming. These are topics that those in agriculture have become all too familiar with. As an industry whose livelihood depends on natural resources and the health of the environment, producers share the concerns of the global community. Those who work in agriculture aren’t the kind to ignore a problem, but instead work hard to find a solution. This characteristic is shared by researchers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). They are scientists and researchers but, foremost, are people dedicated to providing the livestock industry with sustainable solutions. Unfortunately, feedlots have been assigned much of the blame for agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, which in 2021 was estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to account for just 10 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. It should be noted that feedlots are not responsible for the entirety of this 10 percent calculation, as it is comprised of all agricultural activities. This includes crop production, soil management, manure management and livestock production. So, what is the challenge for feedlots? Ammonia is one gas of concern and is emitted from pen surfaces, resulting in the familiar smell we relate to feedlots. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are also emitted from feedlot operations and are of additional concern and attention. Research is the most productive way to help find effective and practical solutions to reduce emissions from feedlots. A team of researchers at USMARC is focused on targeting feedlot surface materials. They have tested multiple surface additives that could potentially decrease the amount of pen surface gases being released into the air. The team tested two very different types of surface amendments. One is aluminum sulfate, better known as alum, which has long been utilized as a treatment for litter in the poultry industry. The (a) Stainless steel cafeteria pans with feedlot surface material; (b) pan with the aluminum sulfate (alum) additive applied to the surface; (c) wind tunnels on top of pans measuring gas emissions; (d) environmental chamber where the pans were stored between samplings.
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