Environmental-friendly studybeing conducted at courthouse

Dairy compost was spread overa section of the Coryell CountyCourthouse lawn this week as partof a project to improve water qual-ity in the North Bosque and LeonRiver watersheds.

The Texas Water Resources In-stitute and Texas Cooperative Ex-tension are involved in the project,which is funded by the Texas Com-mission on Environmental Quality(TCEQ).

Coryell County Extension AgentLyle Zoeller assisted CeciliaGerngross, program specialist forsoil and crop sciences with the TexasWater Resources Institute, andRandy Bow, research assistant at theTexas A&M Experiment Station atStephenville, in laying out the plotsand spreading the composted ma-nure.

Zoeller said one plot was treatedwith a commercial fertilizer, onewas treated with the compost at arate of 40 tons per acre and a thirdwas treated at a rate of 20 tons per

acre.Producers using the composted

manure could see some long-termeconomic benefits, as well as a costsavings, Zoeller reported.

According to the Extension Ser-vice, runoff containing manure frommore than 160 dairy farms contrib-utes to excessive phosphorus in theNorth Bosque and Leon Rivers.

Through the Composted ManureIncentive Project, the TCEQ is pro-viding incentives for compostingexcess manure from dairies in thetwo watersheds. The Texas StateSoil and Water Conservation Boardalso is involved in removing themanure from the watersheds with aproject called Dairy Manure ExportSupport.

Entities can receive a $5 per cu-bic yard rebate for participating inthe program.

Keith Bell, maintenance supervi-sor for the Gatesville IndependentSchool District, reported thecomposted material was placed on

the McKamie Stadium football fieldlast week.

Sand is usually spread on thefield every year to help fill holes leftby the football season. The sand alsohelps water get into the clay soil.Bell said using the compost wouldhelp in those areas, while savingabout 60 percent of the cost throughthe incentive program.

Gerngross said farmers andranchers can also receive a reducedprice through the Hamilton-CoryellSoil and Water Conservation Dis-trict.

The courthouse project will al-low residents to see what the prod-uct can do, she noted. She said theproject not only helps the dairy in-dustry, but also helps clean up theenvironment.

Participants in the Leon RiverRestoration Project have been usingthe compost to establish grass inareas where cedar trees are re-moved, and Fort Hood is also usingthe product to establish vegetationin areas of the military reservation.

More information on the dairycompost project can be found on theinternet at http://compost.tamu.edu.

Dairy compost projectCoryell County is participating in astudy by the Texas Water ResourcesInstitute and the Texas CooperativeExtension to use composted manureas fertilizer. Three plots were laidout and fertilized this week on thecourthouse lawn. Coryell CountyExtension Agent Lyle Zoeller, left,assisted Extension employeesRandy Bow, center, and CecliaGerngross with test plots.

© 2004, The Gatesville Messenger, Reprinted from May 1, 2004 issue with permission