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AFOSITE - a web-based risk evaluation of animal production sites

Raymond E. Massey

Summary

The University of Missouri Commercial Ag Program developed AFOSITE, in coordination with the Missouri Department of Agriculture and Center for Agricultural, Resource and Environmental Systems (CARES), a web-based site selection/evaluation tool for animal feeding operations. The objective of AFOSITE is to assist animal feeding operations to select a location that has sufficient available resources to minimize production and environmental risk associated with production. AFOSITE allows persons to locate a particular parcel of land by viewing aerial photographs on the internet. They can then outline the parcel of land. The program then queries multiple databases to present information on the community, productive and environmental capacity of the area to incorporate livestock production. It provides information important to waste structure construction (e.g. county weather data and depth to groundwater) and land application (e.g. state and county land application setback requirements, cropland within 2 miles suitable for manure application, soil hydrologic group and density of animals in the watershed). Categories of information presented includes: community concerns, biosecurity concerns, surface water and watershed concerns, soil characteristics, applicable regulations, capacity of land to utilize manure and weather. In addition to enumerating various risks, AFOSITE provides links to educational, regulatory and potential assistance programs that will help them manage those risks. A laptop computer with a simulated website is used during the poster session to allow conference participants to actually use the program. AFOSITE is currently operational in Missouri and can be located at www.cares.missouri.edu/afosite.

Details

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