What is an Aerated Static Pile or ASP Composting? July 7, 2016 Aerated Static Pile – or ASP Composting – is a form of organic composting used by farms in dealing with large volumes of livestock manure and animal feedstock. It has also proven useful among municipalities and communities in addressing compostable municipal solid waste items like food waste or yard debris. In this system, pipes are placed underneath with a blower attached to push and pull air through the mound of organics. These pipes…

What is Agricultural Runoff? July 6, 2016 Defintion Agricultural Runoff is water from farm fields due to irrigation, rain, or melted snow that flows over the earth that can absorb into the ground, enter bodies of waters or evaporate. This runoff can contain pesticides, sediment (soil particles), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium from fertilizers) and metals, which can contaminate sources of water. Want to Know More? Agricultural runoff is typically a nonpoint source pollution, which means it is hard to exactly locate where the pollution…

What is Agricultural Waste? July 11, 2016 Agricultural waste is refuse produced by farms in the production of agriculture. This is made up of poultry and livestock manure; residuals from output and marketing of poultry, cattle, and fur-bearing animals; and the remains from the production and harvest of grain, vegetable, and fruit. This refuse can have severe effects on the environment by how it is created, stored, or reused. Some of this refuse is reused as fertilizer and can be washed out of fields by…

What is Agronomy? July 7, 2016 Agronomy looks at agriculture from a scientific angle by encompassing the disciplines of biology, chemistry, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Because farming is in some form a science, agronomy has to take in a variety of aspects to consider the best practices in agriculture and plant growth. It looks at various aspects of agriculture from soil management to harvesting, determining the best solutions to farmers as their operations continue to grow. Agronomists look at fields and determine the best…

What is Ambient Air Monitoring? July 6, 2016 Ambient air is a part of the environment located outside of buildings that are accessible to the public. Its quality is essential to the well-being to all organisms that rely on air to survive and thus a monitoring system is needed to ensure that it is safe to inhale. Ambient Air Monitoring is the systematic way of examining air quality for pollutants. It monitors the air for sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone…