Training available in composting livestock

STAFF REPORT

CANFIELD — Animal agriculture is faced with discovering innovative and economical ways to dispose of dead stock.

Area producers will have the opportunity this month to become certified to compost livestock mortalities.

The training session will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 26 in McMahon Hall at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road (state Route 46).

There are currently four legal ways to dispose of dead livestock in Ohio: rendering, incineration, burial, and composting.

Composting is an economical alternative for disposing of dead livestock, state agriculture officials say. And composting, a natural process in which the carcass is decomposed by bacteria, is an environmentally friendly way to recycle the nutrients contained in an animal carcass.

To legally compost livestock mortality in Ohio, however, a livestock producer must be certified.

Call the Columbiana Soil and Water Conservation District office at (330) 332-8732 or 1 (877) 345-1198 for reservations. There will be a $10 fee to cover materials and light refreshments for reservations made by Feb.18. The fee for reservations made after that date will be $12.