REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio -- A series of air quality workshops will be held in January to help address issues and concerns regarding agricultural air emissions, improve the understanding of federal air quality regulations, and explore the most effective technologies and management practices related to air quality control.
The Ohio Agricultural Air Quality Conferences will take place Jan. 23-25 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture Bromfield Building in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Sponsors of the event include: Ohio State University Extension, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio Livestock Industry Task Force, Ohio Compost and Manure Management, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, ODA, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Dairy Producers, Ohio Cattlemen's Association, Ohio Pork Producers, Ohio Soybean Council, Ohio Corn Marketing Program, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Soil and Water Conservation District and Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Districts.
The event is an opportunity for researchers, specialists, Extension educators, animal producers, regulators and agency professionals to interact and address the management of air emissions -- a major challenge facing livestock producers.
The Ohio Agricultural Air Quality Conferences kicks off on Jan. 23 with an air quality in-service. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 9 a.m. and concluding at 4:30 p.m. Topics of discussions during the in-service include Ohioans' views of large animal farms, air quality issues on Ohio farms, development of air quality regulations related to animal feeding operations (AFOs), EPA agenda related to AFOs, appropriate regulation of emissions from AFOs, and an overview of technologies and management practices for animal buildings and manure storage.
The air quality in-service is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of air quality regulations associated with production agriculture, as well as highlight the best available technologies and management practices associated with minimizing these types of impacts.
A research symposium will take place on Jan. 24, giving participants an update on research related to agricultural air emissions and the development of new technologies by nationally known researchers from leading research institutions, including Ohio State University. The event begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 4:30 p.m.
An odor dispersion workshop will be held on Jan. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of odor dispersion modeling and application in determining setback requirements for sitting livestock and poultry facilities.
Topics to be covered include: Ohio regulations for odor and sitting livestock and poultry facilities, odor measurement fundamentals, a model tool to predict odor dispersion, and case studies.
Registration for each program is $45 before Jan. 12, and $60 at the door, or $120 (by Jan. 12) to attend the entire conference, and $180 at the door. Registration covers materials, breaks and lunch.
For questions regarding registration, contact Diane Yagich at (614) 292-0885, or yagich.1@osu.edu. For questions regarding the program, contact Lingying Zhao at (614) 292-2366, or zhao.119@osu.edu, or Jon Rausch at (614) 292-4504, or rausch.7@osu.edu. Additional information can be found by logging on to http://airquality.osu.edu/workshops.