Abstract
Nutrient and pathogen pollution are the leading causes of water quality impairment in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers in the United States. Dissemination of these contaminants can result in eutrophication of freshwater resources and pose a risk to public health through recreational contact and degradation of waters used as drinking water sources. Agricultural production practices, both crop and animal, have been identified as sources of excess nutrients and microbial pathogens contributing to freshwater pollution. In the U.S., commercial meat poultry production has been targeted as a source of both excess nutrients, especially phosphorus, and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in regional watersheds. Recently, there has been an increase in pastured poultry operations where chickens have access to fresh pasture on a daily basis. However, few studies have explored the environmental sustainability of these types of poultry production systems. In the case of pastured poultry systems in close proximity to watersheds, there is a need to better understand potential environmental impacts in order to implement sustainable and cost-effective practices. The identification of such environmental and economic benefits would complement the mission and objectives of farmers using pastured poultry production systems and may add more value to their product. This review will focus on potential mitigation strategies to enhance environmental sustainability and provide economic benefit to small scale pastured poultry operations.
Highlights
An important component of any sustainable animal production system is its interaction with the surrounding environment (Boggia et al, 2010)
The dispersal of these contaminants can result in eutrophication of freshwater resources, as well as pose a risk to public health through recreational contact and degradation of waters used in drinking water sources (Lapointe et al, 2015)
Pasture Poultry Environmental Impact farms in particular have been shown to cause increases in copper, zinc, potassium, and other nutrients concentrations into nearby rivers due to runoff of poultry litter (DeLaune and Moore, 2016; Sharpley et al, 2018). Agricultural production practices, both crop and animal, have been identified as sources of excess nutrients and microorganisms contributing to freshwater pollution (Nayak et al, 2015; Evans et al, 2019). In states such as Arkansas, the land application of manure generated by confined poultry operations has been identified as a source of both excess nutrients, especially phosphorous, and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in regional watersheds (Ismail et al, 2016; Sharpley et al, 2016)
Summary
An important component of any sustainable animal production system is its interaction with the surrounding environment (Boggia et al, 2010). Issues surrounding conventional systems primarily arise from the over application of spent poultry litter to agricultural lands, resulting in runoff of excess nutrients, phosphorus, which can be detrimental to nearby surface water resources (Pierson et al, 2001; Sharpley et al, 2007). This has been an especially sensitive issue in regions such as Northwest Arkansas where the rapid growth of confined broiler poultry operations and the long-term application of produced litter on area pastures has led to an increase in soil phosphorus and the potential for its loss in runoff (Slaton et al, 2004; Sharpley et al, 2009). Environmental impacts resulting in deterioration of both nearby surface and ground water resources have been reported in Georgia and the Delmarva Peninsula—areas of high density, conventional poultry production (Sims, 1997; Pew Environment Group, 2011)
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