New Jersey Department of Agriculture partners with Rutgers, others to develop NJ ManureLink website
NJ ManureLink to connect farmers, composters
NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has partnered with the Rutgers University, Office of Research Analytics to develop the NJ ManureLink website to provide a unique web-listing service for livestock farmers with composters and farmers looking to sustainably utilize this nutrient rich material.
The website njmanurelink.rutgers.edu is designed to help farmers, composters, and users connect with manure or compost availability. The NJDA’s Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources applied for and received a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) from the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) for the NJ ManureLink project.
“This valuable online resource for farmers and composters is a result of work by our own staff as well as the diligent efforts of our partners at Rutgers and other organizations” New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Joe Atchison III said. “These partnerships allow us to serve the New Jersey agricultural community in a more effective manner.”
The NJ ManureLink website was launched earlier this month. It lists manure and compost availability by geographic location within New Jersey. It also allows users to sign up for notifications when the resource they are looking for becomes available. The project provides an opportunity for farms with limited land capacity a way to distribute their manure to composters and farmers who can use it to benefit their operations.
The New Jersey Composting Council (NJCC), a project partner, will provide outreach and support for educational components including two webinars, and two composting field days. The first webinar and field day will be scheduled for July 2024. Details on these sessions will be posted to njmanurelink.rutgers.edu.
Livestock farmers and composters, as well as producers across all agricultural sectors, including urban farming, are invited to attend the field days. Webinars will explore the importance of composting, nutrient management, and how to effectively incorporate organic materials into farming practices. Field days will provide hands-on experience for setting up composting systems, monitoring progress, as well as site considerations.
Goals for the NJ ManureLink project include recycling valuable nutrients, generating accessibility to organic materials, reducing animal waste excess, and protecting waterways through nutrient transfer. The project will allow urban farmers to gain access to manure as well as finished compost.
The project also helps to meet the goals of NJDEP’s Global Warming Response Act 80 x 50 Report from 2020, which identifies the need to reduce the waste stream of organic materials.
