October 9, 2003

 

Jacobson Conducting Public Meeting on Measuring the Impact of Odor From Animal Agriculture

Larry Jacobson, professor and extension engineer at the University of Minnesota, will speak about a tool developed to measure odor impact from livestock and poultry production at a public meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Seven Seas Inn and Conference Center in Mandan, ND.

He will also be a key presenter at the Livestock Environment Stewardship Workshop, Nov. 3-5 at the same location.

Jacobson specializes in livestock housing and environmental control, indoor air quality concerns and waste management systems. He is also a member of the University of Minnesota research team that developed the tool OFFSET, which stands for "Odor From Feedlots Setback Estimation Tool." "It is a simple tool designed to help answer the most basic questions about odor impacts from livestock and poultry facilities," says Jacobson.

"OFFSET combines odor emission measurements with the average weather conditions to estimate the strength and frequency of odor events at various distances from a given farm," he adds. "These estimations are useful for rural land use planners, farmers, or citizens concerned about the odor impact of animal production sites."

Jacobson notes that the data gathered is used to measure the potential nuisance of odor to surrounding neighbors, not the effects on human or environmental health.

To inquire about Jacobson’s public meeting or to register for the Livestock Environment Stewardship Workshop, contact Bridget Johnson, Area Livestock Nutrient Management specialist at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center, (701) 483-2306 or Charles Linderman, Area Livestock Waste Management specialist at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, (701) 652-2951. Workshop registration is due by Oct. 24.

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Sources: Bridget Johnson, (701) 483-2306, mjohnson@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Larry Jacobson, (612) 625-8288, jacob007@umn.edu
Writer: Teresa Oe, (701) 231-8371, teresa.oe@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu