Soil conductivity and multiple linear regression for precision monitoring of beef feedlot manure and runoff.

Open-lot cattle feeding operations face challenges in control of nutrient runoff, leaching, and gaseous emissions. This report investigates the use of precision management of saline soils as found on 1) feedlot surfaces and 2) a vegetative treatment area (VTA) utilized to control feedlot runoff. An electromagnetic induction soil conductivity meter was used to collect apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) from feedlot pens and a research VTA at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska. An ECe Sampling Assessment and Prediction (ESAP) program, developed by the Soil Salinity Lab at Riverside, California was used to analyze feedlot pens and the VTA. The program directed soil sample site locations and produced models associating ECa to volatile solids (VS) and chloride (Cl−, an indicator ion for feedlot runoff). Results from the feedlot site for two pens with differing management styles indicate positive correlations between ECa and associated VS (R2=0.90, soil mound pen; R2=0.65, manu...