The link between livestock production, manure management, and @entity1 health has received much public attention in recent years. Composting is often promoted as a means of sanitizing manure to ensure that pathogenic bacteria are not spread to a wider environment during land application. In a two-year study (1998 and 1999) in southern Alberta, we examined the fate of coliform bacteria during windrow composting of @entity291 ( @entity291 ) manure from feedlot pens bedded with cereal straw or wood chips. Numbers of total coliforms (TC) and @entity526 declined as the composting period progressed. In 1998, TC levels (mean of both bedding types) were log10 7.86 cells g(-1) dry wt. for raw manure on Day 0, log10 3.38 cells g(-1) by Day 7, and log10 1.69 cells g(-1) by Day 14. More than 99.9% of TC and @entity526 was eliminated in the first 7 d when average windrow temperatures ranged from 33.5 to 41.5 degrees C. The type of bedding did not influence the numbers of TC or @entity526 . Dessication probably played a minor role in coliform elimination, since water loss was low (< 0.07 kg kg(-1)) in the first 7 d of composting. However, total aerobic heterotroph populations remained high (> 7.0 log10 CFU g(-1) dry wt., where CFU is colony forming units) throughout the composting period, possibly causing an antagonistic effect. Land application of compost, with its nondetectable levels of @entity526 compared with raw manure, should minimize environmental risk in areas of intensive livestock production.

Fate of coliform bacteria in composted beef XXXX feedlot manure.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity291 :: ('9913', 'Species') :: ['Bos taurus', 'cattle'] @entity526 :: ('562', 'Species') :: ['Escherichia coli', 'E. coli']
@entity291 :: (9913,Species) :: ['cattle']
