Join Us and Dr. Shanwei Xu from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada as we learn more about composting. we'll gather knowledge on past and current composting research including the concept of composting, optimal conditions for composting procedures, application of composting for the disposal of livestock manure and carcasses, examining the compost/manure fertilizer values as soil amendment for crop production and increase soil health, and co-benefits of using composting for manure disposal including inactivating pathogens such as infectious prions and reducing the antimicrobial residues and spread of antimicrobial resistance genes into environment.
Dr. Shanwei Xu is a Research Scientist in Soil Chemistry and Nutrient Management at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Dr. Xu’s recent and past research mainly involved using composting for disposal of feedlot manure, specified risk materials, and livestock mortalities with soil application, examining the efficient use of nutrients from manures/composts for profitable crop production, establishing BMPs to reduce negative impact of manure application on agricultural water quality, and characterizing the complexity and diversity of microbial communities in compost and manured soils. Specified aspects of his work have included analyzing manure and compost nutritive values, measuring greenhouse gas emissions, monitoring water quantity and quality, profiling the microbial communities present, and determining the inactivation of pathogens.