West Virginia Univers1ty Extension Service

Volume IV, Number 2 Summer 1989

Once considered strictly waste material, this sew­age at a Mercer County treatment plant will be treated and returned to the soil as fertilizer.

Extension

Sludge Application Program in Mercer Boosts Crop Yields, Cuts Farmers' Costs

Farmers in Mercer County are boosting their crop yields and slashing their costs.

Despite last year's drought, some corn growers achieved their normal yields while saving $2,000 to $3,000 in fertilizer costs alone. What gave these farmers the edge over others whose yield dropped about 66 percent?

The answer is sludge, treated human waste from local wastewater treat­ment plants. The county's farmers and public officials are cooperating with each other to put this natural fertilizer to work respons~bly and safely.

The matchmaker for this new partnership is John Scott Jr., West Virginia University extension agent in

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Viewpoint

While 1991 may seem in the dis­tance, the WVU Extension Service is already making plans for the budget for that fiscal year. The fact is that the 1990 legislature, which convenes in January, will make budget deci­sions for the fiscal year July 1, 1990 to June 30, 1991. The new Board of Trustees for the university system and secretary of education and the arts will make recommendations to the governor this fall for his budget request to that legislative session. Therefore, since the end of the 1989 session, we have been concentrating much attention on the extension budget request.

At the management team meetings in April and May, options were discussed. The Extension Visiting Committee, which met in May at Jackson's Mill, reviewed financial trends and proposals. They recom­mend that we seek a major budget increase from the state, something in the neighborhood of $2 million. I have been meeting individually and in small groups with other key citizen leaders and will continue that through September. In those meetings, I am sharing both the grim news about the financial trends and the positive news about our program successes and our plans. I want to outline the financial trend data briefly.

1. The financial investment in the WVU Extension Service in 1988 was $12,339,431 . Of that amount, 79% is spent on Cooperative Extension-

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the specialists and field network in the counties; 12% is spent on Center for Extension and Continuing Educa­tion -labor extension, health, safety and fire training, conference office, the Program Development Network; and 9% on Jackson 's Mill.

2. The sources of investment in the WVU Extension Service are:

SOURCE AMOUNT PERCENT

Federal $3,948,618 32 State 4,195,406 34 County 2,097,703 17 Fees 1,480,732 12 Grants 616,972 5

Total $12,339,431 100

3. If you look at the largest portion of the budget, Cooperative Exten­sion Service, a disturbing 1 0-year trend emerges which , if continued, will force further retrenchment.

a) Federal funding increased slightly from 1979 to 1982 and has not increased since. It declined with Gramm-Rudman cuts in 1986.

b) County funding increased very slightly from 1979 to 1 985 and has declined since. Part of that was caused by the reduction in county positions in 1986, but in several counties, state and federal funds are available to support positions which counties cannot afford.

c) State funding was flat and then increased in recent years . It is very important to understand that those increases only cover a portion of state mandated pay increases . The state only pays for salary increases on state funds; and since only 39% of our salaries are covered by state funds, we must use federal, county or fees to cover the rest of the man-

dated increase. For every 5% salary increase, we go in the hole a little over $200,000. With no increase in federal funds and declining county funds, the problem very quickly will lead to the need to eliminate posi­tions. It also causes us to raise fees at Jackson's Mill.

d) We can project the current trend forward and predict that without changes in financing and with current vacancies, we must, by 1992, reduce positions again in order to maintain a balanced budget. To avoid that and to build on our strong programs, WVU Extension needs about $2 million.

That's the grim news about financial trends . The good news is that there is nothing inevitable about trends. We don 't have to continue business as usual. We can decide to change the trend. That is exactly what the Visiting Committee recommended.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to put together a budget package with the help of lots of consultation with our faculty, county extension service committees and community leaders around the state. We are going to build a plan that will maintain the county extension system and enable it to expand its work in rural development and youth development. We are going to build a plan that will pay good faculty salaries that will keep them working hard in West Virginia.

We need your help. 0

"'''"'"~~ Associate Provost for Extension and Economic Development Director, Cooperative Extension Service

Sludge Application (Continued from page 1)

Mercer County . Scott launched a voluntary regulation program for sludge application after he sensed trouble brewing three years ago.

"I was first contacted by someone who was planning to sue a public service district over the use of sludge on farmland . I did some research, and found a lot of problems with the local methods," Scott recalled .

He found that neither the treatment officials nor the farmers were follow­ing reasonable application and spreading rates . The potential for flies, stench and contamination of wells and streams was not being addressed.

"People were applying sludge on everything from gardens to pastures. No one was being warned about the danger of applying too much or too often ," Scott added.

He discovered a related problem: treatment plants that were not giving farmers their sludge often were dumping it in any convenient place. With six sewage plants, some pro­ducing as much as 30 wet tons per day, the county was facing a dilemma.

A Mercer County farmer applies sludge to his pasture. The sludge offers excellent soil conditioning and cuts the farmer's fertilizer bills.

Derk Alvis, Athens sewer plant operator, checks the pH level of treated sludge before it is delivered to local farmers .

West Virginia had no restrictions or guidelines on sludge handling and applications. So, Scott borrowed from the strict guidelines of neigh­boring Virginia and Pennsylvania to set up a voluntary compliance system.

He drew on the expertise of various agencies, including the Extension Service, state Department of Natural

Resources, the Mercer County Health Department and County Commission, and the six public service districts . "Not everyone was convinced that the program should even be developed," the agent noted. "A few thought that if any voluntary rules were developed, strict regulations would follow."

Eventually, however, all agreed that existing sludge handling practices were not adequate; the county needed a systematic approach to land application of sludge.

The hallmark of the Mercer County program is the scientific determina­tion of application rates based on soil test results, sludge analysis and crop use of nutrients. Before receiving sludge, the farmer must have each field checked by a soil scientist, extension agent and treatment plant representative.

"We evaluate each site individually, " Scott explained. "We check the soil drainage and texture, the slope of the land, the topsoil depth and total soil depth. We see how close it is to streams, wells or ponds. To prevent

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A gypsy moth caterpillar in its later growth stage has a ravenous appetite as evidenced by the ragged foliage of this leaf.

The gypsy moth is a major, signifi­cant pest. And it's in West Virginia.

To combat the insect, the Applachian Gypsy Moth Integrated Pest Manage­ment (AIPM) Demonstration Project began last year after the U. S. Forest Service projected that West Virginia and Virginia would be fully infested by the year 2000. The two states face losses in timber values of nearly $300 million. Ripple economic effects also loom.

The AIPM Demonstration Project is a cooperative effort between 18 groups. In addition to the WVU Ex­tension Service, cooperating agen­cies in this state include the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Westvaco Corporation, and the Mon­ongahela, Jefferson, and George Washington national forests . The project office is in Morgantown.

The project is the first large scale effort of its kind against the gypsy moth. AIPM cooperating agencies plan a variety of intervention activities to reduce the gypsy moth population.

Intervention methods include aerial application of Bacillus thuringiensis,

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It's In West Virginia; It's Definitely Major But It's Not Football; It's The Gypsy Moth And A Pest Management Team's Strategy Aims to Hit the Insect for Minus Yardage

Workshop participants observe gypsy moth caterpillars spinning silken threads as they make their way from the top of this evergreen in search of new feeding areas. Wind currents increase the pests' rate of movement.

a bacteria which affects only moths and butterflies; Gypchek, a virus specific to the gypsy moth; and diflubenzuron (trade name Dimilin) , a chemical insecticide. Diflubenzuron does not affect humans, mammals, reptiles, birds or honey bees.

AIPM's purpose is to slow the spread and minimize the adverse effects of the gypsy moth in a 38-county, 12.8 rnill1on acre area in West Virginia and Virginia. In addition to the three inter­vention methods mentioned, more subtle tactics which attack very low populations of gypsy moths are in the developmental and testing stage.

The West Virginia University Exten­SIOn Service cooperates with the AIPM by serv1ng as a local informa­tion source in each county. Through a grant, the Extension Service will hire an assistant extension specialist through Sept. 30, 1990 "to create an understanding by landowners and the public about the gypsy moth problem and its potential economic impact on the state's forest resources," explained M. Edward Rapking , associate director of the WVU Extension Service.

The specialist will concentrate on 20 target counties in eastern West Vir­ginia and the mountainous counties in the central and southern portion of the state. In the meantime, extension agents attended a program update workshop.

This year, "populations large enough to cause defoliation exist only in the northern and eastern portions of the project area, specifically in Preston, Grant and Hardy counties in West Virginia and three counties in Virginia," AI PM program manager Allan Bullard said.

How did the gypsy moth get here? Professor L.Trouvelot, an astrono­mer and amateur naturalist, intro­duced the gypsy moth from Europe to North America in 1869. He pro­posed to build a silkworm industry in the U.S. by crossbreeding the gypsy and the silkworm. However, some gypsy moths escaped from his horne laboratory in Medford, Mass.

T rouvelot alerted scientist friends of their release and warned of possible dire consequences. But officials ignored his warnings. After a decade

Egg masses of the gypsy moth contain from 75 to 1000 individual eggs. The eggs begin to hatch in late April or early May.

in the wild , gypsy moths were no­ticed only as a nuisance in Trouve­lot's old neighborhood . In the mean­time he had returned to France.

The gypsy moth , Lymantria dispar, belongs to the order Lepidoptera, which contains the moths and butter­flies . It has four characteristic life­stages-the egg, larva, pupa and adult moth. The larvae do the damage.

Normal egg masses contain from 75 to 1 000 individual eggs. They are

Each female gypsy moth deposits one egg mass in late June to mid­July, usually on a surface well protected from the weather, and then dies.

Where heavy feeding occurs, the forest floor is littered with leaf debris and frass, the insects ' excrement.

usually 1-1 /2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Buff-colored when first deposited, they rnay bleach because of weathering. Hatching begins in late April or early May when temperatures rise.

The small caterpillars begin to crawl up the nearest tree, attracted to the top by the sunlight. At the top they are exposed to wind currents. The larva spin down on silken threads , are picked up by wind currents and blown downwind, landing on other trees and shrubs. This movement is called ballooning and is significant because the female gypsy moth is unable to fly . Gypsy moth larvae have been recorded as traveling up to 75 miles in high winds.

When larvae land on a leaf of a suit­able host plant, feeding begins . At first they eat only leaf tissue near the edge of the leaf. As they grow they consume nearly the entire leaf.

Larvae go through a series of growth stages called instars. Male larvae go through 5 instars and females 6. Each in star lasts 4 to 1 0 days. The greatest leaf damage is done during the final instars when the larvae are large and consume large amounts of leaf tissue. Damage occurs when mil­lions of larvae feed in a particular area.

The last in star, which can reach 2-1 /2 inches long, is the stage most often

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It's In West Virginia ... seen by people. The body is usually black with five pairs of blue spots followed by red spots along its back . The most distinctive larval feature is the series of long hair-like structures along the length of the body. These tufts, protective structures which contain small amounts of toxin, dis­courage predators from eating the larvae. They also can trigger an aller­gic reaction in some people who develop a rash when coming in con­tact with them . Gypsy moth larvae have definite food preferences. Their favored trees are oaks, especially white and chestnut. The defoliation does not cause the trees to die. However, it severely weakens them and they are invaded by secondary insects or fungi that kill the tree. Water also plays a role . Leaves produce food that is stored in the trees' roots . When the leaves are removed the tree turns to its food reserves to help it survive the sum­mer and produce new leaves.

A/PM Project Manager Allan Bullard points out the national forests in the project area threatened by the gypsy moth.

When winter arrives, the tree is in a weakened state of health. Decidu­ous (broad-leaf) trees may die after three successive years of having at least one-half or more of their leaves removed. Conifers (ever­greens) may die after one year of heavy defoliation.

The gypsy moth affects the pro­ductivity, uses and esthetic values of forestry resources in many ways.

Michael Likins, assistant extension specialist in plant pathology, entomology and pest control, snaps a closeup of egg masses during a workshop field tnp for extensiOn agents.

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Traditionally, the value of trees as a timber resource has often been the only impact readily quantifiable in benefit/cost analyses. This is be­cause the ecological impacts of forest pests, such as tree mortality and growth loss, are easily measured and lend themselves to marketplace evaluation.

Intangible benefits are maintaining a favorable environment for wildlife , preserving water quality, preserving esthetics, preserving the recreation of public and private forests and parks, and preventing an increased fire hazard .

Gypsy moth nuisance and damage costs are difficult to estimate be­cause they primarily involve personal judgments not directly tied to market­place valuation.

Gypsy moth impacts on people are among the most important, the most difficult to measure and the most dynamic because public opinion and human tolerance for the insect are variable and based on individual judgments.

Within the known boundaries of the gypsy moth infestation are some of the most densely populated areas in the East, areas where extensive people/forest interface occur. In these situations people regard trees as having intrinsic real estate, recreational, and esthetic values that commonly exceed the trees' market value for timber.

"Every decision we make with moni­toring or treating is shared with the public before we implement it," Bullard said . Approximately 50,000 acres have been treated.

Intervention methods conducted by AIPM are funded solely by the federal government and involve no cost­sharing ventures between the gov­ernment and landowners.

Bullard concluded, "Our 1989 efforts will concentrate on using more tradi­tional methods to reduce defoliation and impacts and to slow gypsy moth movements into the AIPM area. We also will conduct various studies and evaluations of the newer methods so we can add them to our arsenal in future years." 0

Although they had no prior experi­ence in farming or marketing, Greg and Verena Sava came to West Virginia 14 years ago determined to make a living from the land. Pick-your-own strawberries, bedding plants, herbs and eggs were among the ventures the couple tried before

hitting.on an unlikely product that would become their claim to fame­goat cheese. "The reason we decided to settle here was strictly economics," explained Greg Sava. "We had been teaching in Albany, New York, and didn't have a lot of money."

No milking machines are used at Brier Run Farm, where twice daily the herd is milked, four at a time, always in the same order.

Finding land less expensive in West Virginia than elsewhere in the East, the Savas bought 80 acres near Birch River in Nicholas County, a region similar to Verena's native area in Switzerland. "We moved here with our van, a tent, a motorcycle and $75," Sava recalled. "We really did not know what we wanted to do but we were interested in gardening using organic principles."

The couple bought an old house located 40 miles away in Falls Mill, tore it down and used the lumber to build farm sheds, a hen house and their home. They later added another 80 acres of mostly steep hillside land to their Brier Run Farm.

"Cheese-making just kind of devel­oped after we got a goat for our own milk," Sava said. "We learned that having just one goat doesn't work because they're social animals."

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Della, a Komondor Hungarian sheep guard dog, lives at all times with her charges, who spend much of their time roaming the farm's steep hillsides in Nicholas County.

Soon finding themselves with more milk than they could use, they thought of making cheese. They went to the library and checked out everything they could find on cheese­making and got help from the Extension Goat Handbook.

After making their own cheese for about nine years, the Savas decided in 1 985 to go into commercial pro­duction. Since that tirne, their opera­tion has grown from milking nine goats and producing 2,000 pounds of cheese to milking about 32 goats of various breeds and selling 8,000 pounds of cheese annually. They make and sell an average of 180 pounds a week although last Christ­mas season they produced 284 pounds in one week.

Their biggest challenge has been marketing a product that is not a high priority item on the grocery list of the average consumer. The Savas start­ed their marketing effort by visiting restaurants and supermarkets offer­ing free samples.

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The couple soon found that there is not much call for goat cheese in West Virginia. Their first, and sti ll their best, in-state customer is the Greenbrier, which orders 20-25 pounds weekly. The resort , a restau­rant in Huntington , one at Snowshoe and a handful of supermarkets constitute Brier Run Farm 's West Virginia accounts.

The Savas spent a year trying to get their cheese into Kroger super­markets. After they contacted 20 of the chain's stores, only three-in Charleston, Huntington and Morgan­town-agreed to carry the product sold under the name of Brier Run Chevre (French for cheese).

"We can't sell enough cheese in this state to survive," commented Sava, "because we can't live on the $250 we'd get from selling 50 pounds a week here."

The couple was getting discouraged when a friend suggested they contact

Farm work is never. done. Scott Cunningham, an apprentice, clips goat's hooves, a task that m1.1st be performed about every two months.

Sava checks equipment in the cheese house prior to starting the week's production. The state Department of Health and the fed­eral Food and Drug Administration have inspected the operation.

a gourmet foods store in Washington, D.C. "We called them up and said we live in West Virginia and we make goat cheese; the owner said, 'Great; send me 20 pounds' and we had a friend for life." That customer orders 20-30 pounds every other week and sells it for $16 per pound.

Realizing they had to market their product outside West Virginia, the Savas concentrated on contacting upscale restaurants, gourmet food shops and health food outlets in major metropolitan areas along the Eastern seaboard. In all, they have about 60 accounts in 30 states. They will ship to individuals but prefer dealing with larger volume customers.

The Washington, D.C., area is their best market, followed by New York and Boston. The Savas saw a direct effect on sales after the Washington Post featured their cheese 1n its food section . "We even got a call from the White House chef," Sava reported, which shows what well-placed pub-

f t" r {

f y ~ f

After the milk is pasteurized, a bacterial culture tmported from France is added to cause curdling. The curd is ladled by hand into plastic molds. Here, Sava unmolds the cheese which will be sprinkled with sea salt and left overnight to drain before being refrigerated for two days .

licity can do. They do not advertise but distribute a printed brochure descnbing their farm and their cheese to potential customers.

"The telephone is our chief marketing tool," Sava explained. "We call a store and ask for the cheese buyer; we don't waste time talking w1th clerks because they don't make the decisions." Experience has taught him to contact restaurant chefs between 2 and 4 p.m. in order to miss their peak times during lunch and dinner.

The owners of Brier Run Farm are among only about 60 producers of goat cheese in the nation. Some, having no goats, buy the milk they use; others have several hundred goats. One of the Savas' competi­tors is a millionaire businessman in New York.

"Because we 're a srnall operation, we have to make more per item than someone who is producing on a large scale, so we have to sell to larger markets, meaning higher income people living in cities," he said.

"We have to set a price that the consumer is willing to pay but also will cover our costs," continued Sava, whose college degree in Italian did little to prepare him for life as a West Virginia goat farmer/cheese producer/marketer.

Employee Karen Carter coats the finished product with various herbs and spices, wraps the cheese in plastic and applies the Brier Run Chevre's distinctive label.

In marketing our cheese, "we feature its quality," Sava noted. "Our cheese is not mass-produced but a very fresh product made to order each week." Since the soft product, having the consistency of cream cheese, cannot be warehoused, he must deal directly with stores and restaurants. The cheese is shipped via United Parcel Service early in the week so it will arrive before the weekend.

Sava emphasized that he and his wife do not want to operate a feedlot; they and their two full-time employ­ees "do everything by hand," includ­ing the twice-daily milking which takes about four hours. "The goats are outside as much as possible and we treat them humanely-all 48 have names!" he added. "We feed them kelp, which is high in minerals, and organically grown alfalfa hay, most of which we have to buy from outside West Virginia."

The Savas have found that direct marketing takes much commitment, dedication and plain hard work. Recently, in their busiest tour-week period, they made over 1 ,000 pounds of cheese, "which was really pushing it for us, " Greg noted. Verena teaches school and is not available to help with the business except on weekends and in the summer slack period.

The Savas aren't sure of their goals for Brier Run Chevre, but they do know they don't want the operation to get so big that they can't give it their personal attention. "We'd like to get our employees trained well enough so we could go away for a few days," Greg explained. "Now, we just don't feel we can leave because it is a seven-day-a-week job that we're still learning how to do ourselves ."

The couple also know that they want to make a modest living from their farm. As Greg put it during a presentation at last year 's West Virginia Direct Marketing Conference: "We're not in it for a hobby, although it is tun." D

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Potential Volunteer Leaders Abundant; To Match Tasks/Talents Takes Know-how

People volunteer as an avocation, not a career. Volunteers must know that their role is important and their work is valued. As their allegience to the mission increases, so will their productivity and tenure. No one understands these concepts better than Bill Clark, West Virginia University extension agent tor Monroe County. Clark is chairman ot a state commit­tee analyzing issues related to re­cruitment, training and development of volunteers. Its charge is to im­prove volunteer management, particularly in youth programming.

The committee began the task last year. Clark, however, has been developing and tine-tuning his volunteer management skills tor nearly 30 years as an extension educator in West Virginia and formerly in Maryland.

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The Monroe County extension program relies heavily on a corps of about 20 volunteer coordinators. Clark found he needed to emphasize volunteer management when he became the sole extension agent in the county about five years ago. He noted that his situation is not unique.

"We are moving from a stance of having plenty of resources to one of doing more and doing better with less. In West Virginia, we are losing funds and losing extension agents. Those who are lett have to deliver programming in 4-H, home econom­ics and agriculture. This has created the opportunity for volunteers to take on a lot of new roles," he explained.

Matching the volunteer's needs to the organization's needs is half. the battle, says Clark. It's also the key to retaining good volunteers.

"We've got more potential leaders than we know what to do with here.

Dairy producer Doug Dransfield points out cow judging features to youngsters involved in 4-H dairy projects. Dransfield volunteers because he benefited from 4-H.

The trick is to identify what needs to be done and find the right person to do it," he explained.

Once you've found those right persons, you had better provide training and consistent support for their efforts . Job descriptions are a must, Clark asserts.

"A volunteer needs to know the dimensions of the job. That includes specific responsibilities, the time required, and the cost," he said .

In Monroe County, extension volun­teers help to prepare their own job descriptions. This gives them a clear visualization of what is expected of them and the potential results .

"It also keeps us professionals from piling on additional expectations that were not originally included in the volunteer's job, " Clark noted.

As their supervisors, Clark and assis­tant extension agent Helen Graves

evaluate the volunteers' job performance. They also have a hiring and firing policy. (Yes, you can fire a volunteer, says Clark!)

The volunteer staff and the addition of Graves last fall have finally allowed Clark to get involved in other projects of importance to Monroe County. He has helped local businessmen start a commercial plant that uses local milk for cheese production. He is helping another party examine the feasibility of starting a bottled water plant in the county.

'"Five years ago, I couldn't have tooled with cheese or bottled water­! JUSt didn't have the time. Now, the volunteers are able to handle so much that I can devote more time to community and economic issues. That gives the people of the county more tor their money," he said.

Doug Dransfield, left, volunteer dairy coordinator, explains milking machine procedure to Monroe County 4-H'ers Adam Nee/ and David Porterfield.

Volunteers share the1r t1me and talents for different reasons. Some are developing their leadership skills for future paid employment.

Some want to invest in their local community.

Some, like Monroe County dairy producers Doug and Steve Drans­field, simply want to see the benefits

Monroe County extension agent Bill Clark creates training materials to support his network of volunteers conducting 4-H educational programs.

of extension continue, despite shrink­ing resources. As the volunteer 4-H dairy coordinator, Doug Dransfield supervises all 4-H dairy activities and trains the county's dairy cattle judging teams. His brother Steve serves as 4-H dairy club prOJeCt leader.

"My brother and I got so much out of 4-H when we were involved as k1ds. The dairymen and other farmers used to help us out then; I guess we're just trying to pay back for some of that," Doug Dransfield said.

Extension agents from Jackson, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Tyler and Wyoming counties are serving on the statewide volunteer management committee. Clark hopes they will incorporate some of Monroe's suc­cesses into their own programs. The ultimate goal is to establish a strong volunteer management program in each county.

Meanwhile, Clark continues to seek ways to support h1s volunteers and to provide recognition for their contributions.

"What I have found out about volun­teers is that as long as they are suc­cessful, they continue. If you train them well, recognize their efforts and don't overload them, they can do just about anything," he concluded. 0

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Sludge Application ... (Continued from page 3)

odor complaints , we make sure it's not too close to homes."

The agent also makes sure farmers understand the necessary precau­tions. "They must wait at least 30 days before grazing cattle on sludge­treated lands. Sludge is not appro­priate for gardens or orchards. It is used only for croplands and pastures."

Soil samples are sent to the WVU Soil Testing Laboratory. Willem A. van Eck, WVU extension specialist in soil and water resources, uses the test results, sludge analysis and site information to set recommended load rates for wet sludge.

Both the farmer and treatment plant representative must sign a contract detailing each other's duties. Applica­tion records are maintained on each field. Follow-up tests monitor the metal and nutrient content of the soil.

Ten farms currently are in the program; 50 more are on a waiting

VISION is published three times a year by the West Virginia University Extension Service.

Contributing writers: Rachel B. Tompkins, Grace H. Truman, Joyce Bower and Jerry Kessel

Layout & Graphics: Hoye Walls

Pnnting: WVU Communications Services

Rachel B.Tompkins Associate Provost for Extension and Economic Development Director, Cooperative Extension Service P.O. Box 6031, Knapp Hall Morgantown, WV 26506-6031

Mercer County extension agent John Scott Jr., left, and farmer Steve Johnston are pleased with the results of the sludge application program.

list for sludge application. Derk Alvis, sewer plant operator for the town of Athens, says sludge has become a desired commodity.

"Before, we were looking for places to dispose of it. Now, it seems that we can't make enough of it. Every­one wants it," he observed. "The reason is that it really works as a soil conditioner, if you manage it right."

Photo Credits: Ed Petrosky and Bob Beverly

Programs and activities offered by the West Virginia University Cooperative Extension Service are available to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, or handicap.

Beef cattle producer Steve Johnston uses sludge from the Bluefield treat­ment plant to fertilize his fields. "It's done a really good job and it's saving me a lot of money," he reported.

Extension agent Scott says other West Virginia counties could adapt Mercer's sludge application system, but only if they have secondary treat­ment plant facilities. They also must make sure there are no industries in the county that are dumping heavy metals into the wastewater system.

"This is not for everyone, but it is working well here," the agent declared. "All of the county's public service districts are participating. And, public acceptance seems to be there. No more lawsuits have been registered since the program went into effect. Complaints have been very few, and they have been worked out through discussions with the complaining party and the farmer. We have used the complaints to improve the program." 0

Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, West Virginia University and the United States Department of Agriculture, Cooperating. Rachel B. Tompkins , Director , Morgantown, West Virginia. Published in Furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914.

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Morgantown, WV

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