It has been quite some time since I wrote about the subject of manure. At one point in my journalistic career, I wrote countless articles and won a few awards for scribbling oodles of words about s**t, particularly cow dung. While I hope one day to make my mark in the greater world as a writer, it is likely that at least I will get one of those obits fired across the airwaves which extol the fact that I quite possibly wrote more about manure than any other Texas newspaper reporter during the early 21st century. Perhaps a cowpie would be an appropriate statue to accompany my tomb.
While I joke about my modest contributions to the general public’s understanding of how agriculture waste can result in detrimental consequences to “navigable” streams, there was always one fellow whom I could call and get the straight poop (oh give me a break!)on animal manure. That man was Dr. Saqib Mukhtar of Texas A & M University.
Saqib, from what I found in dealing with him, was a well-grounded academic who had the requisite sense of humor for one specializing in the subject matter of cow, chicken and other types of farm animal s**t.
Now, Saqib has a new publication out, according to “Ag News” from the Texas A & M Extension Service. While it is unlikely to make the top Amazon sellers or become a major motion picture, one is likely after reading the publication to come away with better knowledge of helping “plan manure management systems and assess physical, chemical (plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and the heat content of animal waste … ” If that’s your type of thing.
For me, I just had to write about the subject of manure once more. Old habits are hard to break.