NORTH AMERICAN
MANURE EXPO 2017 AUG. 22-23 • ARLINGTON, WISCONSIN
Consider cover-crop wins, losses JANE FYKSEN
jfyksen@madison.com 715-683-2779
MADISON, Wis. — Consider wins and losses with fall-applied manure and cover crops. That’s the question University of Wisconsin-Madison soil scientist Matt Ruark is attempting to answer with a three-year study at three locations in Wisconsin. Matt Ruark With more than 1 million acres of corn silage grown in Wisconsin and harvested in late summer, there’s a clear opportunity for cover crops to be planted to hold soil through fall and early spring. In addition, cover crops provide nutrient-conservation benefits if manure is applied after the corn silage comes off. Cover crops work with fall manure applications to immobilize manure nutrients until the following spring. “(But) this soil-health-promoting practice is not without potential tradeoffs, including yield drag and increased (nitrogen) demand,” Ruark said. He said while corn silage, fall-applied manure and cover-crop seeding is growing in popularity, growers have concerns about trade-offs with cover crops. There is extra cost and field work in the spring, and covercrop competition for nutrients and soil moisture. The potential for yield loss in the following year’s corn is also a real concern. Ruark is in the final year of a three-year study to determine performance of fallseeded cover crops in a production system with corn silage and fall-applied manure. He’s quantifying the effects on corn yield and optimal nitrogen rate in the subsequent corn crop. He evaluated winter rye
Winter rye produces a relatively large amount of spring biomass, as shown in 2016 at the University of Wisconsin-Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Preliminary research results suggest optimum nitrogen rates for corn might need to be tweaked when cover crops are grown.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Spring barley is a fall-planted cover crop after corn silage and fall-applied manure that winterkills, leaving behind little dead biomass in the spring.
– which requires termination in spring with a pesticide – and spring barley, which growers a little faster in the fall but winter-kills. The study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 at the UWAgricultural Research stations in Wisconsin near Lancaster, Arlington and Marshfield. When corn silage was harvested, a target rate of 10,000 gallons per acre of liquid dairy manure was applied. First-year available nitrogen from manure was about 100 pounds per acre at Lancaster and Arlington. At Marshfield,
low-percent solids in the manure resulted in a much lower nutrition contribution. A f te r t h e m a n u re wa s injected, the cover crops were drilled at target rates of 90 pounds of pure live seed per acre of winter rye and 80 pounds of spring barley. Cover crops were planted mid-September, as recommended. The following spring, no-till corn was planted and variable rates of nitrogen applied – 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 pounds per acre. The nitrogen was broadcast as urea with Agrotain.
After two years, Ruark found: • D ry-matter cover-crop yield of winter rye was at least 0.5 ton per acre at all locations, with all locations in 2016 having greater than a ton of dry-matter biomass per acre in the spring. Ruark said a ton of spring biomass is too much. He’d prefer to see 0.5 ton or less. • A t Arlington and Lancaster, winter rye always reduced soil nitrate in the upper inch in the fall compared to no cover. The effect was less pronounced at Marshfield. • A veraged across six site-years, a winter-rye cover crop resulted in a 16-bushelsper-acre yield drag. Corn-grain yields after spring barley were, on average, 7 bushels per acre less. • O n average, corn following winter rye required 35 pounds more nitrogen per acre for the corn to achieve the yields it did, See CROP, Page 5
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Wisconsin hosts Manure Expo Aug. 22-23 JANE FYKSEN
jfyksen@madison.com 715-683-2779
ARLINGTON, Wis. – More than 1,200 farmers, custom manure haulers, agency personnel, educators and other agricultural professionals are anticipated to attend the 2017 North American Manure Expo. The Expo is being held Aug. 22-23 at the University of Wisconsin-Arlington Agricultural Research Station, N695 Hopkins Road, Arlington. Cutting-edge equipment and technologies for managing manure will be featured in tours, educational presentations, field demonstrations and a trade show. The Manure Expo is returning to Wisconsin after last being held in the state in 2012. The premier manure event of the United States and Canada, the expo was held in 2016 in Ohio. In 2018 it will move to Brookings, South Dakota. The first Manure Expo was held in 2001 at Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. This year’s event will be held at W6723 Badger Lane, near the station’s Blaine Dairy facility. Grounds will be open noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 22 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 23. Organizers have been running a manure-slogan contest; the winning slogan will be revealed at the show. The first 600 attendees can pick up a free T-shirt with the winning slogan on the back. Co-chairs of the event are George Koepp, University of Wisconsin-Extension Columbia County agriculture agent, and Richard H a l o p ka , C l a rk Co u n ty U WExtension crops Richard Halopka, and soils agent. University of WisconsinHalopka has been Extension Clark County a member of the crops and soils agent, is N o r t h A m e r i - co-chairing the 2017 North can Manure Expo American Manure Expo. board since 2015. The two-day event is free. A $20 per-person fee, which includes transportation and lunch, is charged to go on each of the three tours Aug. 22. Tour sites are: • Statz Brothers Inc. of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin — This farm tour features a manure digester and bedding-recycling facility. Participants will go through one of the dairy barns and stop at the manure digester, where they’ll
MANURE EXPO SCHEDULE Tuesday, Aug. 22 Registration fee is $20 for tours; all other events are free. 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. … Registration for tours 8:30 a.m. to noon … Tours Noon to 8 p.m. … Tradeshow 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. … Agitation demonstration – Blaine Dairy Manure Pit 4 to 6 p.m. … Industry educational sessions 8 p.m. … Grounds close ABOVE: A wide variety of fieldspreading demonstrations will take place on the second day of the Aug. 22-23 North American Manure Expo at the University Arlington Agricultural Research Station near Arlington, Wisconsin. RIGHT: In addition to manure-application and agitation demonstrations, the 2017 North American Manure Expo Aug. 22-23 near Arlington, Wisconsin, features a trade show, 24 educational seminars, tours and industry presentations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
hear about digester design, solids separation and bedding recycling and production, and use of gas and energy byproducts of the manuredigester system. The last stage of the Statzes’ system takes liquid to a storage lagoon. • Endres Composting of Waunakee, Wisconsin — Jeff Endres’ dairy operation utilizes compost bedding and bedding recycling. Bedding-pack manure and sawdust are mixed with freestall manure before going to an under-roof compost pad. Compost windrows are built through four weeks; scheduled compost turning produces finished compost during the next eight weeks. The compost system helps balance phosphorus and potassium for the farm’s nutrient-management plan. It also presents an opportunity for better distribution of nutrients and a wider window for application. This tour also includes field application of compost. • Arlington Agricultural Research Station — The third tour features the station’s dairy-manure run-off study, which compares manure run-off from winter spreading on
no-till ground versus chisel plowing and a soil finisher. Participants will also see the station’s dairy, which has a state-of-the-art sandseparation-and-reclamation system that is less than a year old. The swine-research facility’s manure-separation and application systems will also be seen. Pre-registration for the tours is required. Check-in and bus departure will occur at the Manure Expo site. Tour-goers can check in between 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. Tours depart at 8:30 a.m. and return to the research station by noon, where participants will receive lunch. The trade show is open both days — from noon to 8 p.m. Aug. 22, and from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 23. This year’s show theme — Innovation. Research. Solutions. — is reflected in exhibitors’ products and technologies, which are showcased in 43 outdoor spots and 22 indoor spaces. There are demonstrations both days. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 22, manure agitation See EXPO, Page 4
Wednesday, Aug. 23 All events are free. 7:30 a.m. … Registration opens 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. … Tradeshow 9 a.m. to noon … Educational sessions PA CEC Credits: N.M., 2, H/B, 2 1 to 4 p.m. … Field demonstrations • Manure application to cover crops • Solid manure applications • Liquid manure applications • Side-dressing corn • Using a dragline in standing corn 5 p.m. … Grounds close The 2017 Manure Expo is being held at the University of Wisconsin-Arlington Agricultural Research Station, near the Blaine Dairy facility at W6723 Badger Lane, Arlington, Wisconsin. Visit www.manureexpo.org for more information. Visit youtu.be/gUkYuS0zPzc or visit youtube.com and search for “Manure Expo 2017” to see a video.
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Expo Continued from Page 2
is taking place. Halopka said he anticipates three to five manure “boats” and a similar number of prop pumps will be demonstrated. From 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 23, solid and liquid applications are being done in the field. Halopka expects five drag-hose applicators, 10 solid-manure spreaders, six liquid-manure spreaders and three compost turners to take part in demonstrations on harvested-wheat ground. Corn side-dressing is also taking place. “When the Expo is in Wisconsin, we always use manure,” Halopka said of demonstrations. “Otherwise water is applied. There is a difference. “We do have some demonstration plots with cover crops just to show what they look like. There will be some slurry-seeding. Manure was put down and cover crops planted. And low-disturbance manure applications before and after planting cover crops can also be seen.” From 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 22 there are educational seminars: Puck’s Pump School, a Profit Pro Foam Control Demonstration and Gas Safety with MSA Professional Services. Twenty-four educational sessions will
JANE FYKSEN/AGRI-VIEW
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
The Manure Expo is being held at the University of Wisconsin-Arlington Agricultural Research Station. The event will include a tour featuring the station’s dairy-manure run-off study, which compares manure run-off from winter spreading on no-till ground versus chisel plowing and a soil finisher.
run from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 23. Educational sessions will take place in four separate themed tents. • Manure Safety and Manure Management Tools
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• Manure as a Fertilizer Resource • Manure Application Techniques and Technology • Manure and Environmental Protection • Individual sessions are: • Use of Nitrification Inhibitors with Manure • Dairy Manure Application Methods: Nitrogen Credits, Gaseous Nitrogen Losses and Corn Yield • How Does Manure Application Timing Impact Phosphorus Loss in Runoff • Manure Analyses Trends and Sample Collection Techniques • Microbial Response to Organic Matter Additions to Soils — What Do We Know and Why Do We Care? • Minimizing Manure and Nutrient Transport to Tile Systems • Improving Your Safety Practices Around Manure Storages • Basics of Gas Monitoring Equipment and Procedures • Can Cover Crops and Tillage Help Reduce Erosion and Phosphorus Losses? • Maximizing Nutrient Value from Manure Storages • Manure During Winter: How to Manage • Wisconsin’s Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast • Nitrogen Dynamics in Manured Systems • Sidedressing Emerged Corn with Liquid Manure Using a Manure Tanker • Replacing Commercial Sidedress Nitrogen with Liquid Livestock Manure on Emerged Corn Using a Drag Hose • Slurry Seeding of Cover Crops • Manure Safety
Farmers can learn about manure safety at the 2017 North American Manure Expo held at the University of Wisconsin-Arlington Agricultural Research Station. A single-gas monitor worn on a farmer’s or employee’s shirt collar is an economical option that provides peace of mind that an outdoor manure pit isn’t giving off a dangerous amount of hydrogen sulfide when it’s agitated and pumped.
• Public Perception • Nutrient Management Planning for All Wisconsin Farms: An Overview of SnapPlus Software • Manure Application Uniformity — Agronomic and Machinery Considerations • Nutrient Separation or Improved Hauling Logistics — Making Sense of Which Options Fits Your Operation • Integrating Erosion and Phosphorus Runoff Assessment with Nutrient Management Planning in SnapPlus • Secondary and Micronutrients Available in Dairy Manure • Evaluating the Environmental Benefits and Economic Opportunities of Windrow Composting Solid Dairy Manure Visit www.manureexpo.org or contact richard.halopka@ces.uwex.edu or 715743-5121 for more information. Visit www. eventbrite.ca/e/2017-north-americanmanure-expo-tickets-31125893385 to register online for tours. Jane Fyksen writes about crops, dairy, livestock and other agricultural topics; she is the crops editor for Agri-View based in Wisconsin. Email Jfyksen@madison.com to contact her.
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Crop Continued from Page 1
compared to no cover crop. Spring barley had minimal effect — 5 pounds — on optimum nitrogen rate. Based on those 2015-2016 preliminary results, Ruark said the soil wins due to less erosion. And groundwater wins, due to less potential leaching of nitrate. But the losers are the next year’s corn, due to lower yields, and the manure, because of what appears to be less nitrogen credit with winter rye. Ruark said he was a little surprised by the impact winter rye had on corn yield. He said he wonders whether the yield decline can be turned around with more nitrogen or whether in some cases it can’t be, because perhaps it’s due to another factor such as soil moisture or maybe even some allelopathic effect. Differences shown are in corn yield and optimum nitrogen rate as compared to no cover crop. ARLINGTON AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION Winter rye: • 2015 — minus 17 bushels, 38 pounds of nitrogen per acre • 2 016 — minus 21 bushels, minus 12 pounds of nitrogen Spring barley: • 2015, 1-bushel increase, 28 pounds of nitrogen • 2 016, minus 11 bushels, minus 33 pounds of nitrogen LANCASTER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION Winter rye: • 2015, 0-bushel difference, 21 pounds of nitrogen • 2016, minus 30 bushels, 102 pounds of nitrogen Spring barley: • 2 015, minus 11 bushels, 5 pounds of nitrogen • 2 016, minus 8 bushels, 0 pounds of nitrogen MARSHFIELD AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION Winter rye: • 2015, minus 14 bushels, 21 pounds of nitrogen • 2016, minus 14 bushels, 42 pounds of nitrogen Spring barley: • 2 015, minus 1 bushel, 16 pounds of nitrogen • 2 016, minus 9 bushels, 11 pounds of nitrogen Another cover-crop project at the same
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
LEFT: Results are shown side-by-side of winter rye versus no cover crop in April 2016 at the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield Agricultural Research Station in north-central Wisconsin. RIGHT: April 2016 comparison of winter rye and no cover following previous-year corn-silage harvest is shown at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Fall-applied manure followed by a cover crop is a practice following corn-silage harvest that more Wisconsin farmers are adopting.
three locations, plus the UW-Hancock Agricultural Research Station, showed cover crops of winter rye or triticale reducing corn-silage-tonnage yields in some site-years. However, triticale’s forage production met or exceeded the cornsilage deficit in every site-year, despite later corn planting and low soil-nitrogen concentration. Ruark said the impact on the subsequent year’s corn-silage tonnage varied. “Across eight site-years, winter rye decreased yields three times, increased (yield) once and had no effect four times,” he said. “So (the effect was) not as dramatic as the effect on corn grain yield. And if you grow triticale — even though you have a later planting date — you can still be up more total silage yield, between the triticale and the corn silage. But that’s another story.” Ruark said he doesn’t want to come across as negative on cover crops by any means. More work needs to be done to reduce the impact fall-planted cover crops might have on yields of subsequent corn crops. The university’s optimum-nitrogen-rate recommendations might also need to be adjusted to account for cover crops. Farmers utilizing cover crops might not even know they’re losing a little yield and be happy with the trade-off for the erosion control, nutrient-leaching protection and soil-health benefits that cover crops bring to the table. “But the effects are clear — a slight yield drag may be the price of soil protection,” Ruark said. “What I don’t know is if there are other agronomic tweaks (besides increasing applied nitrogen) we can make to reduce this effect.” He said farmers must be diligent about
terminating winter rye as soon as possible in the spring and using nitrogen in starter fertilizer. They might also need to adjust the nitrogen credit they’re taking from the manure, depending on the abundance of rye growth. As for spring barley, the issue is soil coverage in the spring. The cover crop may not provide adequate biomass to protect soil
from spring rains. Contact mdruark@wisc.edu or 608-2632889 for more information. Jane Fyksen writes about crops, dairy, livestock and other agricultural topics; she is the crops editor for Agri-View based in Wisconsin. Email Jfyksen@madison.com to contact her.
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Manure-sidedress toolbar shows advantages ALAYNA DEMARTINI
The Ohio State University
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
A redesigned attachment to a tractor that allows liquid manure to be applied to a growing crop reflects work from two researchers of The Ohio State University.
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GREENVILLE, Ohio — With corn needing nitrogen and livestock producing a lot of it, new methods that offer a better way to use manure to fortify crops are apt to intrigue farmers. Two researchers at The Ohio State U n i ve r s i t y h a ve redesigned a piece of equipment so farmers can put manure o n a f i e l d wh i l e crops are emerging. Applying manure to growing crops, which is not widely done, can boost yields, reduce nutrient losses, and give livestock producers and commercial manure applicators another window for applying manure. Made by Bambauer Equipment in New Knoxville, Ohio, a metal toolbar attached to a tractor receives manure pumped through a hose from a manure pit. The manure is fed through the toolbar, which injects it 3 to 5 inches into the soil between rows of growing corn — and then covers the manure with soil. The manure-sidedress toolbar attachment was built with contributions from the Columbus Foundation, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Goodfield, Illinoisbased DSI Inc., a manufacturer of manure and nitrogen-injection systems. Draglining manure — a process that involves applying manure through a hose that pumps it directly from storage — is not new to many farmers. But it’s rarely used to apply manure on a growing crop. During the growing season, farmers have been concerned that running machinery over a field with an emerging crop could crush the crop and compact the soil. That leaves less space among soil particles for easy flow of water, air and nutrients, said Glen Arnold, The Ohio State University manure-management specialist. Arnold designed the Glen Arnold modified toolbar with Sam Custer, Ohio State-Extension educator in Darke County, Ohio. Traditionally liquid manure is applied on the surface of fields in the fall after harvest. But without a growing crop on the field to take in the nutrients, much of the nitrogen
A modified manure-application toolbar developed at The Ohio State University disturbs growing seedlings only minimally.
Liquid manure is applied to an Ohio cornfield, utilizing a toolbar that researchers want more farmers to try.
is at risk of either running off the field or percolating through the soil uncaptured, Arnold said. “A growing crop will reach out and grab much of that nitrogen,” Arnold said. “It will love it.” In recent years there has been increased interest in applying manure on newly planted corn and soybean fields to foster their growth. It provides another chance for farmers to use accumulating livestock waste. For the past five years, Arnold has conducted research on methods of doing that. Initially he used a tanker filled with liquid manure to apply manure to young corn fields in western-Ohio counties. But the dragline and manure-sidedress toolbar — compared to using a tanker — weigh less, and are faster and more efficient, Arnold said. Also, the dragline and toolbar cause few plants to be crushed and killed. See TOOLBAR, Page 7
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Rebates offered in Biadasz memory Manure-sidedressed fields produce 13 more bushels of corn per acre compared to fields where synthetic fertilizers are applied, according to research at The Ohio State University.
Toolbar Continued from Page 6
For three years the manure-sidedress toolbar has been tested on fields in Darke County, which annually produces the second-highest number of hogs in Ohio — and a whole lot of manure. Manure-sidedressed fields produced 13 more bushels of corn per acre compared to fields where synthetic fertilizers were applied, Arnold said. The savings in using manure instead of synthetic fertilizer is about $80 an acre, he said. “There’s always a cost to the livestock farmer to apply manure to farm fields,” he said. “By capturing more of the nitrogen in the manure, the farmer can reduce the need to purchase commercial fertilizer and make a bigger profit.” While the manure-sidedress toolbar can also be used on fields of soybeans and wheat, corn needs the most nitrogen, Arnold said. Custer said some farmers are concerned the dragline could kill some newly emerging plants by crushing them as it is pulled through the field. But research on Darke County fields does not show that. When corn is about 3 inches high, running a dragline hose across a field is not going to hurt the corn, though it may initially appear to be bent over. “In a week’s time they’ll be standing right back up,” Custer said. Ohio farmers interested in trying the manure-sidedress toolbar can do so for free to see how it might work on their fields. “We want to put it in more farmers’ hands,” Custer said. “We want to see more farmers using manure as a nutrient rather than seeing it as a waste product.” Visit go.osu.edu/manureapplicator or contact arnold.2@osu.edu or 419-2354724 for more information.
M A R S H F I E L D, W i s. – - T h e B o b Biadasz family of north-central Wisconsin recently donated $40,000 to the National Farm Medicine Center — part of the Marshfield Clinic Health System — to create a manure-gas-detector rebate program for farmers, custom manure haulers and others. The new rebate program honors their late son, Mike Biadasz. He died in August 2016 from manure-gas poisoning while next to an outdoor manure pit on the family’s Amherst, Wisconsin, farm. M i ke B i a d a sz ’s d ea t h , wh i c h wa s accompanied by the death of 16 beef cattle that were also near the pit and overcome by toxic gas, spurred the young farmer’s family to help prevent a similar farm tragedy from occurring again. The family’s donation established the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund. Farmers can apply for a rebate that covers the cost for a portable gas-monitor device that detects gas levels and alerts them when potentially lethal levels are reached. “Mikey had such a passion for farming,” said his father, Bob Biadasz, who lost both a son and farming partner. “We remember when he said to us, ‘I may not have a wife and kids, but I sure love trying to feed the ones who do!’”
CONTRIBUTED
The Biadasz family donates $40,000 to the National Farm Medicine Center and Marshfield Clinic Center for Community Outreach, establishing the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund to give manure-gas-detector rebates in memory of the late Mike Biadasz. The young farmer from Amherst, Wisconsin, died in 2016 when he was overcome by manure gas. From left are Casper Bendixsen with the National Farm Medicine Center, Biadasz’s niece Natalie Grezenski, Randy Neve of the Marshfield Clinic Center for Community Outreach, Biadasz’s sister Megan Check, Biadasz’s nephew Jacob Grezenski, Biadasz’s dad and mom Bob and Diane Biadasz, Matt Faber with the Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation, Biadasz’s sister Lisa Grezenski and Biadasz’s nephew Tyler Grezenski.
See BIADASZ, Page 8
AmericA’s leAder iN AGricUlTUrAl cONcreTe • Waste Storage • Feed Storage • Anaerobic Digesters JANE FYKSEN/AGRI-VIEW
More farmers and professional manure haulers are leasing or buying gas monitors to detect deadly levels of hydrogen sulfide and other gases harmful to people and livestock. A four-gas monitor is at left. The yellow one is a single-gas monitor. The wand enables a user to detect unsafe conditions in a confined space without needing to crawl into the space. It can be fastened to a long board or plastic pipe to detect alarming conditions into which a person might walk. Rebates are available from the Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund.
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Lisa Grezenski, Mike Biadasz’s sister, who farms near Rosholt, Wisconsin, said, “We would do anything to have Mikey back. Now we need to share his story and find ways to prevent this from happening to another family. Mike wouldn’t want it any other way.” Mike Biadasz was agitating a large outdoor manure pit early in the morning. While manure gases are always a hazard, the situation was made worse due to weather conditions on that foggy morning. The gases were trapped close to the ground, lethally poisoning Biadasz and the nearby cattle. About 4 percent of agriculture-related deaths in Wisconsin are attributable to manure gas and confined spaces. Overall agriculture has a worker-fatality rate more than eight times the all-industry average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Sadly, we hear about deaths on farms almost daily, whether it’s from incidents like this or incidents involving machinery,” said Casper Bendixsen, National Farm Medicine Center associate research
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Mikey had such a passion for farming. We remember when he said to us, ‘I may not have a wife and kids, but I sure love trying to feed the ones who do!’” Bob Biadasz, father scientist. “The Biadasz family is truly unique in their proactive reaction, channeling their heartbreak so as to be part of the solution and prevent this from happening to another farm family. The Mike Biadasz Farm Safety and Education Memorial Fund is one that can truly save the life of a farmer, (his or her) family and ... livestock. Gas-monitoring devices are expensive to purchase or rent to use just a few times a year. The rebate is an incentive for farmers to take an extra precaution.” Contact farmforeverrebates@gmail. com for more information and to apply for a rebate. Visit www.marshfieldresearch.org/nfmc for more farm-safety information.
JANE FYKSEN/AGRI-VIEW
Beef producer Bob Biadasz from Portage County, Wisconsin, looks across the manure pit where his son and farming partner Mike Biadasz died in August of 2016. Mike Biadasz was overcome by hydrogen sulfide gas while agitating the pit; a group of nearby steers also died. A cross marks the spot where Mike Biadasz was found.
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