One of the major issues facing farmers operating near housing developments is the odor generated when manure is spread on fields.

Extension agents and faculty in entomology, dairy and animal science, agricultural economics, and poultry science have been using the model since 1995 to help address rural-urban disputes. A collaborative resolution approach was taken in York County's Codorus and Manheim Townships when residents experienced a fly population explosion of nearly biblical proportions. "Houses with white siding were literally black with flies," recalls entomologist Charles Pitts. "In some homes they would hang a three-foot pest strip and five minutes later it would be covered with flies. I have a high tolerance for flies, but that would have upset me. It was beyond reason." York County extension agent Tim Beck has worked extensively with the townships to help address some of the fly-related complaints. He and Pitts visited local poultry production facilities to advise operators on fly management. They found that while the facilities had been designed to store large amounts of manure, producers had been cleaning them out weekly, which resulted in a barrage of flies over the entire summer. Pitts recommended cleaning less frequently.

Concerned about another fly explosion the next spring and summer, township officials passed a zoning ordinance that prohibited the expansion of livestock facilities, but the law did not apply to producers that had already expanded. Homeowners were angry. Beck felt that the townships could benefit from taking a conflict resolution approach. He organized a meeting of nonfarm residents, agricultural producers, agribusiness owners, and township supervisors. With Abdalla acting as facilitator, the group was asked to bring up any issues of concern. Participants identified 36 issues, not all of which concerned flies. "The meetings allowed people to describe the problem from their own vantage point and vent their frustrations," Abdalla says. "Then we all wiped our brows and prioritized those issues."

At that point, the group decided to initiate a fact-finding phase, in which Penn State researchers worked with residents to get concrete data on fly populations in the area. Beck and research associate Deborah Slawson started monitoring fly populations in the townships, which were divided into grids in order to map population densities. Many residents volunteered to have a fly trap on their property. Beck and Pitts hope to learn whether the source of severe fly infestations is indeed manure, what types of manure produce the most flies, and what production facilities are most susceptible to fly management problems. This summer, Abdalla, Pitts, Beck, and Slawson plan to report the results of the fly monitoring program to township residents and recommend management policies for homeowners and agricultural producers.

The conflict resolution model has been used successfully on smaller-scale fly infestations in other areas as well. In Lancaster County, for example, extension director John Schwartz worked with Pitts to defuse two separate conflicts between a poultry producer and nearby neighbors. "By following the model, we quickly transformed the situation from one of high tension to one of tolerance," Schwartz says. "The key was that we had a good working relationship with the farmers and the homeowners. Homeowners just want someone to listen to them, and once they've made someone aware of the problem, they want to see that people are trying to find a solution."

Penn State researchers are looking for ways to reduce populations of houseflies breeding in manure generated by agricultural operations. Entomologist Charles Pitts, top, and his assistant, Patrick Tobin, plot the movement of beetle predators through the manure floor of a poultry house. The beetles were introduced to control fly larvae in the manure.

Penn State faculty and staff are engaged in several research projects related to fly and odor control. Pitts is looking at integrated manure management options, such as introducing into poultry production facilities insects that prey on fly larvae and parasites. Pitts and Clyde Myers, extension agent in Berks County, also have studied the use of black plastic to kill fly larvae in manure piles. At two poultry facilities in the county, they tightly covered the manure for two weeks. Excess heat and gases produced by the manure effectively killed the larvae. Farmers can budget time for piling the manure and covering it with plastic prior to spreading.

In a study overseen by Leon Ressler, extension agent in Lancaster County, tillage trials were conducted to see if an established practice–plowing manure under the soil–actually reduced infestations. Ressler found that a single tillage pass did not produce enough soil compaction to effectively destroy the fly larvae. A second pass provided improved compaction and fly control, but left the soil vulnerable to erosion, an equally important environmental concern. "It's pretty clear that plowing manure under using a single pass is not going to provide sufficient fly control," Ressler explains. "While it's possible to improve fly control with a second tillage pass, that just creates another problem, so you're better off finding more effective methods to control flies."

Hog manure is another source of friction between farmers and nonfarming neighbors. It creates few fly-related conflicts because most of it is stored as liquid in large lagoons or holding tanks. However, hog manure odors occasionally make life unpleasant for some nearby residents and prompt some of the strongest complaints. Animal scientist Ken Kephart, in cooperation with Alan Sutton, an animal scientist at Purdue University, is looking at ways to optimize feeding to reduce excretion and lessen odor-producing nutrients, such as nitrogen and sulfur. He also is collaborating with environmental quality expert Ralph Mumma and research technician Ed Bogus to analyze manure odor components. "Eventually, we hope to identify, out of the 80 or 100 odor-producing compounds, the 10 or 12 that really contribute to odor," Kephart says. "This information could help us formulate feed rations that will minimize odor."


Although Penn State has developed various research and extension programs to address community conflicts at the urban-rural interface, there are no quick fixes for such divisive issues concerning land use, farm profitability, and a community's quality of life. "The classic extension model features an agent going out and giving answers to clients, but these issues are bigger and tougher to address," says Abdalla. "Sometimes there are no readily available technical solutions for experts to recommend. For example, the best management practices for water quality are known, but the best management practices for odors and flies have not been established. Also, reactions to some aspects of agriculture, such as noise and odors, are somewhat subjective. What smells bad to one person may be tolerable to another. These issues must be approached carefully. At the same time, Penn State specialists must be willing to offer information and possible solutions based on what they do know–even if there is no cut-and-dried definitive answer. The conflict resolution approach works best when all the people concerned with an issue bring their information and interests to the table. Only then is there a potential for finding the common ground needed for workable solutions."

Faculty and staff referenced in this article are Charles Abdalla, associate professor of agricultural economics; Timothy Beck, extension agent in York County; Timothy Fritz, extension agent in Montgomery County; Timothy Kelsey, assistant professor of agricultural economics; Kenneth Kephart, associate professor of animal science; Stanford Lembeck, professor of rural sociology; Clyde Myers, extension agent in Berks County; Charles Pitts, professor of entomology; Leon Ressler, extension agent in Lancaster County; and John Schwartz, Lancaster County extension director. Research discussed in this article has been funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Poultry Federation, and the National Pork Producers Council.