ABSTRACT
The production of animals for meat is a signicant source of income in many parts of the United States. However, animal production is not uniformly distributed across the United States. In fact, production is concentrated in specic regions and states. Swine production is common in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina. Poultry production, including turkeys or broiler chickens, greatly contributes to the economies of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, and North Carolina. Even within these states, production is highly concentrated in local areas surrounding feed mills. This intensive production in small regions leads to the excess accumulation of plant nutrients, resulting from repeated manure applications, which results in environmental contamination issues. This chapter discusses the use of geographical information system (GIS) tools to improve the distribution of manure nutrients at the national, local, and eld scales as a means to minimize environmental contamination.
