Helping California dairy producers manage 30 million tons of manure from 1.2 million cows annually is a lemons-into-lemonade proposition for UC Davis animal scientist Deanne Meyer. If not handled properly, manure can find its way into streams and lakes, posing both environmental and health problems. But when managed properly, manure is a valuable natural fertilizer for many different crops. "People need to treat manure as a resource instead of a waste," says Meyer, a Cooperative Extension specialist and one of the nation's leading authorities on manure management. "Cows actually make two products -- milk and leftover nutrients. Those leftover nutrients in the manure are the fertilizer." Meyer helps dairy producers understand the many state and federal regulations regarding manure management and suggests methods that will ease the job of storing, applying or disposing of the manure. She presents educational workshops throughout California aimed at helping dairy farmers better manage the manure from their animals. More than 1,100 California dairy producers have attended the workshop, as well as 100 nonproducers, including bankers, lawyers, veterinarians and engineers. Her efforts were recently recognized when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined in a partnership with the University of California, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the California dairy industry to fund continued educational efforts by the university and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.