Agricultural and Livestock Engineering
We are a trusted Midwest provider of agricultural engineering solutions. We combine agronomic and engineering expertise to deliver innovative, practical results from the planning phase to construction.
About Agriculture and Livestock Engineering
Maurer-Stutz, Inc. (MSI) is recognized throughout the Midwest for delivering practical and innovative Agricultural Engineering solutions. Our team of agronomists and engineers draws on deep, diverse experience across private industry, extension, and government service. As a NRCS Certified Technical Service Provider, we support USDA Technical Assistance Programs while offering clients a single source of expertise from planning through construction.
Working closely with other MSI specialists, our agriculture staff provides comprehensive services for livestock and poultry facilities, crop processing and handling, irrigation, drainage, and on-farm storage. From system evaluations and facility planning to compliance support and conservation practices, we deliver knowledgeable recommendations and integrated solutions that help producers design, manage, and sustain operations that are efficient, resilient, and built for the future.
Our Services
Livestock Systems
We design and plan modern dairy, beef, swine and poultry facilities that may include manure storage, transfer, and treatment that improve efficiency, meet regulations, and that manure can be utilized for energy or fertilizer—all tailored to your farm’s needs and future goals.
Livestock Housing and Facility Design
We provide planning, design, and permitting support for new facilities, expansions, and renovations across major livestock sectors:
- Dairy — Free‑stall and bedded‑pack barns, milking centers, special‑needs housing, and supporting infrastructure designed for cow comfort, milk quality, and labor efficiency.
- Beef — Backgrounding and finishing facilities, monoslope and bedded‑pack barns, feed alleys, and cattle handling systems tailored to your feeding program and climate.
- Swine — Breeding, gestation, farrowing, nursery, and finishing facilities with attention to ventilation, animal flow, and biosecurity.
- Poultry — Layer, pullet, broiler, and turkey housing, including cage‑free and conventional systems, with integrated litter and manure handling.
Manure Systems Design
Effective manure management is central to nearly every livestock facility we design. We engineer complete systems that protect water quality, simplify daily operations, and position producers for long-term compliance and nutrient utilization.
- Storage — Durable manure and wastewater storage solutions including earthen basins, concrete tanks, steel structures, and stacking facilities. We size and design storage to match your climate, hauling schedule, and regulatory requirements while prioritizing ease of maintenance and structural longevity.
- Transfer — Pumps, channels, piping, reception pits, and lift stations that move manure and wastewater safely and efficiently between barns, storage, and treatment. We focus on reliable, low‑maintenance layouts that reduce labor and minimize the risk of spills or system failures.
- Treatment and Resource Recovery — Separation systems, composting facilities, and anaerobic digesters that improve nutrient management, reduce volume, generate energy, and support environmental goals. We evaluate technology options against your operational capacity, economic return, and regulatory pathway so the selected system fits both the farm and the long‑term plan.
Nutrient Management and Regulator Compliance
We develop and update Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) and related Nutrient management documentation that balance crop nutrient needs, protect water quality, and satisfy state and federal requirements. Our team prepares the engineering and planning support needed for CAFO permitting and helps producers navigate the full regulatory process.
Experience includes work with agencies and programs across multiple states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and others. We routinely support clients with construction permitting, nutrient management plan development and updates, pollution prevention plans, and the documentation required for cost-share. Because we handle both the facility design and the regulatory permitting and compliance, producers gain a single point of coordination instead of managing multiple consultants.
Integrated Project Delivery
Livestock projects rarely involve only the barn. Our agricultural engineers work directly with MSI structural, site civil, surveying, and construction observation teams so grading, stormwater, foundations, building framing, utilities, and construction documentation are coordinated from the start. This integrated approach reduces gaps, improves constructability, and supports smoother permitting and close-out—especially when cost-share or agency certification is involved.
Specialty Crop and Post-Harvest Engineering
From greenhouses and packhouses to optimized cold storage and water reuse systems, we engineer specialty crop facilities and processes that boost quality, cut shrink, speed throughput, and keep you ahead of regulations and market demands.
Shrink Reduction and Quality Improvement
Shrink and lost customers erode your margins quickly. Even a 1% improvement in shrink, dehydration, or rejects will improve profitability directly. We work alongside you as a grower, packer, or processor. We integrate industry experts and your technology vendors to understand the full system – from field through storage and shipping – reducing waste while consistently delivering top-tier and trustworthy quality.
Continuous Improvement Through the Crop Cycle
Real improvement doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a consistent and thoughtful approach. We walk arm-in-arm with you through growing, harvest, storage, packing, and shipping seasons to assess practices, implement targeted changes, monitor results, and refine execution. By coaching your teams to learn from observations and outcomes, their knowledge and improvements stick. Performance steadily moves toward operational excellence.
Facility Planning, Retrofit and Design Optimization
From new facilities to retrofits and remodels, we help you work alongside industry suppliers to plan and design storage, packhouses, and specialty crop facilities aligned with your operation and markets. We analyze load-in, airflow, humidity, temperature, structural systems, energy use, etc. to protect quality, increase capacity, reduce shrink, and deliver strong, measurable returns on investment.
Operational Assessments, Training and Execution Support
We aid you in conducting hands-on evaluations of field operations, handling lines, cooling systems, and workflows to identify bottlenecks, labor inefficiencies, energy waste, and sources of shrink. More importantly, we help train your teams, coach execution, and track progress-turning recommendations into durable operational improvements over time.
Wash Water and Post-Harvest Process Design
Clean produce, efficient water use, and regulatory compliance are essential. We design practical post-harvest wash-water systems-from recycling and treatment lagoons to zero-discharge solutions-that reduce water use, support higher throughput, and minimize compliance risk. Improving your operations reliability and confidence with customers, neighbors, and regulators alike.
Other Services
Safe ag‑chemical handling, bulletproof SPCC plans, money‑saving energy audits, precise ventilation design, and expert construction observation with full record drawings. Practical engineering that protects your farm, lowers costs, and satisfies inspectors, agencies, and project partners.
SPCC
An SPCC plan shouldn’t just sit in a binder. We walk your farm, size your tanks, map containment, and write plans that are simple, practical, and actually pass inspection. If something ever spills, you’ll be glad we made containment easy and bullet-proof.
Agrichemical Handling
We design safe, no-nonsense chemical and fertilizer storage and mix/load pads that keep you (and the environment) protected. Containment that actually works, easy clean-up, and layouts that fit your sprayer and tender trucks so you’re legal, safe, and ready to roll when the weather breaks.
Ventilation
Good air keeps cows, crops, and people happy. We design natural and mechanical ventilation systems that move the right amount of air without wasting energy—whether it’s tunnel venting a barn, cooling a packhouse, or keeping potatoes breathing right all winter.
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Energy Audits
Lights, fans, pumps, and coolers can eat profit. We come in, measure what’s really running, and show you exactly where the dollars are leaking out. Most farms we audit knock 15-40% off their power bill with changes that pay back in 1-3 years.
Construction Observation
We’re your eyes on the job—not the general contractor. We make regular site visits, check that everything’s built to our plans and specs, catch issues early, and keep detailed records. When it’s time for state inspections, cost-share paperwork, or final reimbursement, our photos, reports, and record drawings make the process smooth and painless.
Who We Serve
- Farm and Agribusiness
- Individual Farmers
- Federal (USACE, USDA, EPA) and State Agencies
- Commercial/Industrial Developers
- Architectural and Engineering Firms
- Legal and Realty Firms
- Insurance and Financial Providers
Core Expertise:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Conservation Engineering
- Stormwater and Hydrology
- GIS and Mapping
- Structural Engineering
- Land Surveying