MANURE

Fall is a busy time on the dairy. Crop harvest means that a new manure application season is upon us.

A safety reminder for anyone handling manure is a good idea. Most producers realize that dangerous gases can evolve from manure, causing loss of consciousness and death.

Very good agitation might be the most important step in utilizing liquid manure as a nutrient to grow a crop.

If every gallon is homogeneous throughout the pump-out, we have a better opportunity to be successful year after year using manure as fertiliser.

Question: What are the two biggest factors affecting quality of recycled sand, regardless of the separation method?

Answer: Sand type and water quality.

Every dairy farm, no matter the size, has to manage its production site waste. Production site waste, for the purpose of this article, is any material or its byproduct that requires routine management or handling and can be land-applied.

The choice of freestall base and bedding is a critical decision and should reflect management style and goals. Sand is the gold standard for a freestall base and bedding.

Maintaining a bed of loose sand, six inches minimum in depth, enhances cow comfort, improves lying time, contributes to good udder health/ clean cows and improves cow footing.

Anaerobic digestion to turn waste into energy is a topic that continues to garner growing interest from the agricultural community – and rightfully so. The benefits of biogas systems are many and they span the environmental, societal and economic arenas.

Economics drive the pursuit of co-digestion, which is the addition of organic waste materials to manure. Manure, an already digested material, yields relatively little energy in comparison to some organic waste materials.