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Dairy manure management
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1 Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America, 2 Texas AgriLife Research, Amarillo, Texas, United States of America, 3 Center For Food Security/Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America, 4 ...
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Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that solid dairy manure is better than commercial fertilizer in mitigating the amount of phosphorus that can accumulate in water percolating through the soil. But using liquid dairy manure can make it worse.
These findings could help farmers in the semiarid western United States protect local watersheds from agricultural pollutants. Idaho is now the second-largest milk producer in the western United States, and farmers there...
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Dairy cows that produce USDA-certified organic milk also produce manure that may gradually replenish soil nutrients and potentially reduce the flow of agricultural pollutants to nearby water sources, according to findings by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and colleagues.
Cows on organic dairy farms generally consume forage feeds cultivated on soils that are fertilized with manure and compost rather than manufactured fertilizers. This organic management, in turn, may...
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When you and your nutritionist develop a ration formulation strategy, do you consider the potential environmental impact of that ration? Adjusting ration formulation strategies will be a primary method to help you comply with existing Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) and Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) regulations. It can also address a dairy's ammonia emissions. The goal is straightforward: Your rations should provide the opportunity for...
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In 2001 a Minnesota producer introduced a new method of housing dairy cows, called "compost dairy barns" (CDB), that has been adopted by some small- and medium-size dairy farms. In the CDB system, a deep bed (eventually 4 feet deep or more) of sawdust or wood shavings is maintained in the loafing area, and the surface layer is stirred (tilled) twice daily when cows are being milked. The combination of deep bedding and mixing of surface materials reportedly helps conserve manure nitrogen (N),...
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A group of Texas-based researchers provided answers for the nation's cattle feeding industry after it was given a very short window by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin reporting ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions.
The EPA issued a final ruling on Dec. 18 that required the reporting of continuous air releases of these gases by large confined animal feeding operations to local and state emergency management entities.
Until this ruling, the EPA had not...
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If we feed too much of this valuable nutrient, it can build up in our soils.
As more farms face the requirement to complete nutrient management plans, on-farm analysis of manure phosphorus (P) and pressures to reduce P build-up in soils will change mineral feeding dramatically. Premixes with no P, fed at one-tenth the current level, are not unrealistic expectations.
Most producers have no immediate need to decrease phosphorus feeding. However, new research is suggesting...
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Natural steroidal estrogens are an environmental concern because low nanogram per liter concentrations in water can adversely affect aquatic vertebrate species by disrupting the normal function of their endocrine systems. There is a critical need to accurately measure estrogens in dairy wastes, a potential source of estrogens such as 17ß-estradiol, to assess the risk of estrogen contamination of agricultural drainage waters...
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The nitrogen emissions from boreal dairy pastures vary depending on the time of year and ley rotation. The emissions peak in spring, when the nitrates accumulated in the soil over the previous summer and winter leach with the melting snow.
Research Scientist Kirsi H. Saarijärvi of MTT Agrifood Research Finland charted the nitrogen emissions caused by intensive grazing in her doctoral dissertation. The topic has not been previously investigated to this extent in...
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No matter what size herd you manage, you have manure-hauling options that are cost effective and environmentally sound. There are nearly as many ways to handle manure nutrients as there are dairy farms. To pick the most economical and environmentally sound method for your business, you need:
■ The composition of your manure - its moisture content, volume and nutrient makeup. ■ Your field locations, crop rotations and soils. ■ Equipment needs if...
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Bedding stalls with sand isn’t an obstacle if manure-handling systems are designed and managed with sand in mind. For all of sand bedding’s benefits to cow comfort, it has traditionally been challenging to contend with in manure-handling systems. Sand bedding is a mixture of two different materials: Manure, a pumpable material, and sand, a stackable material, produces a mixture that can’t be readily pumped or stacked. (See Not all sand is the same). Manure’s relative...
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Who will help solve the problem of dairy manure odors? When you consider the level of technology, management and infrastructure used to deliver nutrients to the “front end” of cows, it’s clear that “rear-end” nutrient management lags far behind. A high level of management at the front end of the cow makes money. There’s much less economic incentive for rear-end nutrient management, particularly to control odors. As for its fertilizer value, a year’s amount of a cow’s...
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It's that time of year again - the end of another year spent planting, cultivating, sweating, pacing, worrying, and doing all the things farmers do throughout the year just to get to harvest. As the crops come off the field, livestock manure often goes onto the field. Here are some tips for the fall manure application season: * Avoid Entering Manure Storage Areas The breakdown of organic matter in manure results in the release of...
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Manure management should be a top priority on dairy farms as we approach the 21st century. Mismanagement of manure can have a substantial impact on our water, soil and air resources. When used appropriately, manure has nutritive, and thus economic value. Manure also improves biological activity, soil tilth, and soil chemical properties. According to 1990 Minnesota Agricultural Statistic Service data, the Minnesota dairy industry generates approximately 11 million tons of manure annually....
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Livestock manure has been an asset to crop production since the beginning of organized agriculture. Because these excretions from cattle contain several essential plant nutrients, they contribute to increased crop yields when properly applied to soils. Thus, dairy and other livestock producers can use manure as a valuable source of fertilizer nutrients for crops. Manure can benefit a farm fertilization program. Besides providing valuable nutrients to the soil, including...
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Selecting bedding materials is not a problem for every dairyman in Mississippi, but it is a consideration for any dairyman with a housing facility. As the trend goes toward larger numbers of cows confined at least part time, there is more interest in proper bedding materials. Cow comfort and solid-waste management issues are concerns of most dairymen. Various investigators note the relationship between bedding materials and bacterial populations and mastitis; therefore, base your...
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There are many ways to evaluate whether your feeding program is on track. These include milk production, milk components, metabolic disorders, cud chewing, and particle size of feed fed and refusals. One other monitor is evaluation of manure. It’s a dirty job, but somebody needs to do it. Manure evaluation is not a precise science, but used along with other measures it can help confirm other observations and determine how well cows are digesting their ration. Every day when walking...
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Manure management is an important aspect of any livestock operation. Producers need to be aware of the environmental implications of storing manure and applying manure to cropland. When applied at proper rates, manure is a valuable asset to crop producers. Manure contains nutrients essential to plant growth and increases the organic matter of the soil. It aids in water retention, lessens the impact of wind and water erosion, and promotes growth of beneficial organisms in the soil. However, over...
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What comes out the back end of a cow can tell us a great deal about what is going into the front end! Dr. Michael Hutjens from the University of Illinois discussed the evaluation of manure as a management tool in his paper “A Blueprint for Evaluating Feeding Programs”, which he presented at the 2002 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar. An excerpt of Dr. Hutjen’s paper is reprinted with the kind permission of the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar. Scoring...
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Two areas of concern for dairy producers thinking about nutrient output from their operations are nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). These are important nutritional components for optimal production efficiency including lactation, growth and maintenance. Effective strategies for nutritional management of these nutrients exist to reduce their output in manure, while maintaining overall herd productivity. Nitrogen is the basis for the crude protein level of feeds. Crude protein in the diet...
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