Waste (Manure) Processing and Handling: Composting
On average 1 lb manure must be mixed with 1 lb carbon source, but mixture can range between 0.54:1 and 3.5:1 (manure:carbon source) depending on types of manure and carbon source.
- During composting manure is considered a nitrogen source and requires mixing with a carbon source such as straws, corn stalks or landscape waste.
- Solid and liquid swine manure can be composted with success.
- Composting can be used as a manure-management practice by small, medium, and large-scale operations.
- Corn and soybeans grown on soils amended with compost yield similarly to crops grown with inorganic fertilizer.
- Composting reduces the volume of manure that must be land applied.
- Composting can inactivate pathogenic microorganisms.
- For composted manure, there are a variety of consumer-market opportunities this product could be aimed at including home gardeners, landscapers, vegetable farmers, turf growers, golf courses, and ornamental growers.
The article on Composting pig manure is interesting. But, can I ask another question on pig manure? What if I want to just use pig and cattle dung as manure? How can i sterilise it cheaply? How can I make sure that I kill the pathogens and weeds (in cow dung) cheaply on the farm?
Musonda
We have developed 2 ecofriendly products to treat the pig manure. These 2 products will save you time, money and will get smell free fertilizer in return.
You mix 1000 gallons of manure with 2 gallons of our product and in less than 24 hours you will get:
1- Smell free manure
2- Liquid fertilizer
3- Solid fertilizer
Stop digging lagoons to dry manure and wait for months.
Recycle manure and make profit.
Thank you,
Moises Zubiaur
I am interested in doing a hobby of farming, and raising livestocks like: cows, horses, hogs sheeps ,goats, & kennels. I would like to make an organic fertilizers from these animals for my garden. I am glad we have a nice person like you who are able to share your knowledge to someone like me. I do appreciate your help guys.
Thanks a million
I compost all our pig manure. I use two three box systems and the compost is produced in 21 days. I brew a probiotic which is added to the pigs drinking water at 1 in 1000 parts. This all but eliminates any smell from the pigs excretions, adds greatly to their health and improves the feed performance. I use the same probiotic at 1 in 20 and spray the compost heaps with it.
I also ferment some finished composts with some added rice bran and sometimes algae and further probiotic to boost the nitrogen levels if needed. Adding lime and dolomite, rock phosphate and a decent potassium source and the result I can pellitise as 100% organic bio-active fertiliser.
Thanks very much for the very interesting article on composting. Maybe you could help me with one question:
What is the effect of composting manure from different sources (pig slurry, poultry litter on wood shavings, beef cattle or dairy on straw) when animal have been fed with 2% of clays like: sepiolite, bentonite, attapulgite, Kaolin...?.
Can we add the clay at the beginig of composting or at the end of composting to improve water and nutrient retention (N, P, K)?
Sincerely,
Fernando
Composting is a great way to enhance poor soils around the farm. But it does take time to make. Compost can be made using animal manures and straw, kept moist and turned daily. Dont want the heap to get too hot , otherwise the micro organisms that are at present doing the work to break down the raw materials will die. The heap will take around 6 weeks to mature and can then be used.
Most organic materials will break down but you have to apply some of your time to get it there. A little moisture from the hose and a good place where there is plenty of airation so that the heap does not over heat. 70 degrees F I think is around what it should be
Manure from the farm can be collected with a front end loader if loading out of sheds or "Eco Shelters" and put into heaps and kept moist and turned until it is a good friable material.
If you are using a pond then surely collecting the Methane gas by covering the pond and using it around the farm might be a good idea for heating, vehicles etc.
Using the manure diluted as a "tea" to spread on to pasture or your cropping program also Makes a great fertilizer
What is the best economic efficient way to collect the manure and compost it? should I use a manure separator before and collect liquids to an aeration lagoon and then to add the sludge into the composting process? Should I cover first lagoon with plastic and burn the NH3 emissions with a flare?
