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Sequential

Of Liquid Manure Pits Ensures Nutrients

by Ev Thomas

Farm owners realize that responsible manure management is a requirement, not an option. High fertility fields — especially those that test high in phosphorus (P) — can be difficult to manage. A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) may limit the amount of P added each year (as manure or commercial fertilizer) to not exceed annual crop removal.

On many of these farms, as the size of the dairy or livestock enterprise grew, additional cropland had to be purchased or leased to meet the need for more forage. Some of these recently acquired fields are several miles or more from the farm (and from the manure storages). Because of prior management (or mismanagement), many of these recently acquired fields may be much lower in fertility than cropland on the “home farm.”

One farm’s story

This was very similar to the situation we were facing at the William H. Miner Agricultural Research in Chazy, N.Y., as we entered the 21st century. Our dairy had been expanding in cow numbers, and we’d built a new liquid manure pit to meet the needs of the larger herd. About half of our approximately 700 acres of cropland was part of the old Heart’s Delight Farm that preceded the establishment of Miner Institute, and these fields had been farmed (and fertilized) intensively for the previous 30 to 35 years.

The balance of our cropland had been either leased or purchased more recently and was much lower in fertility. Some of this land had what we tongue-in-cheek called “renter’s disease” in that it had been rented by the year with annual crop harvest — usually as hay — but few, if any, nutrients had been added as manure or fertilizer. The NMP for Miner Institute was primarily based on phosphorus, and we had a considerable acreage of land with moderate to high soil test P, and the rest with very low P.

Sampling on repeat

Sequential or repeated sampling of liquid and slurry manure pits isn’t a new idea. At the time, the Penn State University testing lab was offering a three-test manure analysis package at a reduced price designed to encourage farmers to sample manure pits several times as their pits were pumped down. We did repeated sampling over several years and discovered that even after what we thought was thorough agitation of our liquid manure pit, the first of the manure pumped out of the pit was a much different product than what was pumped out as the pit started to empty.

Not only was the manure in the top half of the pit (more or less) lower in solids content, but the nutrient profile was much different on a dry matter (DM) basis. This isn’t surprising since a high percentage of the phosphorus in dairy cow manure is in the solid portion (feces), with much less in the urine.

Once we determined that there were meaningful, repeatable differences, we decided to take advantage of this in our manure management. There’s no dividing line between higher and lower manure P content; not surprisingly, the changes are gradual.

The lower DM, lower P manure was spread on fields on the home farm, which were higher in soil test P, and we could apply this manure at a relatively high rate per acre. This pleased our field crops crew since even with our several tank spreaders, it’s much more efficient to spread manure on fields close to the pit than on fields several miles away. When you’re hauling manure 5 miles, the fewer loads, the better!

This system also complied with the farm’s Nutrient Management Plan, since the low solids/low P manure limited the amount of applied phosphorus on fields testing high in P. Then, as we got to the bottom half of the pit, we started hauling the high solids/high P manure to our far-off fields that could efficiently use the phosphorus as well as the other nutrients in dairy manure.

It has been said that “manure is a multivitamin,” and not only were these distant fields low in phosphorus, but they were low in other nutrients as well. For instance, in previous soil test summaries, we’d found considerable differences in soil test zinc between fields, with much of the difference related to past manuring history. The more dairy manure applied, the higher the soil test zinc analysis.

Create an informed plan

What we did wasn’t research since there weren’t any replicated treatments. But repeated manure analyses over the years, and during various stages of emptying our manure storage, convinced us that the differences in P content — the nutrient of concern in our Nutrient Management Plan — were “real and repeatable.” We determined that we could devise a manure application strategy to take advantage of these differences. ■

NOOYEN OFFERS TRI-BAR WEEP WALLS 

This cost-efficient system by Nooyen consists of two basins separated by a drainage channel with galvanized steel panels. Liquids drain through the weep walls into the channel while retaining solids in the basins. For more information, please call (859-497-4429), email (sales@nooyenky. com), or visit www.nooyen.com.

GEA INTRODUCES A NEW MANURE PUMP 

Every minute counts during manure hauling season. When you’re up against weather conditions, field fitness, and labor availability, you need reliable equipment to get the job done. The new GEA ProManure E2353 lagoon super pump helps overcome these challenges.

Load and pump manure faster thanks to the new 10-inch discharge, requiring lower horsepower. All critical wear components feature Hardox 450 steel to increase the wear resistance of the impeller, housing, and bottom plate, extending the time between repairs.

The manure pump will carry the new product line name: GEA ProManure. ProManure exemplifies GEA’s ongoing quality guarantee, commitment to manure equipment and respect for manure professionals worldwide. Learn more at gea.com/dairyfarming.

 MGD TURBORATOR IS APPLICABLE FOR AGRICULTURE

MGD Process Technology Inc. (MGD) specializes in wastewater treatment equipment and engineering. Since 2006, MGD has been providing support and service relative to the Turborator technology.

The Turborator provides an innovative approach to gas/ liquid transfer, providing high oxygen transfer efficiency due to the manner in which gas is introduced below the liquid surface. The Turborator impeller rotates in a liquid, establishing a low pressure zone behind each blade. This low pressure zone creates a strong vacuum, which draws air down the shaft and dispenses as fine bubbles into the surrounding liquid. The hollow shaft and airflow pattern make the Turborator ideal for mixing high solids such as manure and animal waste.

The Turborator can float or be mounted on a platform. This allows for flexibility in location and use. The Turborator has been successfully utilized in both municipal and industrial applications since 1989 and is ideally suited for farm applications. For more information, visit www.mgdprocess.com

Professional Directory

Anaerobic Digester Services

Future Enviroassets LLC

513-349-3844

LF@futureenviroassets.com www.futureenviroassts.com

Environmental Solutions

Agricultural Digesters LLC

88 Holland Lane #302

Williston, VT 05495

802-876-7877 info@AgriculturalDigesters.com www.AgriculturalDigesters.com

Hall Associates

23 Evergreen Dr. Georgetown, DE 19947-9484 302-855-0723 hallassociates@mediacombb.net

Tomorrow Water

1225 N. Patt St. Anaheim, CA 92801 714-578-0676 info@bkt21.com tomorrowwater.com

Trident Processes Inc.

1-800-799-3740 frank.engel@tridentprocesses.com www.tridentprocesses.com

Coatings

Industrial Solutions

5115 S. Rolling Green Ave. Ste. 211 Sioux Falls, SD 57108 605-254-6059 www.isusananoclear.com

Waste Handling Equipment

R Braun Inc. 209 N. 4th Ave. St. Nazianz, WI 54232 920-773-2143 www.RBrauninc.com

Places To Be

Due to the COVID-19 health situation, many meetings and events are being rescheduled or canceled. Please visit the listed websites frequently for updates.

California Dairy Sustainability Summit

November 5 and 6, 2020 Virtual

Details: cadairysummit.com

K-State Swine Day

November 18 and 19, 2020 Virtual

Details: bit.ly/JNM-SwineDay

R Braun Inc. 209 N. 4th Ave. St. Nazianz, WI 54232 920-773-2143 www.RBrauninc.com

“Soil and Nutrient Management in the Nebraska Panhandle” Webinar

Hosted by University of Nebraska-Extension

November 20, 2020

Details: bit.ly/JNM-SoilNebraskaWeb

Minnesota Pork Congress

January 19 and 20, 2021

Minneapolis Convention Center Minneapolis, Minn.

Details: www.mnporkcongress.com

Dairy Business Association’s Dairy Strong Conference

January 19 to 21, 2021 Virtual

Details: http://dairystrong.org

Don’t see your company listed? Send your company name, key contact, mailing address, telephone number, email, and website to marketing@jofnm.com with Professional Directory in the subject line.

Iowa Pork Congress

January 27 to 28, 2021

Iowa Events Center Des Moines, Iowa

Details: www.iowaporkcongress.org

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention and Trade Show

February 3 to 5, 2021

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center

Nashville, Tenn.

Details: https://convention.ncba.org

If you would like us to include your event on our list, please send details to info@jofnm.com.