Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media Contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-214-3789 Technical Contact: Dave Wall, 651-296-8440 St. Paul, Minn. - For farms with livestock, the fall work doesn't end with the crop harvest. After the crops come off the fields, many livestock farmers begin pumping out manure from storage pits and spreading or injecting it on fields. Proper land application captures the value of manure without runoff into streams and lakes. It's an age-old story of recycling, as for thousands of years farmers used livestock manure to fertilize crops. However, in recent decades commercial fertilizer took the lead because it was cheaper and easier to use. Manure often became viewed as a malodorous waste. Today, that's changing as rising energy prices and new technology are restoring the reputation of livestock manure as a valuable crop fertilizer. "Turning the corner on viewing manure as a commodity rather - than a waste - has the potential to improve both the environment as well as the public image of livestock farming," says Wayne Anderson, agricultural liaison for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). "Years ago hog farmers were giving the manure away, even paying to get rid of it," says David Ward, a Mapleton area farmer and member of the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council. "Now they're being asked for it and getting paid. It's economically feasible now. It's a valuable resource and if managed properly, it's a win-win situation." "Manure is definitely being managed better today due to improved equipment," says Doug Albin, who farms near Clarkfield in western Minnesota. "We have greater ability to transport further, making more acres available for application at responsible rates. The economics today mean that farmers will practice best management and realistic application based on profit levels and yield goals. I hope that at some point we can use all our crops in Minnesota as either feed, fuel or fiber, and that we have enough livestock to produce enough organic fertilizer," Albin says. However, both agree there are challenges with using manure as fertilizer. The logistics of hauling and applying thousands of gallons or tons of liquid or solid manure are more difficult than those associated with commercial fertilizers. The amount of nutrients in manure can vary, and the amount of time available for application is often very limited. "Timing can be difficult," Albin says. "Some of the challenges can be met by better equipment and management practices," says Dave Wall, MPCA hydrologist and manure application specialist. "We are seeing improved manure storage practices, where many farms can store manure for more than a year, allowing them to apply at more optimal times. Improvements in equipment that injects liquid manure several inches into the soil allow greater precision." Preventing runoff from feedlots and fields where manure has been applied is a major focus of MPCA efforts to prevent water pollution. "The MPCA works with livestock producers to ensure that all the benefits of manure are realized, but while protecting water quality in lakes, streams, wetlands and ground water," Wall says. "Testing manure and soil for another major nutrient, phosphorus, is important because it causes algae blooms in lakes, rivers and wetlands." Beyond the conventional use of manure as fertilizer, new technologies are being studied and employed. Several dairy farms have installed "digesters" that process manure to produce methane, which is used to generate electricity. In Benson, Fibrominn is building the nation's first power plant to be fueled by burning turkey litter. More information about the proper use and benefits of livestock manure as fertilizer can be found at:
· http://www.manure.umn.edu - Manure education, research, and applied information - University of Minnesota.
· hhref="/hot/feedlot-management.html - Nutrient and manure management, MPCA.
· http://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/livestock/manure_management.htm - Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Manure Management.
· http://swroc.coafes.umn.edu/Bob/koehler_main_page.html - University of Minnesota-Southwest Research and Outreach Center, Livestock Industry Programs.