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COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE MANURE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, TOTAL ENERGY REQUIREMENT, NUTRIENT CONSERVATION, CONTRIBUTION TO CORN SILAGE PRODUCTION AND ECONOMICS
Citation:
Martin, R. AND D. Matthews. COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVE MANURE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, TOTAL ENERGY REQUIREMENT, NUTRIENT CONSERVATION, CONTRIBUTION TO CORN SILAGE PRODUCTION AND ECONOMICS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/2-83/081 (NTIS PB83258657), 1983.
Description:
This study compares alternative dairy manure management systems operated under full scale commercial conditions. The study investigates weight of manure handled per cow per year, labor and energy requirements, effect on the environment, nutrient conservation, corn silage production and total annual operating costs. The dairy production facility used was a confinement stall barn at the Agway Farm Research Center, Tully, New York. Provisions were made to handle the manure from the barn in three ways: (1) directly into a spreader for daily spreading, (2) by gravity into a liquid manure storage tank for spring application and immediate plow down, (3) hydraulic ram to a roof-covered above-ground manure storage for spring and fall spreading. Results of the study show that a manure storage system can reduce annual labor requirements by 65 percent and fuel requirement by 60 percent or more, compared to daily spreading.