Manure

Forty percent of food in this country is wasted. At the same time, nearly 2.8 million New Yorkers struggle to have enough to eat. Food also makes up 18%  of New York state’s solid waste stream and is filling up landfills.

Concern is worldwide about how to control the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and are expressed as CO2 equivalents (CO2 eq.).

Manure is a fact of life on the dairy farm. Sooner or later, every dairy is confronted with added costs associated with managing and disposing of manure.

The relationship between farmers and phosphorus is a complicated one. While farmers need phosphorus to ensure optimal plant growth, health and yield, small amounts can escape and cause significant problems in water quality. This complex balance is what Dr. Chad Penn calls the “phosphorus paradox.”

In August, CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division released a report outlining how incentives in California initiated a spike in digester developments in the state and throughout the country.

Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece and has been reprinted from Texas Association of Dairymen with permission of the author.