Manure

Donald and Cheri De Jong, owners of Natural Prairie Dairy Farms, are making immense strides in transforming their operation to a “closed-loop farm system” by implementing a new manure management system.

Weather conditions. Labor availability. Field fitness. When it comes to manure hauling, these factors (and more) play into the decision to haul your own manure or hire a custom hauler.

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.”