With Manitoba’s new phosphorus regulations coming into effect Nov. 10, 2008, hog producers must come up with new ways to deal with excess manure.
The rules set targets for soil phosphorus content, ban winter spreading in the Red River Valley and require large-scale producers to follow setback guidelines when spreading manure near surface water.
During a presentation at the Hog Days trade show in Brandon’s Keystone Centre, University of Manitoba soil sciences professor Don Flaten said that switching to a phosphorus-based strategy may require producers to find up to four times more land for spreading manure.
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But for the most part, he added, the only producers who will need to look at alternative management options are those in isolated pockets in the southeastern part of the province. Most operations in other areas will be able to meet the regulations simply by going farther afield to spread.
“If we’ve got two farmers, one complaining of a surplus of (phosphorus) and the other a deficit, surely we can come up with a way of getting both problems solved,” said Flaten.
“If we’re importing phosphate fertilizer at $600 a tonne for our grain farms, surely we can find some solutions here.”
With the economic distance limit for hauling manure based on its value as a fertilizer, installing a centrifuge may be an option for some operators.
Manitoba Conservation official Marc Trudelle said that commercially available manure centrifuges have been in use on Quebec dairy farms for about five years. To serve a typical operation in Manitoba, a centrifuge of suitable size would cost $150,000 to $200,000.
By separating the phosphorus-rich solids from the nitrogen-rich liquids, farmers may be able to continue applying it to their land without pushing their soil phosphorus test results over the regulatory limit.
Also, the leftover solids, at 25 percent of the original volume, contain 65 percent of the phosphorus and an equal amount of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as valuable organic matter. The value of the phosphorous alone in the solids would be about $10 a tonne at current prices.
“It’s really a good compost. It’s a natural product,” Trudelle said.
“Right now in Quebec, farmers are selling it to potato growers who need a lot of organic phosphorus and organic matter because they are growing potatoes on sandy soil and need to increase their water holding capacity. It is one of the best options to them right now.”
The coming ban on winter spreading in the Red River Valley for operations with more than 400 animal units may mean expanded storage facilities are required. But reluctance by some rural municipalities to approve them may leave producers in a bind.
One producer from the RM of Hanover said he knew at least one application for an expanded concrete storage unit had been turned down.
Unless an alternative solution is found, barns in such predicaments will have no choice but to shut down for the winter, he said.
