Manure composting
A new waste management research team has been formed at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge research centre. The team will look at alternative manure handling strategies, particularly composting, and will investigate other waste management issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, the use of wetlands to filter nutrients in runoff and land application methods.
Research was initiated because of the increase in intensive livestock operations in southern Alberta. Most fresh manure from these operations is spread on land adjacent to feedlots since high costs prohibit transport. Researchers will study the environmental impact on ground water, surface water quality and soil quality of intensive manure spreading.
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Composting is a biological pro-cess that reduces organic materials such as fresh livestock manure to a more stable material similar to humus. It is an organic degradation process that occurs constantly and is nature’s way of recycling nutrients within ecosystems.
Arguments for and against composting are based on scant scientific data. How much cheaper is it to haul compost when its lower nutrient value is factored in? The nitrogen in compost may be more stable than that in fresh manure when land-applied, but how much nitrogen has been lost before the compost reaches the field? What is the break-even hauling distance of compost vs. fresh manure?
To help answer these and other questions, the centre plans to investigate these areas:
- The optimum moisture content for composting.
- Nitrogen and phosphorus losses during composting (e.g., ammonia volatilization from windrows.)
- Passive aeration using holed-pipe inserted under the windrow vs. periodic turning.
- The effect of various bulking agents (straw, wood shavings) on composting efficiency.
- Greenhouse gas emissions (nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide) from windrows.
- The value of compost vs. fresh manure for crop production.
- The economic viability of composting.
– Agriculture Canada
Parasite warning
SASKATOON (Staff) – Low-priced cattle and high-priced feed are forcing producers to cut costs, but a veterinary drug company suggests parasite control may not be a good place to start cutting.
While it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a drug company is warning farmers not to cut back on drugs, Merck Agvet working with Meristem Information Resources, has created a report that goes beyond selling Merck’s main anti-parasite product.
The report provides a summary of research carried out by the company on a large number of cattle across Canada.
The findings show parasites can reduce production efficiency to such an extent that two-to-one return on investment is possible through timely treatment.
The report showed cows given a fall treatment for parasites produced spring calves averaging four kilograms larger than those given no treatment. Calves treated after coming off fall pasture at 230 to 260 kilograms used 50 kgs less feed to bring them to market weight than untreated animals. Cows in spring also face problems due to calving and weather stress and use larger amounts of feed.
“Producers in Canada don’t face the huge parasite problems of those in warmer climates but the problems we found show that treatment does make financial sense in this country,” said Tracy Ward, of Merck Agvet. She added the cool, wet conditions of the past few years are increasing incidence of parasites.
The report includes a section on what makes a good research trial, statistical significance, size of trials, and a checklist that helps producers recognize a quality trial and place value on information provided.
For a free copy of the report write to Meristem, 403, 1040 – 7th Ave. S.W. Calgary, Alberta, T2P 3G9.
