Manure Storage - Knowing Your Options

By Lianne Derocco


Whether you are a farmer that raises only a few hogs each year or the owner and operating of a large-scale hog farm, dealing with manure is one of the many tasks you face. Failure to deal with agricultural waste can result in problems that can adversely affect your animal population as well as the surrounding environment in general.

Manure needs to be contained no matter how many hogs you have, and there are different waste containment systems to consider depending on how large of a farm you operate. A small hobby farm with a just a few pigs might need a small waste pit, whereas a large scale factory farm typically will store their manure in a waste lagoon.

It can be easier for small farms where building a manure pile within the property is possible. For this, you need to build it away from sources of water like wells, streams or ponds to avoid contaminating these sources. Given that it is but small scale in operation you should be cautious that you have it built far from the housing of both your own and the neighbors.

Waste pits need to be lined and covered. Covering waste is especially important because if it rains heavily, the waste will be washed out of the pit, which spreads toxins as well as removing nutrients in the waste that help make the waste a good source of fertilizer. You can compost the manure by using a product such as Compost Plus, which contains natural microbial remediation isolates, enzymes and composting activation factors. This will accelerate the rate of decomposition. Another option would be to contact a livestock manure recycling company and have them come and collect the accumulated manure in your waste containment system. If you opt for this route, often you can toss other compostable materials into the pit, such as sod, grass cuttings, vegetable waste, egg shells and even used kitty litter.

Aside from containment, waste lagoons should also be with a method of liquefying waste and transforming it to become useful fertilizer. There will be problems like sludge build-up, top crusting and foaming if your waste lagoon come poorly managed and this could be dangerous, even explosive. And so, in order to prevent such problems, treating your waste lagoon with a product like Agra Sphere should be considered.

Helpful bacteria are contained in Agra Sphere - the ones responsible for eating away organic waste solids. No chemicals can be found in this product and in activating it, no mixing is actually required. As this product address the problem with sludge and crusts, it also eliminates odors and flies which are most likely to be present in waste pits and lagoons while consequently enhancing the manure's nutrient value when you convert it into fertilizer for sale or your own use, thus increasing possible profit.




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