A32—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 17,1984 Manure management increases dairy efficiency BY WENDY WEHR HONEYBROOK - What is a dairyman’s chief concern? Milk production, of course. Care and management of the cows, from feeding to milking, consumes countless amounts of the dairy farmer’s time, energy, and resources. And why not? In an efficient operation, more milk means more money, and making ends meet in these tough economic times has to be the dairyman's first concern. But, face it, easing the financial crunch depends more on efficiency than on simply “more milk.” And to put together a more efficient operation, every dairyman should take a close look at another time, energy, and resource consuming part of his operation - manure management. To run an efficient operation, can you afford to let the nutrients you feed your cows a majority of which end up in the manure evaporate into thin air while you buy commercial fertilizers every year to provide nutrients for your crops? Can you afford the time and energy, the headaches and hassle that are part of hauling manure everyday? The Extension agents and Soil Conservation Service personnel of Berks and Chester counties think Management Tour, SCS engineer Marina Juhl explained the SCS /nanure management design for the Harvey Z. Stoltzfus farm. A picketdam along one side of Ivan Zook’s earthbank storage allows additional water to drain from the system. you can’t afford it, and that’s why they set up the 6th Annual Agriculture Waste Management Tour, held Wednesday at farms in the two counties. In selecting the farm operations, Chester County agent Dave Swartz noted that they wanted to give farmers an opportunity to see the many options that are possible for a manure management system. They chose farms that represented very affordable, relatively simple manure pits, as well as more ex pensive, complex manure handling systems. On hand throughout the day were Dan Meyer, Extension ag engineer from Penn State, and Marina Juhl, civil engineer from the area SCS office, as well as Extension agents and SCS personnel from both Berks and Chester Counties. The farmers attending the tour had access to a wealth of information about engineering considerations, costs, fertilizer values, and equipment. The tour began outside of Honeybrook, Chester County, at the farm of Levi Stoltzfus. The group looked at his earthbank storage located at the end of his bam. The gutter cleaner drops manure directly into the pit, which has a six-month capacity. Levi pumps off the liquids before f. A l. / BS is jrticipants in the 6th Annual Agriculture Waste Management tour talk about the available options in manure management systems. Here at the Jonas B. Stoitzfus farm is a six-month poured-concrete storage for 50 cows. hauling the solids. A concrete ramp is used for equipment. Discussion there focused on the need for a concrete base, suggested slopes for the inside and outside banks and the ramp, required safety measures, and pertinent township ordinances. For earthen banks, a 1:2 inside slope is suggested, and a 1:3 slope on the outside banks allows for easier maintenance. No greater than an 8:1 slope is recommended for the ramp of semi-solid manure storage basins. While Penn State ag engineer Dan Meyer noted that dumping manure on top and breaking the crust results in some nitrogen loss, he also commented that Levi’s system was very affordable. A few years ago, the manure storage system installation cost about $3,000. The second and third farms on the tour had drainage systems incorporated into the manure pits. At all three of these farms Harry Barnett of SCS assisted in designing appropriate systems, taking into account each farmer’s needs. The second stop op the tour was the Jonas Stoltzfus farm. Jonas, who runs a 50-cow dairy operation, installed a $lO,OOO poured concrete storage facility in 1983. His design included a 2x2 grate leading to a six-inch PVC pipe to drain the liquid off the bottom. He also noted that he empties the pit in the spring and the fall by pumping out the liquid and handling the rest with solid manure equipment. ■V* .*5, Chester Extension agent Dave Swartz explains the manure test kit to dairymen Warren Supplee. Jonas remarked that it’s no additional fertilizer is needed, “definitely cheaper to store the his yields also indicate that the manure.” After spreading the manure is adequate, manure he chisel plows as soon as To emphasize the potential possible, to prevent nitrogen loss. savings on commercial fertilizer “I don’t put any fertilizer on my costs, which could amount to $5O com, he commented, and that per cow, and to reinforce the need represents a substantial savings, for adequate testing of both Although he tests the soil to be sure ■vTl i**f‘ **#L **h? Ivan Zook, right, learned about installing a gravity flow system from his stall barn to manure storage from Penn State ag engineer Dan Meyer. rTT* >w ~
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