Poultry Science
Penn State
Poultry j
Pointers I. ;
COMPOSTING
POULTRY MANURE
Leon Ressler
Environment And
Agricultural Systems
Specialist
Composting poultry manure can
be a viable option for poultry pro
ducers who are looking for ways to
improve their manure marketing
opportunities.
However, a number of advan
tages and disadvantages need to be
considered before one chooses
composting over direct marketing
or utilization of fresh manure.
One of the primary benefits of
composting is that it produces a
saleable product with markets that
would not be available for fresh
manure. Potential buyers include
the turf industry, landscapers,
homeowners, highway and park
Capital Region
departments, and agricultural crop
producers.
Since the weight, volume, and
moisture content of manure is
reduced during the composting
process, manure handling is
improved. Properly produced
compost stores well without fly or
odor problems.
Weed seeds and pathogens are
destroyed during the composting
process. Nitrogen in the manure is
converted to more stable organic
forms during the composting pro
cess which is less susceptible to
leaching and further ammonia
loss. Some of the nitrogen is lost
during this process, however.
Compost has excellent soil con
ditioning properties. When applied
to soil, it improves soil structure
and adds organic matter. The use
of compost has been found to
reduce soil-bome plant diseases
eterinary Science
without the use of chemical con
trols. Although this is not well
understood this is beginning to be
widely recognized.
Finally, farmers who use leaves
or grass clippings in their compost
ing operations may be able to col
lect tipping fees from the munici
palities who divert these products
from the waste stream.
Composting does have signific
ant disadvantages as well which
must be carefully considered.
First, composting requires a signif
icant amount of time, equipment,
and management skill. Equipment
costs will vary greatly depending
on the system chosen. One may be
able to get started using only a
front end loader and a manure
spreader to form windrows which
may already be available on the
farm. However, a sophisticated
system may cost several hundred
thousand dollars.
Regardless of the system util
ized, a major time commitment
will be required to manage the sys
tem. Although a properly pro
duced finished product should be
relatively odor free, there will cer
tainly be odors produced during
the composting process.
This makes it important that the
compost site be at a significant dis
tance from neighbors. The site
must be carefully designed and
managed to prevent runoff. The
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28,1992-D5
composting area, storage for raw
manure, and storage for the fin
ished product may take a large
amount of land area or building
space.
Marketing compost successful
ly requires special skills and inter
ests which are different than the
skills required to produce eggs or
broilers. Many times, producers of
eggs or broilers are not directly
involved in the marketing of these
products. However, to successful
ly market compost, one must be
aggressive in pursuing a niche
market This involves making
phone calls, personally visiting
Soybean
Disappointed Over
Oilseeds
ST. LOUIS. Mo. U.S. and
European Community (EC) offi
cials have reached an agreement
in the five-year-old dispute over
EC oilseed subsidies.
U.S. oilseed producers are ob
viously disappointed with and
deeply concerned by the level of
oilseed production the agreement
will permit within the European
potential clients with a sample pro
duct, and making additional
follow-up calls and visits. One
may also need to work with clients
in developing recommendations
for use of product in specific
niches such as the turf industry or
the horticultural container
industry.
Composting has potential for
increasing markets for poultry
manure. However, many factors
need to be considered carefully
when evaluating this decision. It
will be a good option for some
operations but certainly not for all.
Farmers
Dispute
Community (EC). This level is
well above any position supported
or endorsed by any U.S. farm
group.
ASA President and Florida soy
bean farmer Steve Yoder said the
agreement will not achieve the
goal of the U.S. Section 301 com
plaint filed by ASA in 1987 to
open the EC market to exports of
competitively-priced U.S. oil
seeds and oilseed products.
“U.S. soybean farmers will con
tinue to suffer the loss of a $2 bil
lion market in the EC, and will re
ceive no compensation for this
loss,” Yoder said. “Beyond these
major shortcomings, though, the
agreement has the potantial of
gradually slowing and possibly re
versing current trade-distorting
trends in EC oilseed production.”
The pact will limit the maxi
mum area on which payments are
made to stimulate surplus EC oil
seed production, both for food and
industrial purposes. Within the
area restricted for food produc
tion, it will establish a permanent
10 percent set-aside.
“We see this as an important
first step toward curbing subsidiz
ed EC oilseed production and ex
ports over the long term,” said
Yoder. “Again, the differences be
tween the terms of this agreement
and ASA’s well-known position
on the 301 case are clear. How
ever, we recognize that even the
limited constraint the agreement
will impose on EC oilseed produc
tion would not have been possible
without the strong support and ef
forts of Secretary Ed Madigan and
his team at USDA. We also deeply
appreciate and will continue to
seek the views and guidance of
many members of Congress who
have stood beside ASA through
these long and difficult negotia
tions.
The oilseeds dispute stemmed
from the U.S. charges that the EC
had nullified and impaired its
1962 duty-free commitment for
soybeans and soymeal by offering
lucrative subsidies to growers and
processors of EC-origon oilseeds
at the expense of U.S. soybean ex
ports. A GATT Dispute Setde
ment Panel twice ruled in favor of
the U.S. position.