Learn From Others to Prepare for Tighter Nutrient Restrictions
(Continued from Page 34)
the solids or compost off of the farm. Years of unmoni
tored manure application have left their soils satu
rated with P, especially those areas close to barns or
slurry gun discharge.
At one dairy, the producer collected all runoff from
the farm including rainwater from concrete lots, as
well as all manure. It was then separated, and the
solids were either spread, or sold to an area vegetable
farmer. The separation process allows for timelier and
site specific application of manure. Plans are to de
velop more outside uses for the solid manure, to adapt
to new P regulations. He had also reduced P ration
levels to .4 percent for the 150 head of Holsteins, feed
ing slightly over NRC for a “safety factor”.
At another dairy, the previous owners had overused
the slurry gun on the area around the main farm, and
consequently, P levels in the soil are very high. They
also use a separator system in conjunction with com
posting to dispose of waste from their herd of 700 Hol
steins. However, under a P-based management plan,
they will no longer be allowed to spread the compost
on the home farm due to its P content. Plans are to
export the compost to an area corn silage supplier.
The problem is not limited to conventionally fed
Holsteins, either. One of the farms visited was a
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smaller dairy using intensive grazing on 55 acres, with
65 dairy cows. Careful monitoring of pasture soil last
year showed that the ground had accrued 15-20 lbs of
P per acre in one year. P is fed at a moderate .35 per
cent of the ration DM, and no additional supplement is
used. They are actively monitoring and controlling P
waste. Much of the manure stored in the pit will have
to be exported from the farm.
The last stop of the tour was a farm milking about
1,200 cows and farming roughly 1,400 acres of land.
Nutrient regulations were not of any concern at the
moment. The facility is equipped with a separator
system, enabling them to reclaim sand for bedding.
Also, ground is double cropped with corn and small
grains every year, so nutrient (mostly nitrogen) is used
quickly. However, the producers were first to admit
that this cropping system would not remove excess P.
When asked what the plans were for the new P regula
tions, they stated that ration levels had been reduced
to .38 percent, but that they would have to find an off
farm place to spread manure. They are hoping to set
up an agreement with a vegetable producer, orchard,
custom grower, etc., to perhaps sell some of the solid
manure.
I found it interesting that in the first area of the
Northeast to be faced with tougher P management
(Turn to Page 37)
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