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High-Tech manure injection By Betsy Freese Successful Farming, Mid-March 2000 |
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Neher also has 600 sows (thus, the manure). He used to spread manure on top of the soil, but now injects it all. New state law requires liquid manure from hog operations with an average animal weight capacity of more than 200,000 pounds to be injected or incorporated within 24 hours. If not, the producer must keep a 750-foot separation distance from neighbors and public-use areas. Neher hates the 30 pages of documentation he has to keep to abide by the state regulations, but he doesn’t mind the manure injection itself. "By injecting, there are more nutrients in the ground for the crop, and it is best for the neighbors,"he says. Innovative machines Last fall, Neher, with wife Ronda and parents Lyle and Marlene, hosted a manure injection field day, sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Grundy County Soil and Water Conservation District. |
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At the field day,NRCSpersonnel took residue cover measurements to demonstrate the effectiveness of the injectors leaving residue on the soil surface. Results varied. (table below) |
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On his farm, Neher uses a 6,000-gallon Houle tank with two different injector attachments, and figures he has at least $40,000 in manure equipment (including the pump, but not tractors to run the equipment). "I have more money in manure hauling equipment than crop equipment!" says Neher. Is it worth it? He thinks so. Neher hasn’t bought commercial fertilizer, except lime, for several years. Manure gives him enough nitrogen, and more than enough phosphorous and potassium, to raise his crop. One disadvantage with injection is you have to wait until the ground thaws. This makes for a hectic spring. Neher could hire a commercial applicator to inject the manure, "but this way we have more control with how it’s done."He sells swine breeding stock and is afraid a commercial manure hauler could track in disease. |
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The value of manure Calculating the value of hog manure is the tricky part of keeping a manure management plan, says Neher. Finishing pigs give you 40 pounds of N per 1,000 gallons vs. 9 pounds for gestation, farrowing and nursery pigs. You have to vary the amount applied. His only complaint is that he has to document everything, while a grain farmer can "plow everything and put down 300 pounds of anhydrous."
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Paul
Neher loves his manure equipment. "If I had to get rid of all
my farm machines, I’d keep the manure tank,"says Neher, who
farms 540 acres of no-till corn and soybeans near Grundy Center,
Iowa.
