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| Photo of Anhydrous Ammonia Tanks |
It's that time of year again. The crops are out, the ground is worked, and now the fertilizer must be spread in preparation for next years crop. This is where manure managment comes in.
The dominate fertilizer is anhydrous ammonia. This is a chemical fertilizer that injects nitrogen into the soil, which is needed to grow corn. However, there is another option, manure. Not all farmers have access to manure; furthermore, despite the thousands of CAFOs in America, we just don't make enough manure to go around. Our farm, and a few surrounding farms that contract us to fertilize their fields, are the fortunate ones because we have the best fertilizer you can get--Pig Poop!
The dominate fertilizer is anhydrous ammonia. This is a chemical fertilizer that injects nitrogen into the soil, which is needed to grow corn. However, there is another option, manure. Not all farmers have access to manure; furthermore, despite the thousands of CAFOs in America, we just don't make enough manure to go around. Our farm, and a few surrounding farms that contract us to fertilize their fields, are the fortunate ones because we have the best fertilizer you can get--Pig Poop!
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| Image of slurry wagon knifing manure from a swine CAFO |
Not only does manure significantly cut costs by $30 to $50 per acre, it also rebuilds topsoil. Since hog manure is a natural fertilizer made of organic materials it does more than just inject a specific nutrient, it puts back what crops take out creating soil that will, over years, need less fertilizer to maintain high yields.
Many anti-CAFO people believe that we are polluting the water and destroying the environment but we are actually doing the opposite. By reduces the use of petroleum-based chemical fertilizers and replacing them with the original fertilizer that our grandparents, great-grandparents, and generations before them used we are created a safer, healthier environment.
As long as farmers follow the rules and regulations set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and enforced by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) we are doing our part to remain good stewards of the land, which is what farming is all about. We take care of what takes care of us.
See manure in action on YouTube by watching the latest video on the BaconCam Channel,
I used to go to school near fields that were fertilized with pig manure. Now I live near fields that are fertilized with turkey manure. The trick is to notice the smell early, and close the windows...
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