The Not-So-Stinky Story of Cow Manure
For a dairy farmer, managing manure is a daily reality and an important part of their sustainable farming practices. A single cow can produce up to 100 pounds of manure per day. While some gets deposited directly onto pastures as natural fertilizer, the rest needs to be collected and stored properly until it can be used to nourish crops and grazing fields.
It’s no secret that manure can lead to methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. However, innovative dairy farmers are using new management strategies to reduce methane while still benefiting from manure’s nutrient-rich fertilizing properties.
Separating Solids from Liquids
A common solution is using mechanical manure separators. These machines extract the liquid portion from the solids, allowing separate storage. The liquids go into ponds until needed for fertilizing pastures and fields. The solids are composted and used as soft, comfy bedding for the cows, reducing the need to truck in other material like sand.
By storing the two components separately, there’s less food for the microbes that produce methane gas. This separation process can reduce methane emissions from manure by 8-80%.
Several Clover Sonoma’s dairy partners use manure separators, and seven have received funding from the CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program. The implementation of these seven projects alone has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 14 million miles’ worth of passenger car travel off the road!
One of Clover Sonoma’s dairies takes manure management even further with an anaerobic digester. This covered lagoon system nearly eliminates methane emissions by capturing the gas and repurposing it as natural gas or electricity.
Another approach is aeration, where oxygen is pumped into liquid manure pits. This creates an aerobic environment that’s inhospitable to the methane-producing microbes, reducing emissions and odors. Once those waters fertilize the land, pastures become lush, green and ready for grazing. See how it works.
Without sustainable manure management, dairies would have to rely on chemical fertilizers from off-farm sources. By skillfully harnessing this natural resource, dairy farmers can boost soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and provide cows with cozy beds – a true win for sustainable agriculture.
