Manure Continued from Page 17
couraged farmers to do their homework and understand the design and oper- ation of their manure-management systems. He said many dairy farmers eventually hire out for this portion of their operations. To encourage California’s smaller dairies—for which a digester may not be feasible—to reduce methane output, the state provides financial assistance for farm families as they reduce emis- sions through a variety of technologies and strategies. A total of 114 projects have been awarded grants to date. For fiscal year 2021-2022, the statewill be awarding $32 million in grants, with priority given to the Alternative Manure Management Program. Previous projects included mechanical solids-liquid separation with drying, conversion of flush sys- tems to scrape with dry manure storage or composting, and compost pack barns. Appl ications for the program are open through May, with CDFA work- ing in partnership with UC Cooperative Extension to assist farmers needing help in the application process. “This is not only climate smart, healthy agriculture, but it is good for the bottom line,” saidUCCE dairy farmadvisor Betsy Karle. “The opportunity is here.” ( L i s a Mc Ewe n i s a r e p o r t e r i n Ex e t e r. She may b e c on t a c t e d a t mcewenlisamarie@gmail.com.)
opportunities for dairy operators. “The state grant process has used the carrot versus the stick principle to en- courage us to use the technology avail- able,” de Jong said. “I praise the state for doing that. Bymonetizing this, dairymen can get in at a lower cost and risk in a very quick time period.” Scot t Har r i son, CEO of Figure 8 Environmental of Bakersfield, hosted a seminar titled “Monetizing Manure,” at the recent World Ag Expo in Tulare. Harrison’s firmdesigns, builds andman- agesmanure processing systems for dair- ies. He encouraged dairies to think about how managing manure can help them complywithenvironmental, nutrient and wastewater regulations. “If you can imagine what’s possible and see the bigger picture, there is a lot of value in manure,” he said. “Manure is a profit powerhouse.” There aremany other uses formanure. For years dairy farmers havebeencollect- ing it, storing it and using it as a renew- able fertilizer. Operators of flush dairies can address operating costs with ma- nure by using the wastewater to irrigate silage crops or almonds. When properly treated and mixed with well water, this saves ongroundwater pumping costs and can address Sustainable Groundwater Management Act regulations.
Jack de Jong, River Ranch Farms owner and operator, shows off processed manure from his dairy cows. Managing the waste product was once a financial burden. Now it’s a boom for his business.
Manure can also be upcycled into clean, new bedding for animals through a composting process. Some dairy op- erators such as de Jong also sell this compost to other farmers. Savings in these areas can allow dairies to main- tain their herd sizes in light of pending SGMA restrictions. “Drying of separated manure solids used to be a burden that increased our cost of business,” he said. Now that has been helped by compost sales. F r ank Mi t l o ehne r, d i r e c t o r o f t h e C l a r i t y a nd L e a d e r s h i p f o r Environmental Awareness Center at the University of California, Davis, says 4%
to 5% of all greenhouse gases are from agriculture “and dairy is the largest con- tributor within agriculture.” But now there are 185methane-reduc- ing digesters listed in the state, accord- ing to the nonprofit organization Dairy Cares. There are alsomore than300 oper- ating in the nation, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “I anticipate this technology growing across the United States,” Mitloehner said. “California leads the nation, maybe the world, in this field.” Each dairy is different and requires a tailored approach to its manure man- agement. To that end, Mitloehner en-
IMPROVES/PROMOTES -PLANT/VEGETABLE GROWTH -ENCOURAGES ROOT GROWTH -ENCOURAGES EARLY SEASON GROWTH -STRESS TOLERANCE -PLANT QUALITY
M A N D A F E R M E N T A T I O N U S A APPLICABLE TO ALL KINDS OF FARM PRODUCTS AND PLANTS INCLUDING VEGETABLES, FRUIT, FLOWERS, HERBS, ETC. MADE OF 41 BOTANICAL INGREDIENTS FERMENTED NATURALLY FOR OVER 3 YEARS FROM THE EARTH, TO THE EARTH
FROM THE MASTERS OF FERMENTATION
18 Ag Alert March 23, 2022
Powered by FlippingBook