RUMINATIONS
By Harold House
Bedding alternative
With the correct management approach, dairy farmers are finding they can successfully bed stalls with manure solids
R
eadily available sources of separated manure solids, coupled with new technology, have renewed dairy farmer interest in using this material for freestall bedding. The concept often produced poor results in the past, but farmers are now achieving success with the right management techniques. Recent anaerobic digester installations on Ontario dairy farms provide them with a continuous source of separated manure solids. Producing separated solids with drum composters is also becoming popular. Like so many aspects of dairy farming, much of the success and failure comes down to management. Let’s take a closer look at using manure solids to bed cows.
Anaerobic digesters produce stall bedding as byproduct
Anaerobic digestion breaks down organic material by microbial action in an oxygen-free environment. It
You can separate manure solids with a roller press like this one.
Ruminations is prepared by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs livestock technology specialists to provide information you can use on your farm.
produces a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide called biogas, used to generate electricity. Another product is a nutrient-rich slurry called digestate. You can dewater digestate to
produce livestock bedding. Ontario dairy farmers with anaerobic digesters have been dewatering digestate by passing it through a screw press or roller press. They produce a
32 | February 2012 | MilkPRODUCER
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - February 2012