The Rural Voice, 2003-12, Page 19against over -investing in plants until
the economics make sense.
Don Hilborn, OMAF byproduct
management specialist from
Woodstock suggested that if Ontario
farmers begin to look at biogas
production it could mean changes in
barn design.
"When we're building tanks
directly under the farm we are
limiting future possibilities," he said.
Generally most treatments of manure
like biogas work best with fresh
manure and even better with the
addition of other types of manure or
food byproducts. "I question the use
of long-term storage," he said.
With further treatment of
manure a smaller storage
tank at the barn would
likely be cleared out on a regular
basis, the manure moved away for
treatment then moved back to a
remote storage at the field for
application.
While pork farmers can't picture it
now, Hilborn predicted belts under
slatted hog pens may be a big part of
the future. The belts are sloped with
the high end closest to the back edge
of the pen where pigs usually
defecate. The manure stays on the
high end of the belt while urine runs
off the low end and is collected.
The system means very low
ammonia levels in the barn and very
low methane production, he said.
Over four trials using the belt system,
there was 1.3 kg per day per pig of
urine collected and .26 kg of feces at
50 per cent dry matter for a total of
1.6 kg per pig per day, just 36 per
cent of the weight that would have
been collected in a liquid manure
system. As egg producers have found
using the belt system, Hilborn said,
water evaporation greatly reduces the
weight of the manure.
As far as crops are concerned, just
1,000 gallons of urine per acre will
provide most of the nutrient needs of
the crop, he said.
The repercussions of the Nutrient
Management Act will favour more
solid manure systems whether belt
systems or deep -bedded straw
systems, Hilborn said.
Jake DeBruyn, an engineer with
OMAF suggested there will be other
changes to help control emissions of
of nitrogen and methane greenhouse
gases. Covering storages conserves
30-40 per cent of manure nitrogen
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