Loading...
The Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-11-26, Page 44VaDieys & People - Fali 1986 - Page 4 Livestock wastes la liability or asset? ntario has long been perceived as having an abundant supply of clean, fresh water. In recant years however stories about the contamination of this resource have frequently made the news. Many people believe that these problems are only associated with densely populated or industrialized areas and not with the rural areas. However, many studies have shown that agricultural activities have a major impact on water quality in Southwest- ern Ontario. In response to this problem, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, work- ing in co-operation with the Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) under its Provincial Beaches Management Strat- egy, has implemented a program to improve water quality in the Maitland watershed. The M.V.C.A. is seeking the co-operation of farm operators in improving their management of live- stock wastes in an effort to reduce water pollution. The Maitland watershed is rural in nature with the predominant land use being agriculture. The counties located within the watershed are among the leaders in the province in livestock pro- duction. The high number of livestock operations, combined with an intensive natural, municipal and agricultural drainage network result in a large number of livestock operations being situated close to watercourses. These operations all have the potential to pollute. Many people believe that only the large intensive operations cause pollution problems. While large, poorly run operations may often cause the most "newsworthy" problems, they are not solely to blame. Pollution problems from a typical farm will often go unnoticed by the operator. The cumu- lative contribution from a number of smaller farms situated along a stream can cause a significant water quality problem. What are the sources of water con- tamination on your farm which you should be concerned about? Studies have indicated that liquid runoff from solid manure storages, barnyards and feedlots, direct tiling of milkhouse wastes t� watercourses and drains, and allowing livestock unrestricted access to streams are the major areas of con- cern. Improper timing and application of manure can also result in detrimental impacts on water quality. If you are concerned about one of these problems there are a number of solutions you can implement. ....agricultural activities have a major impact on water quality In 1983, the Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture and Food established the Ontario Soil Conservation and Envir- onmental Protection Assistance Pro- gram (OSCEPAP) to assist farmers wanting to improve their manure stor- WATER QUALITY — Resource tech ity data. age systems and in turn prevent pollution. The OSCEPAP program promotes the efficient use of manure through the containment of all the components of manure, including con- taminated runoff. This allows the max- imum on-farm utilization of the manure for crop production. Under the OSCEPAP program farmers are eligible for grants which cover 1/3 the cost of a manure storage system. Grants up to $5,000. per farm opera- tion are available. Liquid, semi-solid and solid manure systems incorporat- ing some method to control liquid run- off are also eligible. Runoff from solid manure storages or barnyards should be prevented from entering a watercourse or tile. A runoff pond or tank can be built to collect the runoff from a solid manure storage nician Bob Fuller collects water qual- wastes can then be spread on fields. If waste water is not collected and spread then it should be disposed of through a properly designed sediment trap and treatment trench. Another practice which can often be easily remedied is unrestricted livestock access to a watercourse. Livestock should not be allowed unlimited access to a watercourse which crosses a pasture. Cattle destroy the grass cover and disturb the banks of a water- course, leading to erosion. This causes sediment pollution and may interfere with the operation of a drain, increas- ing the need for cleanouts. Water quality is affected by the increased sed- iment loading and by the bacterial and nutrient loading from the livestock defecating within the channel. Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium excreted over a 365 day period Livestock 1 Dairy Cow (545 kg) 1 Beef Feeder (182 - 500 kg) 1 Feeder Hog (14 - 90 kg) 1 Sow and Litter to Weaning N (kg of N) P (kg of P205) K (kg of K20) 64 30 80 32 15 40 11 6 4.5 16 9 5.5 .14 1 Broiler .35 .16 (Source: OMAF Factsheet 538, Manure Characteristics) area or barnyard, for use as a fertilizer. A semi-solid storage system can be constructed to contain the liquids with the solids. The liquids can be pumped separately from these storages for later spreading. As well, barns should be eavestroughed in order to limit the amount of water entering a manure storage area or barnyard and running off as contaminated liquids. Any tile inlets connected to a manure storage system should be sealed not only to prevent pollution but also to prevent failure of the drainage system. Milkhouse wastes should not be tiled directly to streams. Wastes can be collected in a liquid manure storage tank or in a separate pond. These A grassed buffer a few feet in width should be maintained along streams and ditch banks. Livestock should be fenced out of the watercourse. In some areas such as where equipment access is necessary for drain maintenance, where pasture is susceptible to severe flooding or where pasture is rotated with other crops, a temporary fence should be considered. Where livestock depend on water from the stream, watering devices such as nose pumps are available. If a cattle crossing or instream watering is necessary, access should be restricted to one location. Funding is available through the erosion control section of OSCEPAP for fencing of watercourses as well as alternative livestock watering devices. Grants covering 1102 the cost up to $7,511. per farm are provided. Application practices are another im- portant consideration in a manure management program. Spreading should be avoided during the winter months, in particular over frozen .ground or on top of snow. This results in the contamination of watercourses due to runoff during snowmelts and the spring thaw. This also represents a substantial loss of nutrients in runoff and through oxidation as a result of manure being exposed to the air. If winter spreading is necessary use flat, unworked fields located away from streams or rivers. During routine appli- cations, spreading should be avoided close to the banks of watercourses es- pecially on steep slopes. Spread during periods when the ground is workable , and can bear the weight of machinery. This prevents compaction of the soil and prevents runoff due to spreading during saturated soil conditions. Following spreading, manure should be worked into the soil as soon as possible. Immediate mixing will. prevent the loss of nitrogen to the air and the potential loss of nutrients in runoff during rainy weather. Manure storages that are properly sized to contain a minimum of 200 days pro- duction allow greater flexibility in the timing of spreading so the maximum benefits of the manure can be utilized. In these periods of increasing crop pro- duction costs, farmers should . be realizing the maximum benefits from their livestock wastes. Manure should not be considered as a liability or waste - something to be disposed of as easily as possible. Runoff from storages and barnyards represents a loss in nutrients as well as a potential pollutant. According to OMAF as much as one half of the nitrogen and 2/3 of the potassium in manure is found in the liquid portion (OMAF Factsheet 538 Manure Characteristics). Substantial nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium nutrient benefit .can be obtained from livestock wastes. In addition manure also contains lesser amounts of other nutri its and improves organic matter content of the soil. This improves soil structure and increases nutrient and water holding capacity. These benefits improve a soil's ability to maintain crop product- ion. Manure is an asset to any livestock producer as a source of plant nutrients. Livestock wastes should be properly stored and applied to benefit soil fertil- ity and crop production. Loss of wastes through runoff, improper appli-e' cation or disposal represents an on- farm economic loss and a potential environmental pollutant. Are you gain- ing the greatest benefits from the livestock wastes produced on you& farm?