For nearly 18 months, Alberto Dairy has used worm beds to appropriately manage their manure, retain nutrients and reuse wastewater.

Helping applicators and farmers generate wide-ranging questions and discussing potential solutions are among the main goals of the University of Wisconsin Extension’s Manure Applicator Training 101.

Manure is the linchpin of biocircularity in dairy production systems. Nutrients in cow manure are recycled back to the land to produce crops, which are used as animal feed.

Cornell University Ruminant Center (CURC) conducts cutting-edge research in dairy nutrition and metabolism, reproductive physiology, and management and genomics.

Working outdoors will always be unpredictable, and the narrow window of time when applying manure means there is less time to wait for good ground conditions. With heavy equipment and variable field environments, there are steps that can be taken to minimize damage to field during slurry application. 

Manure is the linchpin of biocircularity in dairy production systems, with the nutrients in cow manure recycled to the land to produce crops that are utilized as animal feed. 

While most of us focus on how to move manure, store it and land-apply it, there's a growing interest in what else manure can do for the dairy. One of the more intriguing ideas? Turning it into bedding.

Choosing the right bedding is essential for cow comfort, herd health and overall dairy performance. Sand is a popular choice thanks to its comfort, cleanliness and long-term affordability – especially when paired with an effective recovery and recycling program.