Improved efficiency in the production of milk has resulted in a huge reduction in the dairy industry’s carbon footprint, making it very “green,” said a University of Illinois Extension dairy specialist.

Who knew manure had so many uses? From energy production to bedding for stalls, there seems to be no limit for the usefulness of byproducts from dairy cow manure. Researchers at Michigan State University are developing yet another use for manure – construction material. Laurent Matuana, associate professor, and M. Charles Gould, extension educator of nutrient management, are working to develop medium density fiberboards (MDF) and wood-plastic composites (WPCs) made from the dried manure fibers from anaerobic digesters.

The process of manure management is heating up – literally. After four years of development and design, EcoCombustion Energy Systems Corporation has commercialized a manure-burning system dubbed Elimanure.

To comply with the new water quality regulation, some dairy producers in California will have to control manure production and minimize nitrogen intake and excretion in lactation animals.

Dairy producers in California have the opportunity to review the information submitted on December 2007 to prepare a new Dairy Facility Assessment to comply with the Waste Discharge Requirements (Order No. R5-2007-0035). The next reporting requirements include updating information on waste management plan (WMP) and nutrient management plan (NMP). The WMP and NMP are the most important objectives for dairy producers. In the next years they must be prepared to have sufficient storage capacity to contain all manure, avoiding any possible illegal discharge (on or offsite), and applying manure according to crop requirements.

With the increased cost of commercial fertilizer and the ever-increasing pressure on producers to protect and preserve water quality, University of Wisconsin (UW) – Discovery Farms staff get a lot of questions on how farmers can reduce their losses of manure.

Record keeping and inspections are inextricably linked through the permit and nutrient management plan (NMP). In large part, only records can show an inspector that the operation is following its NMP and permit.

Removing manure from freestall alleys

Making brown the new green is the goal of brothers Matthew and Ben Freund of Colebrook, Connecticut, with their successful new invention, CowPots. The biodegradable plant pots are made from manure solids generated from the Freunds’ methane digester, which was built in 1997.

When it comes to digester technology, lagoon covers, treatment systems and other methods of manure handling, it seems like much of the press lately has been on the ‘big guys’. Now, I am by no means suggesting that larger production facilities are any better in management or production practices. What I am saying is that the media tends to focus on the larger players in agriculture, for good and for bad, depending on the angle they approach.