Operating Calibrating and Maintaining Animal Waste Management Systems

Operating, Calibrating, and Maintaining Animal Waste Management Systems

Next Generation Science/Common Core Standards Addressed • CCSS. ELA Literacy RST. 9 10. 1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. • CCSS. E L A Literacy RST. 11 -12. 1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. • CCSS. ELA Literacy. RST. 9‐ 10. 3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text. • CCSS. E LALiteracy. RST. 11‐ 12. 3 Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resource Standards Addressed! • PST. 02. Operate machinery and equipment while observing all safety precautions in AFNR settings. • PST. 02. 02. c. Adjust equipment, machinery and power units for safe and efficient operation in AFNR power, structural and technical systems.

Bell Work/Objectives • Describe the principles of waste management systems. • Identify animal waste characteristics. • Explain operating practices used in animal waste management. • Describe the calibration of waste management systems. • Explain the maintenance procedures for waste management systems.

Terms • • Anaerobic Earth basins Pits Semi-solid manure

Interest Approach • Display a quart jar of manure to students. Ask them what it is and what it can be used for. Lead a discussion concerning the importance of waste management systems.

Objective #1 What are the principles of waste management systems?

Principles • All waste starts with a source – animal, milk house, lot runoff • All systems end in the soil • All systems include investment, labor, convenience, aesthetics, and regulations • No system is best, all have advantages and disadvantages – depends on personal preference, available capital & labor, waste sources, soil type, cropping practices

Regulations • Federal, State, and Local regulations attempt to minimize or eliminate pollution. • Well-designed system can achieve these goals. • Federal regulations apply to all states and operations considered commercial in size. • State and local regulations can impose stricter requirements on holding capacities, application times, ground water protection. • Zoning & Public Health laws can affect design, construction, operation, & management of manure disposal systems.

Characteristics of animal waste. • Properties depend on species, ration digestibility, protein & fiber content, age, environment & productivity • Waste with 20 -25% solids is handled as solid • 10 - 20% solid, handling depends on type of solid • 4 - 10% solid, handle as a liquid w/ special pumps • 0 - 4% solid, handled with irrigation pump or flushing

Objective #3 What are the operating practices used in animal waste management?

Waste Collection • Consider the type of facility, labor, investment, and total waste handling. • Solid & semi-solid can be collected with tractors scrapers, front end loaders, or mechanical scrapers • Liquid can be collected with scrapers, flushing systems, gravity flow gutters, or slotted floors.

Slotted Floors • Separates waste from livestock. • Materials, spacing, & width depends on manure and experience with slippage, feet injury, and other animal responses. • Consider initial costs, predicted life, use, strength, corrosion, noise, and replacement cost. • Waste beneath the floor is removed with water into a storage lagoon.

Solid floors • Sloped solid floors aid in manure movement towards gutter or slotted area. • Animals traffic tends to work the manure down slopes of 4% or more. • Steeper slope can cause footing problems.

Types of slatted livestock flooring.

Collection Methods • Shallow manual gutters – involve manure being hand scraped outside or into a pit every day to control odors • Mechanical Scrapers – reduce manual labor depending on storage and cleanliness required • Flush System – large volume of water flows down a gutter – water recycled in lagoon, earth basin, holding pond – timeliness of flushes depends on accumulation

Transporting • Transporting from animal facility to storage facility involves large piston pump, pneumatic pump, centrifugal pump or gravity. • System selected depends on farm’s characteristics, housing system, bedding practices, labor, and storage system.

Handling • Manure can be handled as solid, semi-solid, or liquid. • Amount of bedding or dilution of water influences form. • Form influences selection of collection, storage facility and spreading equipment.

Storage - Site selection • evaluate site and soil conditions • avoid locating unlined facilities over shallow creviced bedrock or below water table • avoid storing in sandy or gravely soils • consider soil to a depth of 3’ below storage bottom • check for buried utilities & drainage tiles • consider surroundings and prevailing winds • allow 100’ between water supply and facility • locate for all year operation and access • provide enough storage capacity

Liquid Manure Storage • Pits – have vertical sidewalls, lined and are below grade – either in the building or outside • Earth basins – earth walled structures formed by excavation – partly above and below grade – may or may not be lined – low to moderate investment – eliminate hazardous gas entrapment

Liquid Manure Storage • Above ground tanks – more expensive than earth basins – good alternative when an earth basin won’t work – work well for an enclosed building • Anaerobic lagoon – biological treatment for biodegradation – anaerobic process occurs without free oxygen – decompose more per unit than aerobic – give off a musty odor

Semi-solid Storage • Semi-solid manure – manure with excess liquids drained off and some bedding added to increase solids content • allows waste from many sources • can be outside with picket dams to drain off rain water • hauling schedule is flexible

Solid Storage • Used where manure dries sufficiently or enough bedding is added to make it stackable.

Manure spreaders!

Applying Solid Wastes • Should distribute waste uniformly with the proper equipment • equipment need to be water tight for road use • spreader mechanisms include paddles, flail, and augers • feed apron should be variable speed • drive is either ground or PTO

Flail Spreaders • Flail-type – tanks with open tops – shaft mounted on top, parallel to main axis – chain flails on shaft throw waste out the side

Applying Liquid Manure • Spread on fields by tank wagons, applied with irrigation equipment or digested in lagoons before being applied.

Objective #4 How are waste management systems calibrated?

Waste Management • Manure can improve fertility and crop yields. • Sampling for nutrient content is recommended. • Poorly handled manure can degrade water quality and cause a nuisance. • Rates of application should match crop nutrient requirements. • Record keeping is necessary for the manager. • Compliance for Federal, State, & Local regulations is essential.

Soil Physical Properties • These influence application rates – water infiltration – water holding capacity – soil texture – total exchange capacity

Preventative Maintenance • Preventative Maintenance should be given priority to reduce the chance for breakage, costly repair bills and loss of time. • Adequate and timely adjustment, repair, protection from weather, and clean-up determine life of any machine. • Consider potential flooding and runoff when designing storage systems.

Clean-up • Timely equipment clean-up is necessary. • Manure that is allowed to buildup will decrease life of equipment. • High pressure washing is necessary to extend the life of manure handling equipment.

Review • What are the principles of waste management systems? • What are the characteristics of animal waste? • What are the operating practices are used in animal waste management? • How are waste management systems calibrated? • What are the maintenance procedures for waste management systems?

The End!