Research planned to begin this summer will assist pork producers, manure applicators and land owners in optimizing the use of phosphorus contained in two cell earthen manure storages.
Agra-Gold Consulting, in partnership with the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative, will launch a project this summer to investigate management practices that will optimize the removal and use of nutrients from two-cell earthen manure storage lagoons on grow-finish operations.
Agra-Gold Consulting principle Scott Dick explains researchers will be using some unique techniques that have not been commonly used before.
A two-cell storage system is 2 separate holding cells within a manure storage and the primary cell is designed at about a third of the overall capacity and so all of the solids, or the phosphorus, will settle in that primary cell.
Then there is an overflow area that goes into the secondary cell that holds about two thirds of the volume.
Basically a two-cell system is a way of concentrating the solids and the phosphorus in a smaller portion of the overall liquid.
Specifically with this project, we’re looking to optimize phosphorus removal based on the land requirements.
We’re going to use different ways of emptying the liquids and solids out of those storages using different agitation practices and different ways of managing those nutrients as they are coming out.
We’re specifically going to do intensive testing throughout the removal of nutrients from the manure storage and then apply different techniques to allow us to concentrate as much of the phosphorus in as small amount of liquid as possible.
Dick is confident these techniques will allow the concentration of 80 to 85% of the phosphorus into about 20% of the overall volume, allowing the phosphorus to be moved longer distances to phosphorus deficient fields at less cost.
The project is scheduled to be completed next August.
