SEATTLE, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As the population grows, fertilizers for crops and pasture grass are increasingly in demand including the potential of packaged cow manure as compost fertilizer for retail and commercial applications, according to the Washington Dairy Products Commission.
Organic cow manure is a nutrient that helps crops and pasture grass production over longer durations before the need for reapplication because of its slow release of nutrients. "Dairy cow manure is a nutrient-rich, all natural fertilizer that holds moisture in the soil and reduces erosion more effectively than synthetic or chemical fertilizers," says Dr. Pius Ndegwa, Washington State UniversityBiological Systems Engineering School Associate Professor and livestock manure specialist. "We are working with dairy farmers to develop channels to apply nutrient-rich manure as compost fertilizer for the production of crops and pastures at appropriate agronomic rates to protect groundwater quality."
WSU Extension is modeling digestion and composting systems at many Washington dairy operations to help ensure the integrity of lined-lagoons and that anaerobic protocols are followed to prevent nutrients from being wasted. More organic matter in the soil improves its moisture-retention performance.
"Livestock manure compost is cheaper and easier to use than man-made chemical fertilizers," says Bob Ashbeck of Columbia Basin Spreaders, in Hermiston, Oregon. "The livestock compost is a renewable resource that contains all of the nutrients plants need to grow with none of the chemicals.It is being widely used to fertilize potatoes and pasture grass."
Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is located in the heart of a city where composting animal waste has been ongoing since 2010.This year the Zoo will sell more than 1 million pounds of Zoo Doo as an all-organic, dark and rich compost fertilizer, saving the Zoo $60,000 per year in disposal costs.
According to Woodland Park Zoo recycling and compost coordinator Dan Corum, the manure comes from the Zoo's non-primate, herbivore animals (those that eat plants), including elephants, hippos, zebras, giraffes, gazelles and oryx, among others.Zoo Doo manure has the same characteristics as cow manure.
"Zoo Doo or composted livestock manure added to soil enhances water and nutrient retention and will improve soil texture," Corum said. "It is a completely organic soil amendment that will help crops, pastures and home gardens grow."
The chemicals in synthetic fertilizers are available for only a short time as compared to the slow release of the nutrients in livestock manure.
For information:
Pete DeLaunay
(206) 682-3699
SOURCE Washington Dairy Products Commission
