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If you've been stockpiling your manure in a single pile for as long as
you can remember, you may have found that if you dig into the middle of
the pile, you'll find something that resembles dirt more than it does
manure. If this is the case, at least some of your manure has already
gone through the decomposition, or composting, process. Manure that has
been left uncovered in large, spread out piles will eventually compost.
However, this version of composting often creates unpleasant odors because
there is not enough air reaching the inside of the pile. These piles also
rarely reach high enough temperatures to kill parasites, fly larvae, weed
seeds, and pathogens. The following information on composting will help
you learn how to compost all of your manure, instead of what's just in
the middle, speed up the process dramatically, and help heat manure up
to temperatures that will kill parasites, fly larvae, weed seeds, and
pathogens.
The Benefits of Composting
Horse Health
Reduce flies. A well-managed compost pile will reach temperatures
high enough to kill fly eggs and larvae in manure. By reducing the amount
of uncomposted manure you have, you'll also reduce breeding grounds
for flies.
Kill parasites and pathogens. The high temperatures achieved
through composting also kill worms and pathogens (organisms such as
bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that are capable of producing
an infection or disease). This is especially important if you are spreading
your manure in the same fields your horses graze in or on vegetable
gardens.
Convenience and Aesthetics
Reduce odors. A well-managed compost pile will be free of the
odors often associated with an uncomposted manure pile.
Cut your pile in half. Composting reduces bulk and has 40 to
60 percent less volume and weight than uncomposted manure. That means
you can reduce the amount of your manure pile by about 50 percent by
composting!
Kill weed seeds. The high temperatures achieved through composting
will kill most weed seeds.
Improve marketability. Compost is much more marketable than
uncomposted manure and is often used by topsoil companies, landscapers,
nurseries, and organic farmers. You may be able to sell your compost
and actually make money out of that mountain of manure!
Even out grazing patterns. Horses grazing in pastures spread
with composted manure (instead of fresh manure) are more likely to graze
normally and are less likely to restrict grazing to areas with the thinnest
application rates.
Healthy Soil
Improve aeration and water retention. Adding compost to soil
builds good soil structure and texture, increasing the amount of air
that can infiltrate and the amount of water it can hold. Adding compost
to heavy clay soil loosens the packed soil by opening up pore spaces
that, like little tunnels, carry air and water down into the soil. Sandy
soils, which tend to let water drain away too rapidly, are also improved
with the addition of compost. The fine particles are united into larger
ones that can hold a greater amount of water-100 pounds of compost can
hold about 195 pounds of water! By increasing the soil's moisture-holding
capacity, compost also helps control erosion that would otherwise wash
topsoil away.
Supply nutrients. When fresh manure is spread on a field, about
50 percent of the nitrogen is in a highly soluble form and will be washed
out by rain when it is spread on a pasture. In compost, however, 95
to 97 percent of nitrogen has been converted to a much more stable form
and will be slowly released, allowing plants to use it over a longer
period of time. Compost doles out nutrients slowly when plants are small
and at greater rates as soil temperatures warm up and the major growth
period begins. (Soil microorganisms that release the nutrients from
compost work harder as temperatures increase.) The benefits of adding
compost will also last for more than one season. Composted manure releases
about 50 percent of its nutrients in the first season and a decreasing
percentage in the following years. This means that with constant additions
of compost, the reserves of plant nutrients in the soil are being built
up to the point where, for several seasons, little fertilizer of any
kind may be needed.
Bacteria, earthworms, and pH. Compost also supports essential
soil bacteria; feeds earthworms and allows them to multiply; and gradually
changes soil pH levels that are either too low (acidic) or too high
(alkaline).
The Environment
Protect water quality. Because the composting process converts
nitrogen into a less soluble form, it is less likely to be washed out
of manure and into ground water and surface water. Excessive amounts
of nitrate in drinking water can cause health problems such as blue
baby syndrome and may be linked to cancer and birth defects. Recent
samplings of wells in northern Whatcom County have found nitrate levels
above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's safe drinking water
standards.
Protect fish and shellfish. When rain falls on soil rich with
compost, raindrops seep into it. When rain falls on packed soil rain
runs off the surface, creating erosion and carrying soil particles to
nearby waterways. Sediment can smother trout and salmon eggs and make
water cloudy, making it more difficult for fish to find insects to eat.
Raw manure also contains fecal coliform bacteria which is commonly used
to measure contamination of water from human or animal waste. The coliform
bacteria may not necessarily produce disease, but can indicate the presence
of other bacteria that may cause infections, hepatitis, and other illnesses.
When coliform bacteria is found in the water around shellfish growing
areas, it often leads to shellfish bed closures. Composting kills most
of these coliform bacteria as well as viruses and parasites that may
be a concern to human health.
Conserve our natural resources. Using compost instead of chemical
fertilizers can reduce our use of non-renewable resources like natural
gas. Approximately two percent of the natural gas consumed in the United
States goes into the manufacturing of nitrogen fertilizer.
How to Make Compost Happen
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