Manure Management

Is manure management an issue for equine facilities?

There are about 325,000 horses in Ontario o Almost as many horses as dairy cattle Average of 6 horses per farm (53,000 farms) Are there any legislation or regulations concerning manure management in Ontario? Manure is an environmental concern because of o o o o Nitrogen Phosphorus Pathogens Odour

Nitrogen
An important nutrient for plants and animals Major concern regarding with groundwater contamination (nitrates) o Causes methemoglobinemia (blue-baby syndrome) Nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen available from manure

Phosphorus
Also an important nutrient for plants and animals Major concern regarding with surface water contamination o Causes eutrophication (excessive buildup of nutrients in water)

How much manure does a horse produce?

A 454kg (1000lb) horse produces o 0.04m3/day (solid manure and bedding) o 14.7m3/year (solid manure and bedding) This manure has the following properties o Dry matter: 23-63% (35% average) o % Nitrogen: 0.33-0.9% (0.5% average) o % Phosphorus: 0.05-0.4% (0.15% average) o % Potassium: 0.1-1% (0.4% average)

Nutrient Units
What is a Nutrient Unit (NU)? o A Nutrient Unit (NU) is a measure of how much nitrogen and phosphate is contained in manure 43kg of nitrogen 55kg of phosphate o For horses: Large frame 0.7 animals/NU Medium frame 1 animal/NU Small frame 2 animals/NU o Examples 8 large frame horses 8 0.7 = 11.4 NU 8 small frame horses 8 2 = 4 NU

Nutrient Management Act

The Nutrient Management Act, 2002: o Legislates rules and regulations with regards to manure handling and storage o It does effect equine facilities o You have >300 NU (very rare for horse facilities) Require a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) o You have > 5 NU (many farms) and

Apply for a building permit for livestock housing (new or expanded housing) or manure storage Requires a Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS) o Siting restrictions for storages: 15m (50ft) away from any field tile drains 15m (50ft) away from any drilled well 100m (328ft) away from a municipal well 30m (100ft) away from any other wells 50m (164ft) flow path away from surface waters or tile inlets (such as catch-basins) 150m (492ft) if the manure is 30-50% dry matter

Bedding
Bedding should be used in horse facilities o Horse comfort o Liquid absorption Keeps area dry Reduces odour o Use bedding materials that are dust free o Manure and bedding should be removed daily

Manure Handling
Handled as a solid (due to low moisture content) Most facilities use wheelbarrows to transport manure from the stall to the storage o Labour intensive o Storages tend to be shallow and taking up a large area Prefer to stack higher

Storage
Need to have storage for 240 days (for NMA) Storages should contain runoff or send runoff to a suitable containment system o However, horse manure (plus bedding) tends to have little runoff compared to other livestock waste Options for storage o Walls or no walls o Type of flooring o Roof or no roof

Walls
Help contain the manure, uses less space

Floors
Concrete floors make it easier to load and unload manure Farms regulated by the NMA must use one of the following: o Concrete floor o Earth floor, 0.5m of hydraulically secure soil o Earth floor, 0.5m of hydraulically soil TYPE C (typically clay loam) or D (typically clay) if <300 NU

Siting Manure Storage

Need to perform Minimum Distance Separation (MDS II) calculations

o Determines the minimum distance that the new storage must be from any existing neighbor dwellings, lot lines (side and rear), roads o Triggered when you apply for a building permit Other municipal setbacks o Check with municipality for additional regulations

Sizing Manure Storage

This must be done as part of a Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS) Can be done with MSTOR o A software tool that is part of the NMAN software

Land Application of Manure

Should be applied to meet crop requirements o Meet N requirements o Meet P requirements Use NMAN to calculate requirements Should be immediately incorporated into the soil if possible o Reduces N volatilization

Composting
Composting is a viable option for horse manure What is composting? o The biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms Controlled, aerobic conditions Creates a stable, humus-like material called compost o Common feedstock materials from agriculture operations are Livestock manures and bedding Other residual plant materials

Ideal range for C:N 25:1 to 30:1 Horse manure and bedding 12:1 to 63:1 (average of 30:1) There are numerous composting systems: o Windrow/pile composting turning o Windrow/pile composting active aeration

o o o o

Windrow/pile composting passive aeration Windrow/pile composting static pile In-vessel composting Vermicomposting

Windrow/Pile Composting Turning

Windrow/Pile Composting Active Aeration

Windrow/Pile Composting Passive Aeration

In-Vessel Composting