Pacific Agriculture Show Seminar
February 20, 10:00 am
Farmers are some of the most responsible environmental stewards of the province’s land and water resources. They accept responsibility for managing their livestock wastes in a manner which increases agronomic benefits while reducing the risk of over-application, runoff, and leaching. Yet, since nutrient management is usually viewed as a cost which impacts on profitability, the approach taken to waste management needs to be both cost effective and work well.
The Fraser Valley is recognized as one of the most concentrated areas in Canada for poultry and dairy farms. These operations are also located in relative close proximity to expanding urban centres and to some of the most important ground water and surface water resources in the Province. Furthermore, as a source of greenhouse gas emissions, livestock operations will increasingly need to be mindful of the quality and type of their emissions. Against this backdrop, it is critical that the farming community (in the Fraser Valley and elsewhere in B.C.) remains proactive in mitigating the impact of livestock wastes through effective manure management.
This presentation will begin with an overview of the subject of animal wastes – in general and specific to the Fraser Valley. A primary seminar focus will be a review of the advantages of using an aerobic process instead of the (more commonly and less desirable) anaerobic process in breaking down poultry and dairy liquid and dry manures. This will include a discussion of new developments in manure management technology from Europe that enable liquid and solid animal wastes to be processed effectively, economically and in an environmentally-responsible manner, without the requirement for expensive capital expenditures or equipment. It will point out how this approach to manure management has been proven effective in usage around the world and also how recently several of the leading livestock rearing states (in the U.S.) have initiated a shift from anaerobic to aerobic methods of processing animal wastes.
The implications of this sustainable approach to manure management will be overviewed in terms of overcoming the main “nuisance” implications commonly associated with animal manure – e.g. odour, pathogens, and land, air and water pollution. It will also discuss the important agronomic benefits of this approach. Subject to time allocated for this presentation, methods of composting and field application of manure can also be discussed.
In other jurisdictions, as varied as Manitoba, North Carolina and parts of Europe, where due care was not taken in implementing effective manure management programs and managing farming’s interrelationship with the environment and the broader community, moratoriums have been imposed. These legislative actions have had the effect of restricting the operation and/or expansion of livestock operations, thereby affecting the livelihood of farmers (and cost structure of farming). This presentation will provide thoughtful information that will help in protecting the integrity and health of the farming economy of the Fraser Valley and B.C., while remaining mindful of the broader environmental and community context in which it exists.
Presented by: Derek Pratt, B.E.S., M.B.A.
