environmental stewards Archives | Minnesota Farm Living

Environmental stewardship is probably not the word that comes to mind when you think about pig farming. And especially when I talk about pig manure. I mean, let’s face it, poop has the ultimate “yuck” factor. Can pig farmers turn “yuck” into something good for the environment? Let’s take a look to see where pig manure goes.

Pigs on Slats

Where does all the manure go?

Modern pig barns allow pigs to stand on cement slats. Slats are made of cement and have elongated, slotted holes where the pigs’ manure falls through into cement 8′ pits. In the upper midwest, this is the most common way to store pig manure.

Are pits safe?

When barns are constructed properly, pits in barns are very safe. Cement pits prevent manure from leaking into surrounding soils.

What about the smell?

Yes, manure does have an odor. Barns use ventilation fans which allow pigs to have clean air on a continual basis. Our pig barns are located on the same place as my home. The location of the barns and wind direction determine the odor level. My house windows are open every chance I get during our warm months. I find I shut my house windows only a few days a year because of odor.

How is the manure removed from the pits?

Removing manure from pits is accomplished by using a manure pump. Before it’s pumped, an agitator (stirs manure) is used to help put the manure in a more consistent state (mixes solids with liquids). Agitation helps make the application more precise when applied to the soils. The pump places the manure into a manure spreader, which is then pulled behind a tractor and applied to soils. This normally occurs once a year after harvest season.

Are there any dangers in removing manure from the pits?

Yes, farmers need to be very careful and vigilant when removing manure from the pits because of possible precarious pit gasses. These gasses can be lethal to both pigs and humans if not done properly. To prevent problems, farmers ventilate their barns well when removing the manure from pits. Online resources are available to farmers and can be used as reminders during the manure spreading season.

How often is it removed?

Most farms have enough storage for a year. Sometimes, farmers will plant a shorter growing season crop so they can apply manure to those acres if they don’t have enough pit capacity for a year.

Can Pig Farmers Be Good Environmental Stewards? — Manure Spreader

How is the manure applied to soils?

Once manure is pumped into the manure spreader the tractor and manure spreader (which is pulled behind the tractor) drives through and applies the manure to the field. Manure is pumped through tubes on the back of the manure spreader and is applied directly to the soils. At the same time, there are two discs for each tube that immediately cover and incorporates the manure into the soil. Covering manure results in reduced odor and conservation of nutrients. As a farmer, we love applying pig manure to our crop lands. It provides great nutrients for next year’s crops. In fact, pig manure is on my balance sheet. Check out the video.

Isn’t there just too much manure for the amount of land available?

It’s a requirement that farmers have a Manure Management Plan in Minnesota, which is overseen by the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency). Farmers are required to have enough acres of land available to spread manure for a number of gallons their farm(s) create. If they personally do not have enough farmland, farmers usually work with a neighboring farmer and their land.

How do farmers prevent applying too much manure to their fields?

Regularly, farmers take soil tests and manure tests. Between the two tests, a determination is made on the amount of manure needed to replace soil nutrients. Farmers use consultants to assist them in understanding the proper amounts of applied manure. Once a rate is determined, a flow meter (on the manure spreader) accurately places the correct amount of manure in the soils. Another fact: Manure is so valuable that I put it on my balance sheet!

Is manure leaking into our streams and rivers?

Farmers are very careful when spreading manure. There are buffer strips between fields and rivers and streams. There is no incentive to waste valuable nutrients by having it leak into rivers and streams.

What if there is an accidental manure spill?

Pig farmers have an emergency action plan, which includes steps to take if there is an accidental manure spill.

There is real value in pig manure. In fact, in our opinion, pig manure is superior to commercial fertilizers. And it’s natural. When you think about it, using a hog’s waste to replace soil nutrients is the ultimate recycling program.

As you can see, there is quite a process to handling a pig’s manure. And as stated above, manure is a valuable asset and we treat is as such.

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“Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their land’s inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows. These farmer produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery.” — Wendell Berry

As I read this quote by Wendell Berry, I pondered about our family farm. Are we really good land stewards?

I started by breaking down the question. Good land stewardship means to “take care of” the land. We are God’s caretakers. The big question is, what constitutes good land stewardship? How ARE we taking care of the land? My view of taking care of the land means “to not harm the soils or environment, but protect it and even enhance it”. So are farmers, using modern agriculture techniques, able to be good land stewards and not harm the soils or the environment?

There are a number of processes a farmer goes through to raise a crop. The first and foremost process is to prepare a favorable seed bed. To prepare a favorable seed bed the soil needs to be tilled after the previous crop. Tilling helps to break down crop residue (stalks, stems, leaves) and incorporate the residue into the soil, which results in soil organic material. This is similar to rototilling our gardens.

Next, a plan to replace soil nutrients lost during the previous growing season. In addition, another plan on how to protect the new crop from weeds and insects. The details of these steps are dependent on the type of farming, whether conventional or organic.

How do farmers replace soil nutrients? One way is to use a natural soil nutrient replacement such as animal waste. In our opinion we feel animal waste or manure is a superior soil nutrient replacement. The ultimate recycling program. In addition to soybeans and corn, we raise hogs. All our hog manure is applied to our soil. If there is not enough animal manure, we apply other nutrients from our local coop.

How does a farmer know what and how much nutrients his soil needs? Soil testing. We work with a local coop, NuWay, who have agronomists (crop experts) that take soil samples. These samples are sent to a lab to be analyzed. The results will not only show exactly what and how much nutrients needed, but precisely where they need to be placed. Our soil tests show that our fertility level has increased over the past several years.

How does a farmer know what type of crop protection is needed? Most farmers will meet with agronomy experts to discuss different crop protection(against weeds and insects) options and which options are the best for each farm. What may work best on one farm does not mean it will be best for every farm.

What advantage does biotech give farmers? One big advantage of biotech is the in-seed technologies and high-tech equipment allows farmers to put fertilizers and crop protectants right where the seed needs it. The result? Less fertilizers and less crop protectants, which is better for the environment and people.

Fall tillage is another area that has changed over the years. Farmers are very aware of the negative effects of soil erosion. There are now pieces of tillage equipment that result in less soil erosion. On our farm we use minimum tillage. Minimum tillage is a soil conservation method of tilling.The nature of our soils in this part of the country does not make no-till on a large scale very practical. Here is a 30-second video I took last year as I was tilling a field. Take note of the seagulls! I love when the seagulls show up!

In addition, farmers are looking at cover crops. Cover crops also help with erosion and provide nutrients to the soil. We have not personally used cover crops but we continue to learn about them to determine if there is a place to use them on our farm.

Another concern about modern ag is growing monocultures. This simply means growing more of the same crop, which results in less crop rotation.

Why do farmers grow monocultures? Which crops to grow is a very complex decision for farmers. Many times it is a market need or the need for feed (such as corn) if the farmer has livestock. A farmer needs a market to sell his crop and if a market indicates a particular crop is needed, many farmers will do that. Let me state that farmers are NOT under any direction from any company on what to plant. It is completely the farmer’s choice. And, yes, economics does play a part. At the end of the day, crop expenses need to be paid and we need to put food on the table.

Can you grow monocultures and still be a good land steward? I think many would agree the jury is still out on that one. Again, from a soil perspective, replacing and preserving soil nutrients is good land stewardship. But there are some definite advantages to crop rotation.

Environmental stewards? Also part of being a good land steward is to improve the environment. One way we do that is plant trees. We love trees! We actually took down 3 older trees earlier this spring, but in turn, planted 30 new trees And as you can see from the picture, we love evergreen trees! Last year’s drought took its toll on some of the small evergreens, but we replanted new ones and replaced those that succumbed to the drought.

We plant trees because it is the right thing to do and it’s good for the environment. And as the quote said above, we love the scenery of trees and we love wildlife. And many people forget that farmers feed wildlife every year. They just seem to help themselves to the corn and soybean fields!

And the great thing is farmers are not regulated to be land stewards. At the end of the day, no one is closer to the land than a farmer. And it only behooves him to treat the land resources the best he can because the land will reward him. Reward him so the land can be passed onto the next generation.

So I ask you, are today’s farmers good land stewards?