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Waste Management
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Dairy Waste Pollution
California is the nation's largest dairy producer, with approximately 1.5 million cows that produce over three billion gallons of milk and over 30 million tons of manure annually. There are over 1600 dairy farms in the Central Valley, which has been suffering from air and water quality issues.
Cow manure is a natural and excellent source as a fertilizer, but researchers have also estimated that one cow can emit between 100 to 200 liters of methane per day. This doesn't include the methane that continues to be generated through bacterial decomposition in waste storage lagoons. Methane gas is 25 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
The release of methane gas and the waste piles can cause major pollution problems. Preventing pollution from dairy waste can be a challenge, which requires extensive background and knowledge in animal nutrition, nutrient sources soil types, and precipitation among other factors.
The U.S. EPA continues to revise its waste regulations for dairies with over 700 cows, which are designated concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). CAFO's are defined as animal feeding operations that have the potential to discharge pollution into surface water. Many different efforts have been conducted for operators to better manage the pollution the CAFO's and other dairies produce.
Water Pollution
Runoffs from corrals can wash manure into streams and rivers, while major storms can cause waste water lagoons to overflow into other nearby waterways. The waste water from the corrals, waste storage lagoons and when too much manure has been applied as fertilizer can also seep into groundwater.
Water Pollution
Runoffs from corrals can wash manure into streams and rivers, while major storms can cause waste water lagoons to overflow into other nearby waterways. The waste water from the corrals, waste storage lagoons and when too much manure has been applied as fertilizer can also seep into groundwater.
As the nutrients from the manure enter waterways, it can deplete the water body's dissolved oxygen levels as they begin to decompose, killing fish and other aquatic life. In groundwater, nitrate levels can increase to unhealthy levels, which can cause Blue Baby Syndrome, a potentially fatal blood disorder if the water is consumed. In addition, if drinking water supplies are compromised by high levels of microorganisms or nitrate exceeding the standards in the Safe Drinking Water Act, well owners must find new water sources, causing furthuer difficult and expensive problems.
What to do about it? Several solutions to mitigate this problem include applying watertight plastic or clay waste liners, that can prevent contaminants from seeping into the sides of lagoons. Buffer strips made permanent strips of vegetation between fields and water ways can also be used to absorb nutrients that would otherwise enter waterways as polluted runoff.
Air Pollution
The decomposition of animal wastes in the dairy can cause methane and ammonia gases to be released into the atmosphere. Methane contributes to greenhouse gases, which can lead to global warming, while ammonia can cause respiratory problems, as fine particulate matter formulates in the air. Dust generated from animal activity also causes respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
Air Pollution
The decomposition of animal wastes in the dairy can cause methane and ammonia gases to be released into the atmosphere. Methane contributes to greenhouse gases, which can lead to global warming, while ammonia can cause respiratory problems, as fine particulate matter formulates in the air. Dust generated from animal activity also causes respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
What to do about this? The methane emissions can be captured and used as an energy source through methane digesters, that can reduce the odor and the release of methane, but the systems are expensive and require a large amount of manure. Dust suppressants can be used to reduce airborne dust.
There is no one best way to prevent these pollutions from occurring, but the U.S. EPA continues to find better technology to help mitigate these problems.
There is no one best way to prevent these pollutions from occurring, but the U.S. EPA continues to find better technology to help mitigate these problems.
Waste Management
No dairy is complete without a comprehensive waste management plan. All dairies produce waste, be they organic or conventional. The larger the dairy, the more the waste. We don’t shy away from this phenomenon, however. We recognize that an element of our good stewardship of the earth is to take a proactive approach. There are two main types of waste we deal with on our organic dairies -- solid and liquid -- and two main components of our waste management program to deal with them.
Composting/Solid Waste Management: We daily collect solid waste from our corrals, bedding, loafing sheds and everywhere else it may be deposited. We take this manure, mix it with straw if necessary, lay it out in windrows and let it convert to compost. This process takes about two to four months. As the compost becomes ready to use, we apply it on our own fields as rich organic fertilizer and also give it to our farmer-partners to use on their fields. In this way, we create a closed cycle that benefits all involved. Our compost feeds the crop fields. The crops feed our cows. Our cows make manure, which becomes compost to fertilize the fields. This is exactly how this type of waste was managed in the early days of agriculture. Humans, animals and plants become part of a single ecosystem that mutually benefits them all.
One of the best things about organic compost is that it builds the health of the soil. Manure collected into pits, as is a common practice on some dairies, can then turn into dangerous environmental pollution as it seeps into water tables or runs-off into water systems.
Water Recycling/Liquid Waste Management: We seek ways to recycle and reuse, while minimizing our overall water use. All liquid waste and wash water from our milk plant are recycled. The first rinse wash water from our milk plant, a mixture of clean wash water and some milk solids, is recycled back to the dairy farm for our cows. The remaining water used to clean our plant is treated in an innovative water pre-treatment facility using an aerobic digester, after which it is sent to the local municipal sanitation district. Water from the milk parlor washes goes to containment ponds, where it is aerobically digested, then applied to our organic pasture and fields to water and fertilize the grass and crops.
In addition to water recycling and pretreatment, we monitor run-off. We strive to ensure that we are not contributing any waste to the local water table. We test the water before it passes by us and we test it after. In this way, we can ensure that we do not contribute any agricultural pollutants to the delicate water systems of these arid areas.
No good organic dairy should be without a systematic waste treatment program.
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Mar 19, 2010
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