What might hog manure do for soil health?
A recent study aimed to gather data from 14 family farms—totaling more than 14,000 acres in Iowa’s Raccoon River Watershed—that receive manure from hog farms to determine soil health and water quality sustainability.
As part of Iowa Select Farms’ Smart Soil Partnership Program, the study was conducted by a Des Moines-based sustainability consulting firm, Sustainable Environmental Consultants, and funded by the National Pork Board.
The findings indicate consistent hog manure usage as fertilizer can positively impact overall soil health, specifically:
• Soil erosion rate of fields in the study was 0.64 tons per acre (T/ac). The national average is 4.6 T/ac, and Iowa’s average is 5.9 T/ac.
• The Soil Conditioning Index (SCI) tool provided by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service indicated the fields’ trajectories are positive overall.
• 1,556 tons of soil was saved from erosion, which equates to 97 dump trucks of soil, 38 tons of nitrogen and 7 tons of phosphorous.
The average cost savings from manure applied to 7,534 acres was estimated to be $152 per acre based on a reduced need for commercial nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium resulting in a total savings of $1.1 million, the report explains.
“These types of studies are complex and nuanced and involve a variety of variables, but the results clearly indicate the importance of a strong manure management plan combined with other conservation practices can, indeed, impact soil health and help protect water quality,” says Anne Dinges, director of agronomics at Sustainable Environmental Consultants.
Iowa Select Farms hopes the study findings will encourage others in responsible manure management and increase health of the soil and the environment.
“We are pleased this study supports our overall principle that hog manure, when applied appropriately, has a positive impact on soil health. Now we have the data that provides measurable numbers and a direct correlation between responsible manure management and conservation practices and improving soil health—all of which helps combat soil erosion and protect water quality,” says Erica Lain, sustainability manager at Iowa Select Farms.
The full report is made available by Iowa Select Farms.
