Save $152 Per Acre with Hog Manure, Study Finds

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 01:57:19 GMT

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.

Thinking Beyond ‘Check The Box’ Carbon Programs

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 21:21:34 GMT

Mitchell Hora, an Iowa farmer and founder of ContinuumAg, says today’s discussions around carbon markets illustrate opportunities for some farmers and also give support to deepen the conversation about agriculture’s role in carbon use and sequestration.

“Today’s carbon programs, are privatized cost share,” he says. “You can get paid to reduce tillage, add cover crops, reduce synthetic fertilizer. The more new things you adopt, the more you could get paid.”

Hora is a speaker at the Online Top Producer Summit. Learn more here.

He says there’s a value in ‘checking the box’ with those additional practices because it’s providing another way for farmers to start focusing on soil health while getting paid up to $40/acre.

“Agriculture is one of the key solutions in a more carbon positive future,” he says.

At the same time, he acknowledges that his own farm in Iowa doesn’t qualify for any of the programs centered on additionality.

“It’s important to help a farmer to better understand their actual carbon footprint: what is their usage, what are their emissions, things like fuel, electricity, fertilizer and more,” he says.

That’s where he is encouraging everyone to get rooted in the principles of soil health.

“I think regenerative ag is a journey ,and it’s a continual implementation of the principles of soil health,” he says.

Here are those 6 principles of soil health:

Maintain soil armor
Minimize disturbance
Living roots always
Foster diversity
Integrate livestock
Context

You can still register for the Online Top Producer Summit, which gives you access to content through March 31. Use the code “VIRTAL” to take 50% off your registration fee.

Soil

Save $152 Per Acre with Hog Manure, Study Finds

Thinking Beyond ‘Check The Box’ Carbon Programs

Hora is a speaker at the Online Top Producer Summit. Learn more here.

Read more coverage of the Top Producer Summit