Dairy Farm Recycling

It's a fact--if you have cows, you have manure. 

Recycling cow manure is an important part of our  dairy farming operation.

Hauling manure  doesn't happen every day but it's on the weekly

 to do list.  In between hauling events,  the manure that our cows

 produce is stored in a large concrete pit by the dairy barn or in the

 dry stacking area  in the feed barn. 

All of our storage areas meet the requirements of the 

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

Nutrient management plans  are designed specifically for our farm by

 engineers and technicians. The plans  guide the amount,source, 

placement and timing of manure  to fertilize the soil and

 improve the water holding capacity for crop fields and pastures.

                                                                       

Storing and hauling manure is all about protecting the environment

 for our cows, our farm, our family and our neighbors and is important

 to the sustainability of our farm.

               

Dairy Going Green in August

It's hard to believe we still have green grass in August!

You won't find any Northwest Arkansas  farmers complaining about the great hay harvest of 2015 but the amount of rain that occurred in late spring and early summer and the intermittent showers through the summer have pushed our normal hay cutting schedule closer to fall harvest time of other crops.

Hay fields are part of our dairy farm recycling plan...

fields are fertilized with the cow manure from our dairy cows.

Once all the bales are removed from the field, we can apply cow manure based on our farm's nutrient management plan that guides the amount,source, placement and timing of manure on fields.

We're not only recycling  a nutrient, we're protecting the groundwater by applying the manure to a crop that will absorb it!

One great thing about August hay cutting--the hay dries very fast!

                                                 August heat doesn't help the farmers' attitude
                                                                            but
                                             you can see a smile when he's counting  the bales!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

While I was  mowing along the fence yesterday, grass clippings blew within reach of these soon to be mama cows. Although our pregnant cows  enjoy grazing in the pasture and are fed a  special balanced and nutritious  diet to prepare them for calving, they were enjoying the grass clippings like kids in a candy store.

                                       I'm thankful for these unexpected moments that bring a smile
                                 and for the  appreciation I have  for these perfect recycling experts!

Dairy Recycling Fights Drought

Even though winter isn't over yet in Arkansas,   it's easy to feel a touch of spring fever when I look across the lush green rye grass that our cows will be enjoying in a few weeks as part of their nutritious balanced diet. This crop is extremely important to our dairy farm's sustainability as we work to recover from last year's devastating drought.

 Dairy recycling is managed year round on our farm by a  plan designed specifically for the amount of cow manure produced on our farm. By utilizing the cow manure produced on our dairy farm to fertilize crop lands, the water holding capacity of the soil is increased,   the groundwater is protected  by   the crop absorbing  the manure  nutrients and  the amount of commercial fertilizer that would be needed is decreased.

    Our commitment to producing high-quality milk means taking good care of our cows and the land!

Dairy Recycling

While shuffling papers and doing computer work this afternoon in the office, I kept hearing a constant whirring sound.  When I looked out the front window, I could see the tractor and hay mower in the field next to the house moving quickly across the field cutting hay. It was the perfect time and a good excuse  for leaving  the paperwork)  to  walk across the yard, smell the freshly mowed hay and capture the beauty of the aftenoon. While watching the hay being mowed, it brought to mind this complete picture of dairy recycling--cows eat the grass, cows produce manure,manure is applied on the land, grass is harvested to feed the cows.

Manure from our cows is a nutrient for the soil, builds up the soil and increases the water holding capacity which benefits crop or pasture growth. Since 1985, our farm has been permitted by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality allowing us to store dry and liquid manure nutrient and use it to fertilize the soil on our farm. Manure is applied to each field in a prescribed amount that is guided by our farm plan that was designed by environmental engineers and technicians.

Dairy recycling is an ongoing manure management method on our farm that protects water quality for us and our  neighbors and contributes to the sustainability of our family farm!