compost update

[quackattak]

Just turning & drying cow manure now. After processing with the scarab 4-5 times we run it through the trommel. The rows are taken from large piles of manure, we load the haul trucks out of the piles with a Cat 980c and the trucks dump into rows. The left rows on the last pic are unprocessed and the right rows have been processed once. The scarab turns the piles inside out so after about 4-5 hours the outside is fairly dry again. I'll send more updates later, still learning only the first week.

 

[Monte1255]

processing compost

Are you composting from one source or do you have many dairy's sending to you? Around here there a few guys using "cow solids" for bedding instead of sawdust and sand. Do You use "solids" for bedding as well?

 

[atgreene]

Great pics, keep 'em coming!

 

[quackattak]

more pics

All we are doing now is manure that has gone through the separator (pic #3). The ally ways are flushed with water from a large holding cell, all the manure and water dump back into the cell and then is pumped through the separator. Most water is separated from the manure and dumped into separate holding concrete cells to settle. The manure is piled under the conveyor then taken by the loader and used to make settling ponds. Once the banks are made we pump the settled manure and water out the concrete holding cells into the portable cells. After some time to dry the loader mixes the ponds and banks together and stacks it all into a pile. All clean water goes through a system of three lagoons and is eventually used for irrigation.
All bedding is done in the winter months with straw, depending on the weather the straw gets pushed up into piles so new straw can be spread in the corrals. The haul trucks are used to haul the straw out of the corrals, the straw is piled up so it can dry out and be spread on fields. We will try the composter when the straw dries out a little, very curios on how it will work. There are always 2500-2800 cows milking plus all the young stock, dry cows etc. All manure is only from this dairy.

 

[mustbecrazy]

Quackattack, thank you for posting. I find it interesting to see parts of an industry that we kind of ignore, we just drink the milk and don't realize all work involved, and the efforts people go to to try to make it more efficient. gene