Now That's What I Call Recycling!!

Late last night, our crews finished the last major field work project of the year - hauling manure.  By taking the nutrients that pass through the cows and appling them to the fields it means we won't have to rely on commercial fertilizer which helps keep our environment greener!

The process of getting this done right is quite complex.  We begin with taking samples of the soil in 5 acre increments and determining how much nitrogen and phosphorus are already present.  Then we have to know what crop will be going in each field the next year - each crop has different needs in terms of nutients.  The difference between the needs of the crop and what is present in the soil is what we put on.  The manure is also sampled to determine how much is present in each gallon. 

The above picutre shows the actual application in the field.  The trucks are opperated by a custom manure hauler and our folks staff the tractor and disk that follows behind to make sure that the product gets worked into the soil.  This practice prevents runoff and reduces odor for folks living nearby.

Now it's time to sit tight until next spring - at which time we will again begin the process of planting and harvesting feeds for the cows from these same fields.  The nutrients are taken up in the crop, fed to the cows and the cycle repeats - all this to produce one of natures most wholesome foods - MILK.  Recycling at it's finest!