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Reducing Costs for Bedding and Energy on Organic Dairy Farms

Reducing Costs for Bedding and Energy on Organic Dairy Farms. Matt Smith Doctoral Student in Natural Resources Dr. John Aber Professor and Provost University of New Hampshire. Origins of Project. UNH meeting with o rganic producers and farmers to determine areas of research need

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Reducing Costs for Bedding and Energy on Organic Dairy Farms

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  1. Reducing Costs for Bedding and Energy on Organic Dairy Farms Matt Smith Doctoral Student in Natural Resources Dr. John Aber Professor and Provost University of New Hampshire

  2. Origins of Project • UNH meeting with organic producers and farmers to determine areas of research need • Conclusion of meeting: • Require lower input costs (feed, energy, and bedding) • Our focus  Energy and bedding

  3. Our Research • Step 1 - Produce animal bedding from on-farm woodlot (reducing carbon and nitrogen imports/saves money). • Major component - Develop shaving model for farmers to use on the economic feasibility of shaving ones own wood. • Step 2 - Use spent animal bedding (high carbon), and mix with manure (high nitrogen), to produce optimal compost mix (stabilizes nitrogen ) • Step 3 - Capture metabolic heat from microorganisms in the compost using heat exchanges, to heat water (130-140F) for use in sanitization and greenhouse. • Step 4 - Sell compost and export nitrogen off farm, balancing N cycle.

  4. Step 1: Establish bedding benchmark - Analyze current bedding at UNH (cost/quality/quantity) • Input material – kiln-dried eastern white pine (EWP) shavings • Comfortable for cows • Clean/soft • Regionally available (although declining) • Use to be relatively inexpensive • Compatible with manure system UNH 12/2012 White pine shaving delivery to UNH Organic Dairy (moving floor 18-wheeler)

  5. Bedding cost at UNH • Cost $1800-$2100/TL ($600 in freight from 100 miles away) • Higher costs in the winter months (reduced availability due to reduction in manufacturing • Roughly $74,000-$85,000 per year for farm system 11/2012 delivery to UNH Equine Center

  6. Solution to Reduce Cost @ UNH Organic Dairy • Produce bedding from on-farm sources (160 acre woodlot) with a shaving machine • Uses 4’ or 8’ logs 2-24’’ in diameter “shaving log” • Only softwoods can be used (hardwoods not suitable bedding) • Most likely bedding source (and highest grade = eastern white pine) • Cost = $60,000 (Tremzac 2012)

  7. Accomplishments Thus Far • Built “On-farm animal bedding production model” • Allows for quick analysis of whether it is economical for a farmer (or institution) to purchase a shaving machine – justified UNH purchase • Harvested 1 acre to feed UNH shaving machine • Completed stem-analysis on 50 harvested EWP trees UNH 8/2012 1 acre patch cut @ Organic Dairy

  8. Continued Research for Bedding Project • Purchase shaving machine and test/refine model before it is released • Test eastern white pine against eastern hemlock as a bedding source (microbial counts, cost of shaving, cow comfort, etc.) • Test various low-cost methods to drying bedding – kiln driers are at least $50,000 (not economical for small farmer) • Develop a “cookbook” on growing pine for the purpose of producing animal bedding (underway and close to finished)

  9. Phase 2 of Project – Heat-recovery Composting Facility UNH compost heat-recovery facility 12/2012

  10. Background on Compost heat-recovery facility • Facility donated to UNH by private donor • Goal of facility is to prove heat-recovery technology, and to see whether it is economically feasible for small-mid-sized dairies in Northeast • Facility is only the 3rd in the world using this technology (only institution). • Uses isobar heat pipe technology (fancy name for a giant heat exchanger)

  11. How it works – Big Picture (Acrolab 2012)

  12. Research Objectives to Complete • Determine optimal recipe (CN, moisture, bulk density) to crank out the most BTU’s over 120 day composting cycle • Determine optimal aeration intensity • Test to see if intermittent high-nitrogen charges increase heat output to justify time/cost • Test various compost covers to see if temperature increases enough to justify time/cost • Compare various feedstock mixing options (bucket method, manure spreader, grain mixer, etc) on heat recovery • Many more to mention…. (including greenhouse)

  13. Basic experimental design • Each compost bay represents 1 month of material (4 bays), and will be divided for 2 treatments per bay (8 mini bays) • Experiments will have 3 replicates (meaning 3 batches of 120 days each will be compared) • Comparisons for all studies will be on heat recovery converted to BTU’s

  14. References • Lancaster, K.F., and Leak, W.B. 1978. A silvicultural guide for white pine in the northeast. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report NE-41. Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Broomall, Pennsylvania, USA. • Wendel, G.W., Smith, H.G. 1990. Pinus strobus L. Eastern White Pine. Silvics of north America, Conifers. Agric. Hand b. 654. Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, pp. 476-488. • Wilson, R.W., and McQuilkin, W.F. 1965. In Silvics of forest trees of the United States. p. 329-337. H.A. Fowells, comp. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook 271. Washington DC.

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