Demand for bio-based fertilizers from dairy manure in Washington State: a small-scale discrete choice experiment

Abstract

The use of bio-based fertilizers derived from dairy manure can provide a valuable source of fertility, improve soil health and provide an outlet for manure from dairy operations. We conducted a small-scale discrete choice survey of crop farmers and crop consultants in Washington State to determine the attributes that were important to them in the potential use of a bio-based fertilizer product derived from dairy manure. Of the attributes examined, distribution channel was not statistically significant. Respondents preferred air-dried or pelletized forms to wet forms, though there was no statistically significant difference between air-dried and pelletized forms. As expected, uptake increased as price decreased. Our results imply that respondents would be willing to pay 23 and 39% more for an air-dried or pelletized product, respectively, than for a ‘semi-wet’ product. Our results indicate that there are other important attributes beyond the ones in the survey that led respondents to stay with their current fertilizer regime. Qualitative responses in the survey pointed to the need for field trial results and data on nitrogen release from the bio-based fertilizer. Greater understanding of willingness-to-pay and attributes important to potential end users is important for the development of markets for bio-based fertilizers.

Short‐term effects of nitrogen source on soil properties and plant growth

“…Positive relations between accumulated soil CO 2 efflux and corresponding aboveground dry weight biomass at each harvest (33,65,and 125 DAP) were found when plotted together (Figure 4) Linear regressions were made between .71, and .58, respectively. Higher cumulative soil CO 2 efflux found in ORG-N treatments agree with reports of higher rates observed in organic vs. conventional treated soils (Mancinelli et al, 2010). This may be attributed to the ORG-N treatment being poultry manure-based, which has been shown to affect N availability (Hills et al, 2020). The overall positive relations between soil CO 2 emission rates and plant production shown in Figure 4 have been reported in other studies (Ding et al, 2007; F I G U R E 5 Soil aggregate stability assessed using the wet mean weight diameter (WMWD) from samples collected at the end of the experiment for inorganic N (UAN-32), organic N (ORG-N), and no N added (no-N) treatments Mancinelli et al, 2010).…”

“…Higher cumulative soil CO 2 efflux found in ORG‐N treatments agree with reports of higher rates observed in organic vs. conventional treated soils (Mancinelli et al., 2010). This may be attributed to the ORG‐N treatment being poultry manure‐based, which has been shown to affect N availability (Hills et al., 2020). The overall positive relations between soil CO 2 emission rates and plant production shown in Figure 4 have been reported in other studies (Ding et al., 2007; Mancinelli et al., 2010).…”

Circulation of nutrients through bio-based fertilizer products: perspectives from farmers, suppliers, and civil society

“…The results from this study imply that, for BFPs to be preferred by farmers, they need to have similar characteristics as mineral fertilizers in addition to being cheaper (~65% of the price of mineral fertilizers). A survey among Washington State farmers in the US (Hills et al, 2021) pointed to the need for data from field trials and data on N release from BFPs to increase famers' willingness to adopt these products. Though a few studies have already examined farmers' preferences and expectations for BFPs, the study of suppliers' opportunities and challenges regarding the production and marketing of BFPs is limited (Bressanelli et al, 2019).…”

Dairy cattle manure utilization by smallholder dairy farmers in West Java, Indonesia

“…In addition to fresh milk and other products, dairy farms produce waste such as manure. Manure can have economic value if processed and utilized appropriately, such as for biogas [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and fertilizer [9][10][11]. However, most dairy farmers in this region discharge it into their surroundings [12][13][14].…”