Economic Profitability of Sustained Application of Swine Lagoon Effluent and Beef Feedlot Manure Relative to Anhydrous Ammonia in the Oklahoma Panhandle

Abstract

With the rapid growth of swine (Sus scrofa domestica) production in the Oklahoma Panhandle, animal waste management has become a growing concern. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the long-term eff ects of equivalent nitrogen rates of swine lagoon effl uent (SE), beef manure (BM), and commercial fertilizer on the yield and economic returns of irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) grown on calcareous Gruver silt loam soil (fi ne, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Paleustoll) near Goodwell, Oklahoma. A randomized, complete-block, split-plot design with three replications was used to test the main eff ects of N source (NS) and equivalent N application rates (NR) of 56, 168, and 504 kg N ha -1 . Both BM and SE generated signifi cantly (P < 0.05) higher corn yields than anhydrous ammonia (AA) across the main eff ect of NS. Greater separation of mean corn yields was found among NS as the equivalent NR rate was increased from 56 to 504 kg N ha -1 with the following rankings (P < 0.05): AA = BM = SE at 56 kg N ha -1 , BM = AA ≥ SE at 168 kg N ha -1 , and SE > BM > AA at 504 kg N ha -1 . Both SE and BM generated signifi cantly (P < 0.05) higher economic returns than AA. Th e highest ranked alternatives of economic returns were generated by SE×504 and BM×168. Results indicate that SE and BM can be economically viable substitutes for commercial fertilizer, bringing higher yields and economic benefi ts to producers in the Oklahoma Panhandle. ).Abbreviations: AA, anhydrous ammonia; BM, beef manure; IRR, applied irrigation; NR, equivalent nitrogen rates; NS, nitrogen source; N56, nitrogen applied at 56 kg N ha -1 ; N168, nitrogen applied at 168 kg N ha -1 ; N504, nitrogen applied at 504 kg N ha -1 ; SE, swine lagoon effl uent; YR, year.

Animal Manure as Alternatives to Commercial Fertilizers in the Southern High Plains of the United States: How Oklahoma Can Manage Animal Waste

“…A long-term field experiment was conducted from 1995 to 2007 at the Oklahoma Panhandle Research and Extension Center (OPREC) near Goodwell, Oklahoma (36°35 N, 101°37 W; elevation) to test the efficacy of applying alternative nutrient sources on corn and four types of forage grasses (Park et al, 2010). Annual precipitation and temperature at the Goodwell station are well representative of the climate in the Southern High Plains, with an average rainfall of 435 mm per year and an average temperature of 13.2°C, respectively.…”

“…Transportation, handling, and field application costs for poultry litter used in the economic model (see Equation 3) were obtained from Carreira et al (2007), with values of C ij = $0.10 Mg -1 km -1 , H ij = $18.73 Mg -1 , and A ij = $ 7.72 Mg -1 . The corresponding values for swine effluent and beef manure were obtained from Park et al (2010). The transportation model was solved by maximizing the difference between the BENEFITS and COSTS equations subject to maintaining soil P levels within the prescribed limits dictated by Equation 3.…”

Regulating the land application of manure from animal production facilities in the USA

“…Another idea that has been implemented in some areas is treating manure as a resource to be marketed rather than a waste to be disposed of on nearby fields (Kang et al, 2008). Manure can be used in place of commercial fertilizer to achieve production goals at a cheaper cost (Park et al, 2010).…”

Forage Response to Swine Effluent: A Cox Nonnested Test of Alternative Functional Forms Using a Fast Double Bootstrap

“…With better-adapted cultivars of grasses in an improved forage system, high per-acre yields and profits are possible (Krall and Schuman, 1996). An ongoing challenge for producers is providing an adequate supply of forage throughout the year (Gillen and Berg, 2005;Park et al, 2011) and so there is interest in expanding forage production in this region.…”

“…Moreover, recent shocks in energy and corn markets make animal manure an economically viable alternative to inorganic fertilizer (Park et al, 2010). Manure's economic feasibility is greatly affected by shipping cost because of its lower concentration of crop nutrients than inorganic fertilizers.…”