How Far Can Poultry Litter Go? A New Technology for Litter Transport

Abstract

Exporting northwest Arkansas excess turkey and broiler litter to partially fertilize nutrient-deficient cropland in eastern Arkansas can be more cost effective than to supply all crop nutrients with chemical fertilizer only, given current high fertilizer prices. Cost savings are greater if litter is baled in ultraviolet resistant plastic and transported via truck, since backhaul opportunities reduce truck rates, or alternatively, if raw litter is shipped via a truck-barge combination. Rice is the crop that allows for greater savings according to a mathematical programming model implemented in General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS).

Alternative Poultry Litter Storage for Improved Transportation and Use as a Soil Amendment

“…Poultry litter applications were applied in the model on the basis of observed crop and hay acreage at the county level (USDA-NASS, 2009) and achievement of 32.5 mg kg −1 M3-P, which established an aggregate demand for P. Current average soil P levels were estimated using soil test samples from Oklahoma State University's Soil Testing Laboratory, which contains records of 65,000 soil samples. Consistent with Carreira et al (2007), poultry litter was valued using commercial fertilizer prices to establish nutrient prices for N, P, and K (Oklahoma State University NPK, 2010). Table 1 was then used to value poultry litter on a weight basis (i.e., the estimate of Φ NPK ) based on the measured concentrations of N, P, and K in the poultry litter.…”

“…An increase in the C-to-N ratio occurs due to the typical application of materials with C-to-N ratio higher than the litter (i.e., "bulking agents"); this increase in C:N makes the material less desirable as an agronomic fertilizer by reducing the PAN content of the material. Since litter value (monetary) is currently based on the amounts of N, P, and K contained in "as is" litter, any increase in nutrient concentration and reduction in moisture content will increase litter value on a weight basis and increase the effi ciency in which nutrients could be transported (Carreira et al, 2007). Th e increase in value would allow for greater transport distances per unit mass of litter.…”

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

“…Poultry litter applications were applied in the model based on observed crop and hay acreage at the county level (NASS 2009) and achievement of 32.5 mg kg -1 M3-P, which established an aggregate demand for P. Current average soil P levels were estimated using soil test samples from Oklahoma State University's Soil Testing Laboratory, which contains records of 65,000 soil samples. Consistent with Carreira et al (2007), poultry litter, swine effluent, and beef manure was valued using commercial fertilizer prices to establish nutrient prices for N, P, and K (Oklahoma State University Nutrient Management; NPK, 2010). The model used results from previous field experiments discussed in the previous section to value poultry litter, swine effluent, and beef manure on a weight basis (i.e.…”

“…At 62% dry matter content, beef feedlot manure had NPK contents of 1.2%, 1.05%, and 1.25%. 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).…”

“…"bulking agents"); this increase in C:N makes the material less desirable as an agronomic fertilizer by reducing the plant available nitrogen (PAN) content of the material. Since litter value (monetary) is currently based on the amounts of N, P, and K contained in "as is" litter, any increase in nutrient concentration and reduction in moisture content will increase litter value on a weight basis and increase the efficiency in which nutrients could be transported (Carreira et al, 2007). This increase in value would allow for greater transport distances per unit mass of litter.…”