The North American Manure Exposition--Missouri

[greybeard]

I never knew there was such a thing. Never knew govt (and other) scientists spend a lot of time and energy working on ways to make pig, cow and chicken poop smell good either, but here is just a short excerpt:

PEORIA, Ill.— Terry Whitehead's lab here is stocked with glass boiling flasks, Bunsen burners—and cans of extra-strength air freshener.

The microbiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture works with pig manure in a quest for something that has largely eluded scientists and entrepreneurs: an affordable way to clear the air in farm country.

In a region where hogs can outnumber people, Mr. Whitehead's research is the ultimate icebreaker.

"First, you say, 'I work with manure,' and they say, 'What?' Then you say, 'Odor,' and they say, 'Thank God,' " says the lanky 57-year-old, who recently attended the North American Manure Expo in Missouri. ("It would be a real waste" to miss it, the event website says.)


Efforts to combat the acrid odor of swine manure, which typically is stored in giant pits, have increased as farms get bigger and suburbs creep closer. The smell can pit neighbor against neighbor, sparking complaints and court battles, not to mention environmental concerns.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/governme ... picks=true

 

[Son of Butch]

I never knew there was such a thing. Never knew govt (and other) scientists spend a lot of time and energy working on ways to make pig, cow and chicken poop smell good either,

And I thought it was only city slickers that didn't know that there is an entire industry devoted to manure management.

Manure produces 4 dangerous gases, methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
In large scale cattle, hog and poultry confinement systems the storage of manure is a big issue.
It is has nothing to do about making manure smell good

[here's a tip...perfume just masks scents, take a shower to eliminate body odor]

It's about safely dispersing these gases and doing so eliminates the odors of 2 of them, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
Methane and carbon dioxide are both odorless, but harmful and manure can produce heavy enough concentrations lethal to people and livestock. Both carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are heavier than air. I know of an instance where a hydrogen sulfide cloud formed over a large outdoor lagoon and then on a day with high humidity and low wind carried to a nearby valley causing entire families to develop splitting headaches. Manure pits are much more dangerous than lagoons because of the gases that collect more easily in them. There have been a lot of cases of livestock deaths and even a few people have died as the result of improper manure management. Not to mention ground water contamination of farm wells and drinking water.

 

[inyati13]

I never knew there was such a thing. Never knew govt (and other) scientists spend a lot of time and energy working on ways to make pig, cow and chicken poop smell good either,

And I thought it was only city slickers that didn't know that there is an entire industry devoted to manure management.

Manure produces 4 dangerous gases, methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
In large scale cattle, hog and poultry confinement systems the storage of manure is a big issue.
It is has nothing to do about making manure smell good

[here's a tip...perfume just masks scents, take a shower to eliminate body odor]

It's about safely dispersing these gases and doing so eliminates the odors of 2 of them, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
Methane and carbon dioxide are both odorless, but harmful and manure can produce heavy enough concentrations lethal to people and livestock. Both carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are heavier than air. I know of an instance where a hydrogen sulfide cloud formed over a large outdoor lagoon and then on a day with high humidity and low wind carried to a nearby valley causing entire families to develop splitting headaches. Manure pits are much more dangerous than lagoons because of the gases that collect more easily in them. There have been a lot of cases of livestock deaths and even a few people have died as the result of improper manure management. Not to mention ground water contamination of farm wells and drinking water.

Yep. I think this is one example where research is a good payback. Better that we manage the issue than eliminate the source like some have suggested.

 

[Dave]

There is a large number of scientist working from all different angles on manure. If you use manure to fertilize a field you are always applying more Phosphorus than needed in relationship to N and K. I have a friend who is a research scientist who is working on a way to economically extract that excess P from manure.
I wish I had known about the manure exposition I might have gone. I went to one years ago called "manure madness". I learned a lot.

 

[greybeard]

I guess I've never been around that much shyt before. No big poultry, dairy, or pig farms around here--closest I've ever come is cleaning out the barn and sheds a couple times/year.

 

[HDRider]

I guess I've never been around that much shyt before. No big poultry, dairy, or pig farms around here--closest I've ever come is cleaning out the barn and sheds a couple times/year.

5 killed in methane gas accident on Virginia dairy farm poisonous fumes accumulated in manure pit
By Dionne Walker, Associated Press | July 4, 2007

BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- Deadly methane gas emanating from a dairy farm's manure pit killed five people: a Mennonite farmer who climbed into the pit to unclog a pipe, and then in a frantic rescue attempt that failed, his wife, two young daughters, and a farmhand who tried to help.

Three More Farmers Die In Farm Manure Pit Accident - Incident underscores the extreme importance of following safety precautions in this dangerous farm work environment.
Published on: Jun 11, 201

Last Wednesday, Northeast agriculture lost three more farmers – killed in a manure pit accident. Maryland State Police and subsequent autopsies confirmed that Glen Nolt and teenage sons Kelvin and Cleason died, likely after Cleason was somehow caught in a pit agitator propeller. The others likely succumbed to pit gases while trying to rescue him.


Nearly 600 residents of Eastern North Carolina have notified Smithfield Foods that they plan to file lawsuits charging that stench, flies and pollution from the world's largest pork producer have deprived them of the use and enjoyment of their property.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/07/ ... rylink=cpy