A scientist with the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service is looking to African herdsmen for ways to manage the tons of animal waste that are produced each year on dairy farms.
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Mark Powell, an agroecologist at the agency’s US Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin, studies how nutrients are cycled on dairy farms. According to Powell, one dairy cow excretes about eight gallons of urine and the same amount of manure every day. This waste contains natural fertilisers like nitrogen and phosphorus that can be applied to fields to give forage crops a boost. But if they’re not spread out properly, the nutrients can build up in soils and could filter into waterways.
Now, after spending 15 years in West Africa watching traditional pastoral societies herd their animals, Powell says he has discovered an approach that optimises the waste’s potential, while also being better for the environment.
Because manure is African herdsmen’s only fertiliser, they don’t waste any of it – they situate their animals directly onto croplands being prepared for the next season’s plantings. Eventually, the animals are shifted from one section of the field to another, their hooves tilling the waste into the soil.
In contrast, most US dairy farmers keep their cows indoors and truck the manure daily out to fields. In his studies with this system, which he calls “corralling”, Powell found that farmers who let their cows gather directly onto fields can watch their crop production nearly double, while saving on fertiliser costs. It may also please consumers to know that livestock has been able to get a breath of fresh air.
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By GlobalData
