Question: Composting Dairy Manure

BRONSON@kbs.msu.edu
Mon, 21 Mar 1994 15:46:51 -0500 (EST)

I have been working on a farm scale composting demonstration for
an Ag. Exp. Station farm in Michigan. We are about to expand from
a simple and small pilot program to an operation where we hope to
eventually compost a large portion of our dairy manure with
leaves and other bulking materials from a neighboring lawn care
company. My experience so far is that we can produce a relatively
good product by mixing the proper components (correct C:N ratio)
and then watching the moisture content and turning when the
temperature reaches about 140 degrees F. Others with about
equal experience tell me that it is more important to monitor
CO2 content to determine when to turn the windrows. Does anyone
have any suggestions concerning this?

Also does anyone have an opinion about whether windrows should
be covered or not? I hear all kinds of reasons for both yes and no.

Our goal is to produce a saleable product of a quality level that
can be used as a soil amendment, but we must do this within a limited
budget so expensive monitoring equipment is not an option at this time.

I would appreciate any input folks might have about these questions.
Thanks.

Jim Bronson
IN%"bronson@kbs.msu.edu"