Decreasing the Smell When Using Liquid Manure Spreaders
Every time you use your liquid manure spreaders, your whole farm smells for days. This situation is a typical farmer problem but is also an annoying one. It can even be costly if your neighbors complain about your farm’s smell and try to either bring lawsuits to your door or complain enough that you get fined. As a result, you need to do what you can to decrease the smell of your liquid manure.
The following tips will help to keep your liquid manure smell from being too potent naturally. They are typically better utilized in storage pools but should be considered when applying your manure as well. Some of these tips will require you to take actions that you may feel uncomfortable doing, so make sure that you keep your manure professional’s number nearby if you try them on your own.
Keep Your Manure Flat
When using liquid manure spreaders, you should try to keep your pile as flat as possible when spreading and storing your fertilizer. This process isn’t too complicated but does require you to pay special attention to your pile at all times. For example, you may pull out some manure early in the year and cause your liquid manure level to fall and cause the smell to get worse.
Why does the level of your manure minimize the smell? Simply put, keeping your manure flat reduces the movement of your fertilizer and also prevents it from going too far over your pool’s edge. This step helps to decrease the potency of any smells that may come off of the pool. Just as importantly, it also keeps your manure levels at a reasonable state and ensures that it doesn’t overflow.
So make sure that you check your levels periodically throughout the year and try to keep them level whenever possible. This issue is typically more of a problem with solid fertilizer but can impact your liquid manure as well. For example, you may have slightly solid materials in your pool that you use from time to time. Make sure that you keep these flat and even on your pile.
Lastly, make sure that you check your pile’s dampness occasionally to ensure that it isn’t drying out. Liquid manure is likely any type of fluid and can evaporate if you aren’t careful. Thankfully, you should be able to prevent this problem by keeping your pile covered as much as possible and keeping it in the shade. This step also helps to avoid excessive smells from escaping.
Mix Carbon Materials With Your Manure
Before you use your liquid manure spreaders, you should make sure to spread organic material throughout your pool. This step is smart because it helps to minimize smells by killing the odor-causing bacteria in your manure. Try this option with both your solid and liquid fertilizer, choosing the items that you use correctly to ensure that they don’t cause any issues with your compost.
For example, you can use items like dried leaves and sphagnum peat moss in your liquid fertilizer. These items can be broken down into very small bits and pieces that spread more quickly through your liquid manure. Your solid manure may need items such as straw or more solid types of organic material. The sub-types don’t matter much, as long as you make sure to spread them evenly.
Organic material is also crucial for managing the heat levels of your manure as well. Without the best level of these materials in your pool, the nitrogen in the fertilizer will capture too much heat from the air and cause excessive heat levels in your manure. This problem is one that can not only increase the stench of your storage tank but cause other issues as well.
For example, excessive heat will kill the beneficial bacteria that help to break down your manure and make it useful for your farm. This situation is ironic because it is the heat that helps to kill the bacteria that causes an odor in the first place. The delicate balance here is one that may require a professional to properly manage as it can be complicated and challenging to handle on your own.
Add Venting Pipes
Lastly, you need to add venting pipes to your storage area to take the smell and disperse it as much as possible before using your liquid manure spreaders. These pipes can often be purchased from many sources though they are usually easier to make. All you’ll need for this process are a handful of two-inch PVC pipes, a tape measure, a drill with a bit that can cut PVC pipes, a file that can cut PVC, and a saw with a blade that can cut PVC pipes as well.
Start out by measuring the height of your manure pile using your tape measure. Add one and one-half foot to this height to get how tall you need to cut your PVC pipes. Use your saw to cut the pipes to appropriate lengths and wear safety equipment to avoid any cuts. Clean up the cutting area to eliminate any risks of getting cut from PVC shards when walking through the area later.
Next, you need to measure out one-inch holes along the length of your PVC pipes. These holes should be spread about four inches apart and start four inches from the top of your tube. Make sure to drill all the way through the whole and to use a small file or saw blade to cut out any remaining area. Use the tape measure to get an idea of the width of the hole after you have cut.
Now, you need to carefully mount the pipes into the pool to ensure that they stay straight.
Carefully push them to the bottom of your pool and either tie them down or weigh them with a cement bottom. You may need to utilize some ropes or straps to hold them straight. Now, the smell will come through the pipes evenly and minimize the scent when you load your liquid manure spreaders.
Get Help From Real Professionals
As you can see, managing the smell of your liquid manure requires a bit of work that could take a few days to handle. However, the benefits of this process are too high to ignore. If you take the time to implement these steps and others, you’ll keep your fertilizer from being too odorous. However, you may need professional help to get access to certain items, such as the proper organic material.
So if you live anywhere in the United States or Canada and need help with your liquid manure spreaders, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Vertical Till Injector (VTI). We can help you manage many of these techniques or set you up with injection equipment. This option is an excellent choice if you are sick of the stench of your manure and want it to be as safe as possible.