Transporting manure from the farm to the fields is a compulsory and large working process at animal farms. The use of nutrients in the manure is an important economical resources and by optimizing this one can get large benefits at the farm level. The profitability is improved by using manure instead of bought mineral fertilisers. On the other side you will get costs from transporting the manure, it may have to be storaged and there will also be costs from work labour. A big importance development issue is to separate the manure and locate it by using a tube. Separation of the manure into a liquide and firm fraction effects both manure content and logistics. Some farms has started to use the firm fraction you get from separation as bedding material.
Cost savings by improving the logistics are the main savings. Saving used working time and getting the manure distribution time more suitable fitted with other farm works is important. Other benefits are less work on your road network, increased traffic safety and less soil compaction. One development action can give several cost effeciency point of views. In this way your investment cost will be paid back faster.
In the project there as investigated different benefits from separation of manure, distribution and storage methods of manure and use of own manure. Manure logistics is improved by a more efficient separation of nutrients from the raw manure, transportation, distribution and storaging methods of manure, using nutrients from the manure more effectively at grass lands and alternative use of manure.
The following issues were studied in the project:
- The benefits of separation
- The distribution of separated manure
- Cost benefits from separating manure on farm level
- How to use separated manure as bedding material
- Different machineries used in order to separate manure
- Practical issues related to separation
- Using manure in corn production
Several videos on manure logistics were produced.