4th Grade Contest Winner: Lane, Centerville

Posted: 4/21/2015

Farmers Can Turn Waste Into Something Useful

By Lane

Farmers can turn waste into something useful even though other people think it’s useless. For example, manure is used by many farmers as something useful. Most farmers that utilize manure in South Dakota use if for fertilizer for crops. This usage of manure has been used for thousands of years and is still being used today. My dad and grandpa use this technique on our farm to add nutrients back into the soil. The cow manure from our yard gets loaded into our manure spreader and is spread onto our fields adding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the fields.

 

New technology is helping farmers process manure in different ways too. For example, some dairy farmers are using methane digesters to use manure. The digester system separates manure into liquids, solids and gases. Liquid forms are used for irrigation. Solid forms are bagged and sold as garden fertilizer. Gas forms are turned into electricity to power the dairy farm and even homes. Isn’t it cool that farmers can be part of turning waste into something useful?

 

Resources:          family farmers

                                    Hulsdairy.com