Ohio’s Country Journal
May 2009
25
livEStocK
W.D. Farms offers “Excellence in Manure
Application” to the tri-state area
ByKylEShArp His contact at the packer was
When Eric Dresbach and a business impressed, and the resulting referrals
partner created W.D. Farms as a grain served as a springboard.
trucking business in 1985, they likely had “At one point, 80% of the contracts we
no idea how the Pickaway County compa- had came from recommendations from that
ny, based in Circleville, would transform Michigan contact,” Dresbach said. “That’s
itself over the years. Today, W.D. Farms how we’ve built our business. It’s all about
specializes in custom manure application reputation and doing the right thing.”
for livestock facilities throughout Ohio and As livestock farms have gotten larger
into Indiana and Michigan. and more specialized, custom manure
The business, now owned solely by application has become the focus of the
Dresbach, continues to gain customers business. Now, about 80% of the business
because of its reputation for doing work is manure application, with about 14%
the way it should be done. water plant lime and 6% biosolids applica-
“My dad always told me your reputa- tion. About two-thirds of the manure they
tion precedes you, and he’s so right,” regularly haul is from hog barns, and the
Dresbach said. “I always tell my employ- other one-third is dairy. And W.D. Farms
ees, I don’t care if you’re over the hill and can travel long distances to do a job.
behind the woods, if you have a choice, “That’s what makes us unique too, is
you do what’s right. This business is a that not too many manure applicators
service, so it’s all about good equipment work more than 30 to 40 miles from
and good employees, and I’ve got good home, but we’re pretty specialized,”
employees that do the right things.” Dresbach said. “Our territory is
Eric Dresbach is president of W.D. Farms Inc., a Circleville-based business that specializes in custom manure
In order to know what is right, Zanesville to Richmond, Ind., and
application. To diversify the operation, Dresbach also owns this dredge. While here it is being used to dredge a res-
Dresbach puts a lot of stock in continu- Hillsboro to Williams County.” idential pond, he also uses it to dredge sand and manure solids that have built up on the bottom of manure stor-
ing education, for himself and his five The company has four JCB tractors
age areas, minimizing their holding capacity.
full-time employees. That willingness to rigged with 7,300-gallon honey wagons
learn and do new things likely helped and 9-shank toolbar applicators for
“Our rule of thumb is if it smells, it for two to three years and nitrogen for
W.D. Farms get where it is. After starting injecting manure into the soil. The JCBs
gets the knife, and our swine manure one year’s corn crop.
with grain trucking, the business make transportation much easier because
and biosolids are 99% knifed in,” he said. But nutrient levels can vary within
branched into hauling liquid fertilizer, with a top speed of 42 miles per hour, the
W.D. Farms also has three 4-wheel manure based on the feed used, how
then did its first manure job, hauling tractors and their attachments are driven
drive tractors for running lagoon pumps water is managed, the age of the barn
dairy manure 12 miles, in 1987-88. to jobs, rather than needing to be hauled
and sometimes land applying, five semi and other factors.
In 1995, the company underwent on a trailer in several trips. The goal for
trailers for hauling, three lagoon pumps “There’s a lot of variability, and
major changes, with Dresbach buying each of the four units is to move at least
and three 6-inch trash pumps for pulling that’s the downside with manure. It’s
out his partner and a lot of the grain 200,000 gallons of manure per day. Hog
stored manure out from under hog not 6-24-24,” Dresbach said. “But with
hauling business being lost when a local barns they service can have 300,000 to 1
barns. The pumps can move 1,200 to manure you’re not just getting NPK,
elevator closed. To compensate, W.D. million gallons of stored manure, and
1,500 gallons of manure a minute. you’re also getting micronutrients,
Farms began hauling industrial and dairy farms start at 1 million gallons and
Stirring manure as it is removed is microbial activity from bugs and organ-
municipal organics, such as biosolids and go up to 12 million, although they will
essential because the phosphorus is in ic matter. I think those things are worth
water plant lime. service any size farm.
the solids at the bottom of the storage as much as NP and K.”
But the big break came when a large Knifing manure into fluffed ground
area, while the nitrogen and potash tend In addition to regular customers, W.D.
Michigan meat packer needed someone to behind a Dietrich shank reduces odor,
to be uniform throughout, Dresbach said. Farms also can take on emergency situa-
do organics removal and land application. retains nitrogen, allows a field to remain
To confirm what is being applied, tions, where manure needs to be moved
Dresbach took a crew up, always showed no-till and ensures manure won’t be
W.D. Farms pulls manure samples each for various reasons or other organic
up on time and never had any problems blasted into worm holes and cracks and
hour as the manure is loaded. The sam- materials need moved, although they
doing a big job under tough conditions. possibly into the irrigation system, where
ples are sent to a lab for testing. The won’t drop a regular customer to take on
“We just went up there and nailed it,” it could pollute nearby waterways,
results let the customers know exactly an emergency job, he said.
he said. Dresbach said.
what nutrient levels were spread and Dresbach’s wife, Serena, is support-
where, so they can adjust their fertility ive of his business, although not direct-
program accordingly. The sampling is ly involved. Their three kids, Megan,
not a customer option. It is built into 15, David, 13, and Kenton, 10, help
W.D. Farms’ pricing. more as they get older. Megan works in
“A farmer may not think he needs a the office, and David and Kenton are
sample, but I think he does,” Dresbach starting to drive tractors and land-
said. “It’s documentation. Again, we try apply manure. Working with his kids
to do the right thing.” makes Dresbach’s job even more fun.
Dairy and beef cattle manure can usu- “We did a hog lagoon last fall. The
ally be applied on the same land each field was flat and big with nothing
year, as long as only about 10 to 15 wet around. Each of my sons had his own
tons per acre are applied, he said. But tractor and we were broadcasting, so
W.D. Farms boasts four of these manure application This is W.D. Farms newest addition, a scratch-built, fully
hog manure, applied at 6,000 to 7,000 we didn’t have to worry about the tool-
setups, which include a JCB tractor, Houle 7,300-gallon contained unit for pumping manure out of hog barns. The gallons per acre, usually can only go on a bar,” he said. “My hat didn’t fit. I was
honey wagon and 9-shank toolbar applicator for inject- truck can store all the hoses and other equipment needed
field once every three years. Applied hog so proud of them. They worked so well
ing manure into the soil. A sign on the side of the for the job, plus carries a 200-horsepower engine with a
manure typically will give a field enough together, and I just sat back and drank
honey wagon displays the company motto: “Excellence 6-inch pump. “We’re anxious to get it wet, just to see
in Manure Application.” what it can do,” Dresbach said.
phosphorus for three years, potassium a pop.”
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