MARCH 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
47
Got poop? Website makes managing manure a dung deal Country Ways
by RONDA PAYNE LANGLEY – Regardless of the type of livestock or
the food products created from them, there’s one common output that can be the biggest management headache of all: manure.
Call it what you like – poop, manure, dung, sh*t –
it’s a hassle to deal with and if cared for improperly, it will negatively impact the water table, food supply and overall health of humans and animals. Despite the need of landscapers, crop farmers, gardeners and others for properly managed soil amendments like composted manure, livestock farmers often struggle to find people to take away the problem. But it doesn’t have to be hard to turn raw manure into something valuable for others and have them seeking it out. The Langley Environmental Partners Society
(LEPS) created a website to get poop into the right hands while helping farms make their animals’ output more desirable. The site at [
www.manurelink.com] was recently updated to make it more user-friendly and functional – something those with properly managed manure, like Rita Rawston, appreciate. Rawston has horses and anyone who’s been in a parade behind an equine knows just how much output these creatures produce. She has a three-bin system and in about two months the first bin will move to the second, the second to the third and the third to the field for fertilizing her own forage crops or to others who prefer natural soil treatments to chemical. While Rawston’s manure process isn’t terribly complex, it required some capital investment to get it started. The three wood-bordered bins are on blacktop with a tin roof and tarp front. A tractor makes rotation of the different stages of manure possible. “It leaks a little bit,” she says of the roof. “Which is
what we want; it keeps it damp.” The manure is checked with a long shaft thermometer to ensure it reaches 130°F (between 90 and 140 is ideal) to kill pathogens, weeds and bad bacteria. Rawston sprays the manure piles in the summer to prevent the internal temperature from going above 140°F and killing off beneficial
Mackenzie Irwin, Rita Rawston and LEP program co-ordinator Ava Shannon. RONDA PAYNE PHOTO
microorganisms. These, and other tips can be found in the Land
Management Guide for Horse Owners and Small-Lot Farmers from LEPS, or on the manure link website. In fact, providing easily-accessed information to farmers was one of the reasons for revising the site, according to Ava Shannon, LEPS agriculture program co-ordinator, and Mackenzie Irwin, an intern working on the Manure Link site. “There’s a big rush for manure in the spring,” Shannon says. “That’s when people want it.” This springtime need ensured the site is ready for those with manure to post free ads offering their composted byproduct. Shannon and Irwin haven’t left things to chance however; they want to see those with manure and those in need connect. They’ve been in touch with horse associations, landscapers and others to make sure the site is well- used. “We think there’s a lot of potential,” notes Shannon. Plus, with tips on carbon and nitrogen balance,
how to create a composting system, trouble shooting and more, it’s a one-stop manure shop.
“There was a census in 2001 that said Langley has about 5,000 horses,” Irwin added. “One horse produces approximately nine tonnes of manure a year.” It isn’t hard to imagine similar numbers with cows and other livestock. Manure Link makes it possible to convert that troublesome byproduct into something worth posting online. Those with manure can place their ad specifying
the type of manure they have. Others in need will access the site to find composted manure in their area. It’s a system of supply and demand that (thanks to the Internet) can work anywhere in the world, but is focused in BC in terms of LEPS’s programs. In addition to the information available on
manure link, LEPS has a team of manure mavens ready and able to help around the province with education on manure management. “They offer advice and answer questions,” Shannon says. “Some offer workshops and on-site consultations.” Got poop? Now’s the time to find a home for it through the LEPS manure link site.
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