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It's all about the bedding in compost barns Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Agri News staff writer
SLEEPY EYE, Minn. -- When it comes to composting-bedded pack barns, it's all about the bedding. At every stop on the dairy tour organized by the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation, bedding was the top issue discussed.
Compost barns work best when sawdust or very thin wood shavings are used for bedding.
The cost of a semitractor load of sawdust, needed every other week, has increased from about $575 to $850. Sawdust can be difficult to find in winter when it is needed most. Price and demand have become enough of a drawback that many dairymen are looking for an alternative to sawdust, or at least a steady supply.
"Whatever you use for bedding, the finer the better," said Jonathan Seifert, who operates a compost barn with his father, Steve, southeast of Sleepy Eye. "Some people have tried bean straw, but we would need a tiller. You couldn't get by with a cultivator."
Many dairymen have their eye on soybean straw as an abundant and inexpensive alternative to sawdust. But like Seifert said, the straw would need to be finely ground and storage could be a challenge.
"Sawdust is probably the easiest to work with," Mike Sellner said while showing his barn, south of Sleepy Eye, to members of the dairy tour. "I think you're going to see more back and forth with bean straw and sawdust. Bean straw holds a lot of promise."
Some have suggested a fresh layer of sawdust, about foot thick, topped a couple of weeks later with a layer of soybean straw. If this layering would work, sawdust costs could be cut in half. Annual costs currently are 50 cents to 60 cents a cow.
The use of soybean straw also could prove valuable during winter months. During the summer, the pack lasts two or three times longer than in winter.
"When it gets to 35 or 40 degrees and lower, it really shortens the life of your pack," said Tom Portner, who operates a dairy west of Sleepy Eye, with his brother, Mark. "There are days in the summer when the pack is drier after a windy day than the day we put it in."
Timely delivery is also an issue. Seifert said almost every load of sawdust he bought this winter was delivered late. |
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