Manure Manager welcomes submissions from all manufacturers/dealers of new manure management-related products. Send your product items to: mland@annexweb.com
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Getting a valuable resource to the field
Leons Manufacturing stands behind all of its manure management products but in the case of its Silver Spreader line, company representatives stand a little further back.
Manure is a valuable resource for providing plant nutrients and for building strong organic soil. A farm that makes use of this natural commodity can save thousands of dollars per year on fertilizer costs. The Leon Silver Spreader can help farmers get that manure from the barn and/or feedlot onto the field in a fine textured, uniform spread.
The Silver Spreader, available with either vertical or horizontal beaters, gives farmers and applicators the control of unloading as well as being able to set the spread width from 20ft to 40ft. The spreader comes with a standard flow control valve, a solid poly box, an Autogate and 0.5in thick beater paddles for longer life. The beaters are reversible and replaceable and, when combined with the Quick on-Quick off assembly, allow the spreader to be used as a utility trailer. The spreaders also have a heavy-duty hydraulic end gate, a convenient quick attach-detach slurry pan, a rear push-off cylinder, triple lip sealed bearings with locking collars plus a baked-on powder paint finish. The Silver Spreader comes in four different vertical and horizontal models: 425, 575, 655 and 755 bushels.
www.leonsmfg.com
New energy initiative in Oregon to generate power from dairy waste
Oregon’s 320 dairy farms could become power generators through a new program being offered by Energy Trust of Oregon. Under the company’s Dairy Power Initiative, dairy farms in the state that install anaerobic digesters can receive cash incentives to turn manure into biogas, and generate climate-safe electricity. Funding may also be provided for feasibility studies.
“Generating renewable power on dairies provides a good opportunity to build the urban/rural relationship, and it could allow dairy farmers to operate in some areas where urban development has encroached,” says Jim Krahn, executive director, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association (ODFA).
To make it easier for dairy farmers to estimate what incentive might be available to them, Energy Trust has developed an on-line calculator tool. To be eligible for a standard incentive, a digester project must be located on an Oregon dairy farm with a herd of at least 250 animals, use manure only from that farm and be owned by the dairy, not an outside investor. The power generated from the digester must be sold to the local utility. The digester should employ either standard complete-mix or plug-flow technology to create the biogas. All projects must be pre-approved to receive Energy Trust incentives. Existing projects are not eligible.
“To make sure our first projects are the best possible demonstrations of this concept, we are open to proposals from anywhere in Oregon’s dairy country,” says Adam Serchuk, bio-power program manager with Energy Trust.
Expert guidance to help dairies evaluate potential projects is available from the ODFA or Oregon State University extension dairy specialists. “Dairies may also need help in analyzing the financial arrangement for installing the digester, as well as their operational responsibilities,” says Mike Gamroth, professor and extension dairy specialist at OSU.
www.energytrust.org
Engage launches Vir-Kil disinfectant
Now there is a new way for swine and poultry operators to maintain high levels of surface hygiene. Engage Animal Health has launched Vir-Kil, a broad spectrum disinfectant offering safety, convenience and value.
Vir-Kil’s two active ingredients – potassium peroxymonosulfate and sodium dichloroisocyanurate – work synergistically to ‘recycle’ the product’s chlorine molecules to repeatedly regenerate active chlorine for sustained antimicrobial action. The product is available in two sizes – five and 20kg formats – providing 500 to 2000 liters of product for both small and large facilities. It will be available at farm supply retail stores and veterinary clinics. -end-
www.engageah.com
