Dairy

Preparing for a construction project in 2024? The time to initiate the process is now. Expanding an existing livestock facility or establishing a new one requires substantial time and effort even before groundbreaking. Whether you’re looking to augment your current feedlot, venture into beef confinement barns, or enhance feed storage facilities, here are ten crucial considerations

Sand separation systems are a common feature of sand-bedded dairies. The mainstream acceptance of sand bedding brought about a refinement of separation systems, which has led to systems that produce bedding quality sand with minimal sand bypass. With potential sand recovery ranging from 90 to 95%+, a well-functioning separation system has the potential to greatly ease manure handling challenges associated with sand. On the other hand, a poorly functioning system—that is, say, a system operating at 75% recovery has the potential to cause significant frustration since the 25% of the sand being bypassed can may potentially settle in pipes, tanks, digesters, etc. Ultimately, the sand recovery should exceed the requirements of the downstream processes. How is your sand separation performing? Sand recovery? Sand cleanliness?

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have come to the forefront of conversation over the past few years. We hear about emissions and sustainability almost everywhere these days – from Wall Street to Main Street and Walmart to Washington, D.C. – the conversation is all around us. Putting politics and personal beliefs around climate change aside, one thing that is certainly here to stay (and grow) is society’s interest in caring for the environment. Animal agriculture is committed to doing its part

Depending on the anaerobic digestion system chosen, the desired total solids content of AD influent ranges from between 6 and 12%. Assuming equal hydraulic retention times, lower values of influent TS result in larger tanks and higher operating expenses due to the need to heat water, which has no fuel value.  Last month in part 1 of the discussion on manure dilution and anaerobic digestion, we discussed sources of dilution, estimated quantities, and the effects of dilution on AD-influent total solids (TS) content. To review, it was shown how manure excreted at 12% TS could reasonably be diluted to 6% TS, assuming some typical volumes for dilution water added as part of the milking process

Carbon intensity (CI) is the the amount of greenhouse gases produced throughout the lifecycle of a fuel per unit of energy. The low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) is a rule that was enacted to offset the CI of conventional fuels such as gasoline or diesel fuel. Renewable natural gas (RNG) produced by anaerobic digestion (AD) of dairy manure is used as motor fuel in places like California, resulting in very favorable premiums because the CI score of RNG from dairy manure is very low compared to conventional fuels. When dairy manure is used as fuel for the AD process, it is imperative the manure is in a form most conducive to maximizing gas production.

Technology has taken a leap in the past few years, especially in new agricultural practices. In the dairy industry specifically, we see the new technology and automation being used for feeding and milking, which has developed into a more common practice recently. What happens in a robotic dairy? Think of a robotic dairy as an […]