Texas is the second largest state in the US behind Alaska in terms of size. It is the second largest producer of agriculture revenue behind California. There is, however, an area in which Texas is ranked as number one, and that is in its production of cattle. Texas produces more cattle each year than any other state. In January of 2017, The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistic Service listed the inventory of Texas’ cattle up five hundred thousand from the previous year[i]. Texas currently holds an inventory of a whopping 12.3 million head of cattle, and while this may have helped rank Texas as number one in livestock production, I think it would be safe to say that Texas produces the most number twos.
So…what happens to all that manure? Looking at the numbers, the average adult cow can produce anywhere between 65-95 lbs. of manure waste each day[ii] depending on the size of the breed. That’s close to 12-16 tons of manure waste per cow per year.
Improper management of livestock waste can result in manure runoff and contaminate streams and rivers, create algae blooms killing off fish and other aquatic life, decimate ecosystems, pollute the air and create unsanitary living conditions for the cows themselves; managing manure for an animal that defecates up to 15 times a day can be a tall order for the humble cattle farmer…who probably has more than just one cow to worry about.
Now, many farmers may say that they raise their cattle on enough land to offset the production of waste, but not everyone has a luxury of surplus land, even in the second largest state in the US. While every farmer should be concerned about manure management, despite their size in land, it is the small farmer or even the concentrated animal feedlot operations, or CAFOs, that feel the effects of poor manure management the quickest.
One way farmers have been combating the issue of manure management is by utilizing the Red Worm, also known as eisenia foetida. Red Worms will process 25% – 30% of their weight each day, although others suggest that under optimal conditions the worms can process up to 50% of their weight each day[iii]; expediting the compost rate of manures and other wastes typically found on farms such as bedding and silage. It has also been documented that the digestive excretions of the Red Worms, which contain microorganisms, help make the nutrients in animal manure and other wastes more available to crops as vermicompost than unprocessed manure would alone, resulting in healthier plants which need less commercial fertilizers or pesticides[iv].
With all the manure that is produced in Texas, it would be prudent to initiate a partnership with one of the best composting creatures at our disposal…a kind of Poo Partnership…to help ensure that we are doing our very best to minimize waste in commercial and private farms as well as give nutrients back to the land which we depend on each day.
[i] Statistics found on USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Annual Cattle Review for January 2017.
[ii] Data taken from article 4 Manure Management Options For Your Farm by Lisa Munniksma, November 22, 2016 of Hobby Farms and Animal Manure Management, RCA Issue Brief #7 December 1995, on USDA website.
[iii] “Quick Facts About Worm Composting”, Red Worm Composting.com . “Wormy FACTS and Interesting Tidbits (by Rhonda Sherman)”, North Carolina State University.
[iv]“ Vermicomposting for Business, Farms, Institutions and Municipalities” North Carolina State University.