Design criteria for small dairy manure disposal systems : a practical and economical approach to solid waste disposal

The purposes of this study were to (1) demonstrate the practicality of solid-waste disposal systems for dairies, (2) demon-strate a need for such systems, (3) design appropriate solid-waste idsposal facilities, and (4) provide guidelines for managing such systems. The data were drawn from a survey of the dairies in District V from a survey of the dairies in District V of The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service and published literature. The mail survey was conducted through the Extension Service, and it provided information on the current dairy practices related to waste disposal equipment and techniques. The facilities and management schemes devised, emphasized simplicity in construction and management. The findings were: (1) solid-waste disposal systems are practical, (2) the current predominant method for dairy waste disposal is solids management, and (3) the solids stacking facilities presented are less expensive than facilities for storing and distributing liquid manure. No apparent differences were found between dairy grades with respect to the disposal techniques used, but some differences were found in the equipment used for waste management and herd size. Grade A dairies were found to be larger by herd size and area than Manufactur-ing Milk producing dairies. The facilities presented had an effective cost in 1975 of from $60 to $114 per cow milked. Such costs were within the investment range reported as being feasible for most dairies with 20 or fewer cows. The feasibility for larger dairies would appear to be improved when solids stacking is compared with other alternatives available.