Dairies
Manure Injection Technology Boosts Water Quality
The health of California's water resources - important to people and wildlife alike - is in decline. More than 50% of the state's rivers, lakes and even groundwater used for drinking and growing food doesn't meet current clean water standards. Farming, while not the only contributing factor, adds to the problem.
According to experts, nearly 600 square miles of groundwater alone in the Central Valley is contaminated with high levels of harmful nitrates, much of which comes from fertilizer runoff from farms. Dairies are a particular concern, as the state's nearly 2 million dairy cows produce 65 billion pounds of waste each year. That's as much as the state's entire 37 million human population. If not managed correctly, manure can pollute water sources millions of Californians and countless species of plants and animals depend on.
Cultivating Clean Water
With our agricultural partners, Sustainable Conservation is actively promoting a promising new technology called "draghose injection" to help farmers balance their use of potentially harmful commercial fertilizers, better manage dairy waste, save money and, ultimately, boost the health of California's vital water resources.
The technology involves pumping liquid manure - up to four miles - from a dairy lagoon through an industrial hose and then to a specially designed tractor. As the tractor moves through a field (pictured) to prepare the soil for planting, manure is injected directly into the ground. The benefits include significant reductions in fertilizer use, fewer nutrients leaching into waterways and even improved soil and plant health.
Because draghose injection reduces the number of tractor passes required to cultivate fields, farmers also save on fuel, maintenance and labor costs. Fewer passes also translates into notable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that come from diesel-burning tractors, as well as air pollution that impacts thousands of Central Valley residents - especially children and the elderly - suffering from respiratory illnesses.
For more information and to try draghose injection on your farm, contact Sustainable Conservation Senior Project Manager Ladi Asgill at (202) 576-7729 or lasgill@suscon.org.