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Nutrient composition of Kansas swine lagoons and hoop barn manure^1,2

Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506-0201

³ Correspondence:
phone: 785-532-5833; fax: 785-532-5887; E-mail:
jderouch{at}oznet.ksu.edu.

	Abstract

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A total of 312 samples in two experiments were analyzed to determine mean nutrient concentrations of swine lagoons and hoop barns in Kansas. First, in a retrospective study (Exp. 1), we obtained 41 sample analyses from the Kansas Department of Agriculture of sow, nursery, wean-to-finish, finish, and farrow-to-finish operations in 1999. The average total N concentration was 899 ppm (SD = 584 ppm), while the total P concentration was 163 ppm (SD = 241 ppm). In an attempt to reduce the variation, we conducted a prospective experiment standardizing collection procedure, laboratory techniques, phase of production, and season of year to more accurately determine the nutrient concentrations of swine lagoons in Kansas. In Exp. 2, we used 236 lagoon and 35 hoop barn manure samples taken in 2000 from Kansas swine operations to determine the impacts of production phase and season of the year on nutrient concentration. The different operations with swine lagoons were: 1) sow; 2) nursery; 3) wean-to-finish; 4) finish; and 5) farrow-to-finish, with a total of 9, 8, 7, 10, and 8 lagoons sampled from each phase of production, respectively. The total N and P concentrations from lagoons were 1,402 and 204 ppm, respectively, averaged over all samples. Concentrations of total N were higher in wean-to-finish and finishing lagoons (P < 0.05) compared with sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons. Lagoon analyses also revealed that N concentrations decreased (linear, P < 0.05) during the summer and fall compared with winter and early spring. The concentration of P was greater (P < 0.05) for wean-to-finish compared with farrow-to-finish lagoons. Phosphorus concentrations for all lagoons increased (quadratic, P < 0.05) from February until June, but then declined steady throughout the remainder of the year. Average total N and P in hoop barns were 8,678 and 4,364 ppm, respectively. No seasonal changes in N and P concentrations were observed in manure from hoop barns. Season and type of production phase affect the nutrient content of Kansas swine lagoons, and producers will benefit from obtaining individual analyses from their lagoons when developing nutrient management plans rather than utilizing published reference values.

Key Words: Animal Housing • Animal Manures • Lagoons • Pigs • Waste Management

	Introduction

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Environmental stewardship by livestock producers to help preserve and maintain the environment throughout the world has become an emerging issue. To ensure proper management of livestock waste, nutrient profiles of various forms and types of manure have been established to help livestock operators accurately apply manure to land. This practice allows crops or forages to utilize the nutrients from the manure, thereby decreasing the need for chemical fertilizers. Thus, accurate and detailed nutrient profiles must be obtained to correctly distribute manure so that a deficiency or excess of a given nutrient does not occur. Currently, sources of nutrient reference values are available that provide average concentrations of various types of manure from different livestock species (Nelson and Shapiro, 1989; MWPS, 1993).

Published values are a source of information that producers can use to determine the amount of land needed for manure application or for comparison to their on-farm manure analyses. However, these reference values represent manure samples from different graphical regions of the United States and are from samples compiled over the past two decades. The majority of these published values may not reflect current manure nutrient profiles resulting from changes in swine operation management practices (phase feeding, use of phytase, reduced particle size) or from differences in nutrient concentrations associated with different types of production phases or manure handling systems. Published values also fail to account for differences that may occur with the season of the year, which may lead to a misrepresentation of the actual nutrient profile. Also, nutrient profiles of solid manure from swine raised in hoop barns have not been widely established. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of production phase and season of the year on nutrient concentration of swine lagoons and hoop barn manure from Kansas swine operations.

	Materials and Methods

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Experiment 1
Analyses of manure from 41 Kansas swine lagoons were obtained from the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Lagoon samples were taken in 1999 from farrow-to-finish, sow, nursery, wean-to-finish, and finishing operations, and were filed in compliance with Kansas House Bill 2950, which requires swine producers with more than 1,000 animal units to submit a nutrient profile for a nutrient management plan. The manure samples were collected by the individual operations for chemical analysis. Therefore, the sampling technique, time of year, type of lagoon, sample handling prior to analysis, and the laboratory used were not controlled among operations participating in this survey. The nutrients and properties that were summarized include: total N, ammonium (NH₄-N), nitrate (NO₃-N), organic N (total N - NH₄-N - NO₃-N = organic N), P, P₂O₅, K, K₂O, S, Ca, Mg, MgO, Zn, Fe, Mn, B, Na, Cl, CO₃, HCO₃, and pH. Analytical procedures and methods for determination of individual nutrients and properties were not specified on the individual laboratory reports.

Experiment 2
Lagoons.
Samples from five different types of production systems were taken six times over the year 2000 to determine changes in nutrient and mineral concentrations. The different operations were classified as: 1) sow; 2) nursery; 3) wean-to-finish; 4) finish; and 5) farrow-to-finish, with a total of 9, 8, 7, 10, and 8 lagoons sampled, respectively, from each phase of production. Our classification was based on the type of facility depositing effluent into the lagoon. The lagoons collected waste from only gestation and farrowing facilities (sow), from only nursery facilities (weaning to 30 kg; nursery), from only nursery and finishing facilities (weaning to 115 kg; wean-to-finish), from only finishing facilities (25 to 115 kg; finishing), or from combined gestation, farrowing, nursery, and finishing facilities (farrow-to-finish). Lagoons were sampled in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The lagoons were located in different geographic locations across Kansas. Because our goal in this experiment was to develop average nutrient concentrations from lagoons within a classification, we did not distinguish between waste handling systems within a classification.

For collecting samples, we designed and constructed a sampler that was distributed to all project participants (Figure 1). The sampler contained two separate pieces of 2.54-cm plastic pipe (PVC). First, a 15.24-cm piece of pipe was capped at one end and filled to volume with sand. This weighted the entire sampler so that it would sink approximately 1.8 to 2.4 m before the second piece of pipe, which held the liquid, would be filled to volume. The pieces of pipe were attached via a 1.27-cm threaded solid-centered coupler. The second piece of pipe, which held the liquid sample from the lagoons, was 30.48 cm in length. In addition, a 2.54-cm threaded screw cap was attached to the top of the 30.48-cm pipe with five 8.7-mm holes drilled into the cap to allow liquid to enter the pipe once it was submerged in the lagoon. The total sample volume was 350 mL when the screw cap was attached. A 12.2-m nylon rope was attached with a galvanized metal clamp just below the screw cap. Positioning the rope in this manner prevented loss of liquid during retrieval from the lagoon. At each location, an on-farm demonstration of the technique used to sample lagoons was provided. Thus, all swine operations had employees trained in proper sampling technique. Four samples were taken from different locations throughout each lagoon. Samples were thoroughly mixed and subsampled into a 525-mL plastic bottle and mailed to the laboratory for chemical analysis. No samples were taken within 12.2 m of any inlet pipes entering the lagoon from the production facilities. All samples were collected on a uniform day (2nd Tuesday of the month being sampled), with all samples shipped to the laboratory on the day of collection via next-day shipment. Upon arrival to the laboratory, all samples were analyzed for the following nutrients and properties: total N, NH₄-N, NO₃-N, organic N (total N - NH₄-N - NO₃-N = organic N), P, P₂O₅, K, K₂O, Ca, Na, Cl, Mg, S, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, CO₃, HCO₃, percentage solids, electrical conductivity (EC), and pH (APHA, 1992; AOAC, 1995).

View larger version (85K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Lagoon sampler.

Statistical Analyses
For both experiments, the GLM procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) was used with individual lagoons or hoop barns as experimental units. For Exp. 1, mean nutrient concentration and standard deviation were determined. For Exp. 2, Least Square Difference test was used to determine differences among production phases (P < 0.05) for lagoons. Also, linear and quadratic polynomial contrasts were used to determine the effects of season on nutrient composition of both lagoon and hoop barn manure.

	Results

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Experiment 1
The average total N in the manure was 899 ppm (SD = 584 ppm; Table 1). For NH₄-N, which is available to plants during the growing season, lagoon concentrations were 709 ppm (SD = 398 ppm). This indicates that 68% of the samples have a range of 310 to 1,107 ppm concentration of NH₄-N. The amount of organic N, which is nitrogen that is slowly released from the manure into the soil, was 190 ppm (SD = 209 ppm). The amount of nitrogen in the NO₃ form was less than 1 ppm.

The degree of variation present was very high for all other mineral concentrations summarized in this experiment. In fact, the SD of some minerals (Mg, MgO, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu) was higher than the mean itself.

Experiment 2
Lagoon Concentration by Production Phase.
For total N, lagoons from finishing and wean-to-finish facilities had greater concentrations (P < 0.05) compared with sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons (Table 2). In addition, lagoons from sow and farrow-to-finish operations had numerically less total N, respectively, compared with nursery lagoons, although the differences were not significant (P > 0.05). For NH₄, farrow-to-finish lagoons had lower (P < 0.05) levels than wean-to-finish and finishing lagoons. The level of NO₃-N was less than 1 ppm for all production phases, indicating that nitrates are of little concentration in the liquid portion sampled from the lagoons. This would be expected, as these lagoons were anaerobic and therefore should be low in NHO₃-N.

For the trace minerals (Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn), sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons had the lowest concentrations compared with the other production phases (Table 2). In addition, concentrations of all minor nutrients except Mn were the highest in nursery lagoons. Nursery lagoons had higher levels of Cu and Fe (P < 0.05) compared with sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons, and the Zn concentration in nursery lagoons was higher (P < 0.05) than all other phases of production. For Mg, sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons contained lower (P < 0.05) concentrations compared with lagoons from the other three production phases.

Bicarbonate, which is an indicator of dissolved CO₂ when the pH of the sample is between 6.4 and 10.2, was lower (P < 0.05) for sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons compared with the other production phases (Table 2). The CO₃ level, which is an indicator of dissolved CO₂ when the pH of the sample is over 10.2, was less than 1 ppm for all samples. Average pH ranged from 7.7 to 7.8 for samples from different production phases. Electrical conductivity, which measures the ability of a substance to carry an electrical current, is directly correlated to the amount of dissolved salts in the sample. The electrical conductivity was higher (P < 0.05) for wean-to-finish and finish lagoons compared with farrow-to-finish lagoons. The percentage of solids in the samples was higher (P < 0.05) for wean-to-finish and finishing lagoons than sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons.

Lagoon Concentration by Season.
Seasonal differences in the lagoon samples were found for a large number of the nutrients and other properties. Overall effects of season will be discussed (Table 3) since a similar pattern was observed for all nutrients, regardless of production phase (Tables 4 through 8). Due to cold environmental conditions during December, obtaining samples from some lagoons was delayed for up to 1 mo, while for others, no samples were taken due to surface freezing.

Phosphorus and P₂O₅ concentrations were influenced (quadratic, P < 0.05) by season, with the highest levels occurring during June and August, and the lowest during February and December. Also, the concentration K, K₂O, and Cl increased (linear, P < 0.05) throughout the year. A quadratic effect (P < 0.05) for all other macro (Ca, Na, Mg, and S) and trace (Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn) minerals was observed. This response was indicated by an increase in nutrient concentration during warmer months followed by a decrease in the cooler months, except for Na, which had the opposite response. The concentration of HCO₃ (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05), percentage solids (quadratic, P < 0.05), pH (linear, P < 0.05), and electrical conductivity (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) were affected by the season of the year.

Hoop Barn Manure Concentrations.
All hoop barns sampled in this study housed grow-finish pigs; therefore, no effects of production phase could be determined. However, seasonal alterations in manure were analyzed (Table 9).

	Discussion

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Currently, published values for mean nutrient concentrations for swine lagoons vary considerably. The average total N concentration published by the MidWest Plan Service (MWPS, 1993) is 625 ppm. Nelson and Shapiro (1989) reported a mean total N value of 500, DeSutter et al. (2000) reported a mean value of 888 ppm, and Fulhage and Hoehne (1999) reported values of 1,373 and 725 ppm for deep and shallow swine lagoons, respectively. Within our experiments involving swine producers, the mean was approximately 55% higher (899 vs 1,402 ppm) in the second experiment. This may be due to several factors. First, in Exp. 1, the samples were all from swine operations with 1,000 animal units or more, whereas in Exp. 2, they were not. Assuming that larger swine operations would have larger lagoons or more properly sized lagoons that met state and federal permit requirements to hold the animal waste, the increased lagoon size may help lower N concentrations. Fulhage and Hoehne (1999) reported that lagoons with a higher surface/volume ratio had lower nutrient concentrations. Secondly, Exp. 2 concentrations were the values averaged over six samples from various months throughout the year, but time of the year was not specified from lagoons in Exp. 1. Our results show that season of the year had a significant impact on concentration, with the lowest concentration in October (1,151 ppm) and the highest concentration in June (1,624) differing by approximately 41%. Sample collection date would have a dramatic effect on the overall average if season of the year were not accounted for. Also, sampling technique may have caused a discrepancy between experiments, as a standardized procedure was used in Exp. 2, but not in Exp. 1.

Likewise for P concentrations, there is much variation in published values. The average total P concentration published by the MWPS (1993) is 165 ppm. Nelson and Shapiro (1989) reported a mean total N value of 110 ppm, DeSutter et al. (2000) reported a mean value of 90 ppm, and Fulhage and Hoehne (1999) reported values of 213 and 96 ppm for deep and shallow swine lagoons, respectively. The MWPS (1993) and Nelson and Shapiro (1989) do not describe how their values were derived, nor in what years the analyses were compiled. DeSutter et al. (2000) generated their values from 24 samples of swine lagoons from 19 different sites in Kansas from 1998 to 2000. Fulhage and Hoehne (1999) sampled 100 swine lagoons in Missouri in the spring of 1998.

Due to extreme variation among and within classifications in our experiments, there were few significant differences (P < 0.05) between classifications, although there were wide differences in mean values. Sampling procedures were standardized in the second experiment to help control any variation that this process may cause. Lorimor and Kohl (2000) reported that concentrations of N and P are lowest at the surface and highest at the bottom of swine manure that is collected into pits. However, DeSutter et al. (2000) reported no apparent vertical stratification of either chemical or physical parameters in swine lagoons.

The level of variation among individual lagoons in this study reemphasizes the importance of obtaining individual analysis from each lagoon before land application. Wager et al. (1999) also demonstrated that high variability existed in nutrient profiles within dairy and swine manure handling systems, and the authors recommended that producers obtain nutrient values for each handling system rather than using published reference values for nutrient management plans.

Although high variation existed, we observed several differences in nutrient concentration among production phases, which may be associated with different management, nutrition, and type of lagoons associated with each phase. Many farrow-to-finish operations utilized both a primary and secondary lagoon system, or others had one large lagoon. Use of these types of lagoons with large liquid volumes may have resulted in reduced concentrations of nutrients as discussed previously. Sow lagoons also were typically lower in nutrient concentration than the other production phases, which may be because the breeding herds produce less manure per animal BW than growing-finishing pigs. This would also help explain the reduction in percentage solids with sow and farrow-to-finish lagoons compared with the other phases of production. As swine increase in age, they become less efficient in the utilization of nutrients (de Lange et. al, 2001) which may help explain the increased level of nutrients found in wean-to-finish and finishing lagoons. Also, improper management (feeder adjustment) and nutrition (over formulation of diets) may have increased nutrient levels for these two production phases. Because S is a larger contributor to the odors associated with hog production (Hamilton et al., 1997) and nursery, wean-to-finish, and finishing operations had significantly higher S than sow and farrow-to-finish operations, odor from these facilities may be of greater concern. Increased concentrations of certain trace minerals in nursery lagoons, especially Zn and Cu, would be associated with nutrition practices that use these minerals as growth promoters (Hill et al., 1996; Kornegay et al., 1989) for pigs during this stage of growth.

Nutrient concentrations of lagoons based on production phase and season of the year (Tables 4 to 8) demonstrate that regulatory agencies should develop standards of nutrient management plans based on production phase, rather than having a single classification. In addition, this data can be utilized by producers, consultants, and academia as comparisons for swine farms as they develop farm-specific nutrient management plans.

To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the effects of season on the nutrient concentration of swine lagoons. The rise in nutrient levels during the summer months may be associated with the increased agitation of solid materials from the lagoon bottom caused by an increased bacteria level associated with warmer temperatures. This is supported by the fact that the percentage solids were highest during the warmer months and lowest in the cooler months in this study. Furthermore, less rainfall is typically associated with the summer months with higher evaporation rates. This may allow for an increased concentration of nutrients in the lagoon.

Nutrient values for hoop barn manure determined in this study are the first to be published for Kansas. One striking observation from these results is the higher nutrient concentration associated with hoop barn manure compared with other published values of swine manure with bedding (Nelson and Shapiro, 1989). However, the percentage of solids for hoop barn manure is much higher compared with those values (57 vs 18%), which would contribute to higher nutrient concentrations.

	Implications

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Our data demonstrate that season and type of production phase affect the nutrient content of Kansas swine lagoons. Therefore, producers will benefit from obtaining individual analyses from their lagoons when developing nutrient management plans rather than utilizing published reference values. When samples are analyzed, producers should apply the manure to the land in a timely manner, as the composition of the lagoon will change over time.

	Footnotes

 
¹ Contribution no. 2-219-J of the Kansas Agric. Exp. Stn., Manhattan 66506-0210.

² Appreciation is expressed to Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment, Manhattan, KS, for partial funding of these experiments.

⁴ Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

Received for publication August 21, 2001. Accepted for publication April 19, 2002.

	Literature Cited

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AOAC. 1995. Official Methods of Analysis. 16th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, VA.

APHA. 1992. Standard Methods. 18th ed. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.

de Lange, C. F. M., S. H. Berkett, and P. C. H. Morel. Protein, fat, and bone tissue growth in swine. In: Swine Nutrtion. 2nd ed. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

DeSutter, T. M., J. M. Ham, and T. P. Trooien. 2000. Survey of waste chemistry of anaerobic lagoons at swine production facilities and cattle feedlots. In: Animal Waste Lagoon Water Quality Study. Kansas State University, Manhattan.

Fulhage, C., and J. Hoehne. 1999. A manure nutrient profile of 100 Missouri swine lagoons. ASAE paper No. 99-4026, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, MI.

Hamilton, D. W., W. G. Luce, and A. D. Heald. 1997. Production and characteristics of swine manure. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service No. F-1735, Stillwater.

Hill, G. M., G. L. Cromwell, T. D. Crenshaw, R. C. Ewan, D. A. Knabe, A. J. Lewis, D. C. Manhan, G. C. Shurson, L. L. Southern, and T. L. Venum. 1996. Impact of pharmacological intakes of zinc and (or) copper on performance of weanling pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 74(Suppl. 1):181 (Abstr.).

Kornegay, E. T., P. H. G. van Heugton, M. D. Lindemann, and D. J. Blodgett. 1989. Effects of biotin and high copper levels on performance and immune response of weanling pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 67:1471–1477.

Lorimor, J. C., and K. Kohl. 2000. Obtaining representative samples of liquid swine manure. ASAE paper No. 00-2202, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, St. Joseph, MI.

MWPS. 1993. Livestock Waste Facilities Handbook. 3rd ed. MidWest Plan Service, Ames, IA.

Nelson, D. N., and C. A. Shapiro. 1989. Fertilizing crops with animal manure. Nebraska Cooperative Extension No. 89-117, Lincoln.

Wager, T., M. Schmitt, C. Clanton, and F. Bergsrud. 1999. Livestock manure sampling and testing. University of Minnesota Extension Service No. 6423, Minneapolis.

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