I have had an underlying dilemma that has come full circle. Horses may possibly be the dominant livestock in Will County. For those who have never taken care of a horse there is one issue that can be overwhelming, manure. Horses cannot be potty trained; the manure never ends. Here in lies my recent vexing situation.
Unless you have been living in a bubble the last several months you should be aware that the recent Russian military action has disrupted much in the world. Fertilizer is a major export from Russia and Ukraine, and has become limited. This major blip in supply came at a time when Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium fertilizer already had production, supply and price issues.
Manure can be a blessing and a curse. The animal waste is never ending, even on holidays and during inclement weather. It is smelly, filthy and there is considerable expense of time and machinery to remove it. That can be partly offset by the fact that it has value as a fertilizer. Given our recent surge in fertilizer costs many livestock producers may call it liquid gold instead of animal waste.
This brings me back to horses. Horse manure is worthless. I am exaggerating; it has very little value. Years ago when I operated a horse stable I composted hundreds of tons of horse manure. There are two major drawbacks: first it has very little nutrient value compared to other livestock waste. Second, it is usually combined with an incredible amount of cellulose based bedding that consumes much of the nitrogen in the manure.
Several times I had my horse manure tested for an exact analysis to see what, if any, benefit my manure was doing for my fields. A ton of composted manure was worth about $3. I surmised it was not even worth the diesel fuel and my time to spread it. However, you cannot keep it around; do you flush your toilet after going to the bathroom or do collect your waste and pile it in the,,, well, you get the picture.
This brings me to today and our post Covid/Putin invasion, fertilizer crisis. With most fertilizers costing about 4X as much as last year that means horse manure is now worth about $12/ton. My fiancée has two horses. She has been loading a dumpster with horse manure every week and having it hauled to the landfill. The waste hauler has increased the fee from $35 to $50 per trip. For years now I have known many horse owners who do the same. I knew that it was really the only option they had. It bothers me to know it is thrown away. Should we be taking a renewable product that could be recycled and burying it in the landfill?
I know why most horse owners pay what I consider an exorbitant amount of money for disposal. On my farm I had the land and equipment, plus the time and desire to recycle the manure. When horses left my farm several years ago I was fired from the manure chores. In a few days I will be married and once again the owner of horses. The decision will have to be made. Do we bite the bullet and pay the increase to haul away the manure or do I bring my manure spreader out of retirement?
I do have the comfort of knowing that if I spread horse manure again I will be making 4 times more money than before. Also, my conscience will trouble me greatly if I spend money for disposal of a product that should be recycled and not consuming precious space at a landfill. What would you do if you were in my shoes?
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