By Jenna Smith
Counties throughout the Bosque and Leon River Watersheds have a firsthand opportunity to view the benefits of dairy manure compost. By utilizing nutrient-rich dairy compost on lawns and athletic fields, county residents have learned that using compost as a soil amendment is a viable alternative to traditional inputs and benefits their local environment as well.
Compost, a dark, organically rich material that has been used for decades, serves as a soil amendment and as a nutrient source for plants. It can be applied as a mulch layer to reduce evaporation, or incorporated into the soil to increase soil organic matter, which improves soil structure and water-holding capacity. Compost also improves the chemical character of the soil by buffering soil pH (preventing rapid pH changes) and serving as a source of essential plant nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Since most soils are deficient in organic matter, just about any soil type will benefit from the addition of compost.
Through a project funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, personnel with Texas Cooperative Extension and Texas Water Resources Institute have assisted dairy manure composters in increasing market potential for composted dairy manure in and around the Bosque and Leon River Watersheds.
“While there is an abundant source of dairy manure compost within the Watershed, the industry lacks adequate information on the correct use and marketing ability of the product,” said Cecilia Gerngross, program specialist for Texas Cooperative Extension and Texas Water Resources Institute. “Because there is so much compost within a concentrated area, it is imperative to improve compost consistency and focus on a variety of markets.”
In establishing these various markets, several county demonstrations were developed to verify existing and evaluate new uses of dairy manure compost in the Watershed. Extension agents within each participating county evaluated the effects of the compost while providing an alternative outlet for dairy manure at the same time, decreasing the amount of phosphorus potentially released into the Watershed. Phosphorus is an important plant nutrient, but in excess can pose a threat to water quality in streams, rivers and lakes. By utilizing dairy manure to produce compost for application off the farm, both dairies and compost users benefit.
In Palo Pinto County, Santo ISD worked with County Extension Agent, Scott Mauney, to top-dress and aerify their football playing field. Prior to the dairy compost application, school officials were concerned the thin stand of turf could potentially cause injury to athletes. Compost and supplemental inorganic nitrogen were applied to the field and within one month following the application, turf grass density across the field increased and grass texture was softer than in years before. Additionally, Santo ISD participated in the Composted Manure Incentive Program, sponsored by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which provided the school district with a rebate of $5 per cubic yard of dairy compost purchased.
Similar demonstrations have also been established in Comanche, Coryell, Erath, Somervell, Stephens and Tarrant counties at such locations as athletic fields, county courthouses and city parks. “Public entities, such as school districts, cities or state agencies can all utilize dairy manure compost in their environmental management plans as it can be used to provide nutrients and organic matter and control erosion,” said Gerngross. “These nutrients and organic matter can also be used in revegetation efforts like those occurring on training areas at Fort Hood.”
According to Bill Fox, senior research scientist and project manager for the Rangeland Revegetation Pilot Project Federal Initiative through the Texas Water Resources Institute, the use of heavy mechanized military vehicles significantly impacts sustainability on the base’s maneuver training areas. As soils and vegetation are degraded, runoff and associated sediment loads increase in surrounding waterbodies. Application of composted dairy manure to the training areas helps to increase organic matter in the soil, reduce erosion, and aid in vegetative growth, keeping sediment out of water sources.
Several areas within Fort Hood have already benefited from applications of dairy manure compost, and additional demonstrations are being established this fall to revegetate barren soils along roadways.
“By applying compost to this area and evaluating vegetation establishment, researchers can determine proper compost rates and seed mixes to serve the needs of Fort Hood,” said Fox. “It will help to address the area’s environmental concerns while at the same time preserving the integrity of Fort Hood’s training facilities.”
