OVERVIEW
Matt Raasch is an Iowa farmer with big dreams. Over the years he dreamed of experimenting in his shop using coffee filters to separate manure. After discovering Kelly Garrett with XtremeAg, Mike Evans with Integrated Ag, and Kurt Grimm with NutraDrip Irrigation, he is excited to see his manure separation ideas involving innovative solutions and advances to his farming operation become a reality. Matt says he is excited to make hog manure more “user friendly” and “sustainable”.
This spring, Matt and NutraDrip have been working together to test a manure separation trailer setup at his hog operation.
The process-all contained on the portable trailer-takes manure straight from the pit in any dairy, beef, or hog barn and turns it into ‘liquid gold’ or liquid manure. The separated liquid hog manure has many possible uses and lots of potential. Some customers have been using it to pump through their SDI (subsurface drip irrigation) systems. Other possibilities for use include running it through a center pivot irrigation system or applying in-furrow with the planter.
SETTING UP
The first step to the manure separation process starts with a farmer who is willing to try something new and wants to turn waste into value. NutraDrip will bring the manure separation trailer to the farm or job site. We start by parking the separation trailer right next to your hog barn pit. We set up in the right position to pump out of one pit access and discard the extra back into another pit. We pump the manure straight out of the pit. After connecting all the hoses, we hook up power to our manure separation trailer.
THE PROCESS
Manure is sucked from the pit and pumped to the screw press on the trailer. This is a large extruder with a screw that extracts the big particles and separates out the hair, corn hulls, etc. The extruded product is a ‘dry’ solid byproduct (approximately 70% moisture) that could be composted or dry spread on other agricultural fields or gardens. This byproduct contains about 30% of the total phosphorus. Most of the nitrogen and potassium stay in the liquid portion.
2. From here the manure goes to the microfilter. This takes out the small particles with a 25-micron screen. The filtration process is double checked by filtering a sample through pantyhose to ensure all the particles are out. A final 120 mesh filter is also used to verify all the solids have been removed.
3. This liquid is then pumped into storage tanks until it is used.
4. From there you can take this liquid manure to the sub surface drip systems, center pivot irrigators, or put it in as a starter or in-furrow with the planter, which is how Matt is applying his “liquid gold” this spring of 2024.