FARMERS WIN WITH BIOSOLIDS!

by Michelle Stewart

Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself and an issue that is dear to my heart – the most basic form of recycling, land application of biosolids. My name is Michelle Stewart. My husband and I own a family run, full service Residuals Management Company based out of Sheridan, Illinois called Stewart Spreading. We do everything from digester cleaning to mobile dewatering, but our specialty is implementing land application programs.

We both grew up in farming families and farm now, in addition to running the company. As a kid, John helped his family with their livestock. He got his start in this industry by designing and building a manure spreader with his father for their cattle feeding operation. John’s dad knew what I’m finding a lot of people don’t realize – the monetary value of waste products!

Did you realize that the price of corn has been flat for over twenty years? That means that the farmers are trying to survive with the same money coming in the door as they had twenty years ago. Think for a moment of the skyrocketing costs of fuel, steel (machinery), labor and commercial fertilizer just to name a few. Farmers can do nothing to add more income. They can do nothing to stop rising costs. All they can do is look for innovative ways to lower their input costs (seed, fertilizer, labor). This is where you come in!!

You have something that is extremely valuable to a farmer. Treated bio-solids!   Read on and you will be armed with knowledge that will help you form a mutually beneficial relationship with a farm producer that will last and last. You could even have them lining up at your door! Just remember this information and let them know about it.

Properly treated biosolids are an excellent fertilizer. They should not go into a landfill. They provide the soil with necessary nutrients that are naturally depleted during the growing of crops such as corn and soybeans. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potash are the key nutrients that a farmer must replace in order to maintain proper soil conditions for growing crops.

For example, each year a farmer raises corn on a particular field, nitrogen must be added. Most farmers add approximately one hundred and sixty units of nitrogen to each acre.   The cost of this commercial fertilizer averages about $56 per acre. If a farmer had a two hundred acre field – this would be an $11,200 expense! Don’t forget, that’s over eleven thousand dollars for a commercial fertilizer that is quite inferior to an organic fertilizer such as treated biosolids. The nitrogen in biosolids is organic and therefore readily available for use by growing crops in many diverse weather conditions. Residual nitrogen is also present for years to come. Cost savings can be realized by the farmer, again and again, through the reduced amount of nitrogen that will be necessary for maintenance in future years. Not only is commercial fertilizer expensive, and a chemical, but the nitrogen in it comes in the form of ammonia and needs the proper moisture level (rain) to release fully to the crop.     Too bad we can’t control the rain!

In addition to the nitrogen, agricultural producers also need to apply phosphorous and potash to their soils periodically for maintenance of favorable growing conditions. Typical cost for these nutrients is over twenty dollars per acre. Considering our example two hundred acre farm, this is an additional four thousand dollars that the farmer can add directly to his bottom line.

When formulating a land application program for your plant, using the Illinois EPA standards, the application rates for the bio-solids will be based upon the farmer’s nitrogen needs and expected crop yields. They receive all the nitrogen, phosphorous and potash that they need at zero cost. What is not to love!   On average, a typical 200 acre farm could take up to 8,000 cubic yards of biosolids. This would be over fifteen thousand dollars in savings for the farmer and a solution to the storage problems of a plant.

This is all great for the plant and the farmers, but don’t forget information for the community activists. Land application of biosolids is not only a free, organic and completely natural way to fertilize and reclaim soil, but it also keeps our landfills free from this material! With the proper management, a waste product becomes a valuable resource. Everyone wins, from the farmer to mother earth. Who could argue with that?

For more information on land application programs or to be referred to an independent agronomist, please contact Michelle Stewart at (815)695-5667 or by e-mail at . Special thanks to Daniel Fiedler of Land Treatment Alternatives, Inc. in Geneseo, IL and Rodney Aulis of Elburn Coop in Yorkville, IL.