Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T16:52:46.295Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of hydrology and effluent quality on the management of woodchip pads for overwintering cattle. I. Development of monitoring methodology and sampling strategies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2012

D. R. JACKSON  and
K. A. SMITH
D. R. JACKSON
Affiliation:
40, Whiteoaks Drive, Bishops Wood, Stafford ST19 9AH, UK
K. A. SMITH*
Affiliation:
ADAS Wolverhampton, Woodthorne, Wolverhampton WV6 8TQ, UK
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Woodchip pads can be a sustainable alternative to the overwintering of stock on grassland or in conventional housing and can offer benefits in improved animal performance, improved health and environmentally sustainable options for the management of animal excreta (dung, urine and the resulting effluent). Novel flow measuring equipment was developed to monitor effluent drainage from two woodchip pads sited on commercial farms in the UK, one in Powys (Wales, UK) and the other in Leicestershire (England, UK). Observations were made over 8 months in 2009/10. The aim was to assess both hydrological characteristics and nutrient fluxes. Flow monitoring, based on the use of tipping bucket or the principles of an overshot water wheel, was required to be capable of diverting a sample into a storage tank for sub-sampling and subsequent analysis. Estimates of pad outputs through evaporation and sub-surface drainage accounted for 0·98–1·01 of total inputs from precipitation and animal excreta, with evaporation and pad drainage representing 0·47–0·63 and 0·34–0·51 of total inputs, respectively. The resulting scientific information is of value in the synthesis of guidelines for design, construction and management of woodchip pads. Detailed analysis of flow and precipitation data, coupled with column absorption studies to evaluate moisture retention in the woodchip matrix, were used to consider the development of modelling approaches, with the potential to predict drainage outputs across a range of geographical, weather and pad management situations.

Type
Animal Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 151 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 268 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Anon (2007). Guidance Document for the Design, Siting and Operation of Out-wintering Pads. Dublin: Irish Department of Agriculture. Available online at: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/farmingschemesandpayments/farmbuildings/farmbuildingspecifications/pdfversions/Guidance%20Document%20for%20Out-Wintering%20Pads.pdf (verified 15 March 2012).Google Scholar
Anon (2009). Guidance for Farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones. Leaflet 3. Standard Values, Manure Sampling Protocol and Glossary. London: DEFRA. Available online at: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/waterquality/diffuse/nitrate/library.htm (verified 15 March 2012).Google Scholar
Anon (2010). The Fertiliser Manual (RB209), 8th edn. London: The Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Anon (2011). Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) NVZ Fact Sheet 1: Slurry and Dirty Water Version 2.1, May 2011 London: DEFRA. Available online at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/NVZ_Fact_Sheet_1_v2.1_May2011.pdf (verified 15 March 2012).Google Scholar
CREH. (2005). Flow and Leachate Characteristics of Four Woodchip Corrals in Scotland. Report to the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. Project Reference: CRE/001/03. Aberystwyth, UK: Centre for Research into Environment and Health (CREH), University of Wales.Google Scholar
Dumont, P. A., Chadwick, D. R., Misselbrook, T. H., Robinson, J. S., Smith, K. A., Sagoo, E., Camp, V., Murray, R., French, P., Hill, R. A. & Scott, A. (forthcoming). Effluent quality and ammonia emissions from out-wintering pads. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.Google Scholar
EBLEX (2011). Improved Design and Management of Woodchip Pads for Sustainable Out-wintering of Livestock. Kenilworth, UK: EBLEX. Guidelines for farmers. Available online at: http://www.eblex.org.uk/search.aspx?search=woodchip (verified 15 March 2012).Google Scholar
Edwards, A. C., Campbell, C. D. & Paterson, E. (2003). Review of the Scientific Rationale Underpinning the Establishment of Woodchip Corrals. Report prepared for the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. Aberdeen, UK: the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute.Google Scholar
Hickey, M. C., French, P. & Grant, J. (2002). Out-wintering pads for finishing beef cattle: animal production and welfare. British Society of Animal Science 75, 447–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hough, M. N., Palmer, S., Weir, A., Lee, M. & Barrie, I. (1995). Meteorological Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System MORECS version 2.0 Bracknell, Berkshire, UK: Meteorological Office.Google Scholar
Mason, P. A. (1992). Farm Waste Storage: Guidelines for Construction. London: Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA).Google Scholar
Merrilees, D. & Donnelly, S. (2007). Woodchip Corrals. SAC Technical Note TN595. Edinburgh, UK: SAC. Available online at: http://www.sac.ac.uk/publications/technicalnotes/ (verified 15 March 2012).Google Scholar
Meteorological Office (1982). Observer's Handbook. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Vinten, A. J. A., Donnelly, S., Ball, B. C., Crawford, C. E., Ritchie, R. M. & Parker, J. P. (2006). A field trial to evaluate the pollution potential to ground and surface waters from woodchip corrals for overwintering livestock outdoors. Soil Use and Management 22, 82–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, P. L., Wohlt, J. E., Zajac, P. K. & Cooper, K. R. (2000). Chemical and physical properties of processed newspaper compared to wheat straw and wood shavings as animal bedding. Journal of Dairy Science 83, 359–367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed