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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: Ken.Smith@adas.co.uk
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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

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References

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