Manure Separators in Demand on Animal Farms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Pro-Act Microbial

1-800-772-3775

www.ProActMicrobial.com

Manure Separators in Demand on Animal Farms

Warren, RI, June 5, 2008 --- Large CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) have been processing their manure through solids separators for both the manure management and financial benefits. With a greater variety of sizes on the market, including Pro-Act Biotech’s line of separators, Pro-Act reports that animal farms of many sizes are placing orders for this technology.

Pro-Act’s Separator, produced by the Vincent Corporation of Florida, separates the manure into two streams: manure slurry and the solids. The liquid is then drained into a waste lagoon or storage tank while the dry solids can be put to a variety of uses including compost, fertilizer and animal bedding. Separating the solids out of the manure stream also results in a less stressed lagoon/tank.

Pro-Act’s biological manure treatment is key to decreasing the solids in storage, dramatically decreasing the odor, controlling nutrients, providing easier access to superior fertilizer and more. When this technology is used in conjunction with the Pro-Act Separator, the benefits are even greater. Because of this and due to the rising prices all around and shortages of fertilizer looming well into the future, Pro-Act Biotech is reporting a recent surge in orders for their separator.

Solids separation is an excellent way to extract the nutrient-rich solids for use in other applications such as fertilizer or composting. The fertilizer value of Pro-Act treated manure is much better than untreated, and taking out recalcitrant solids with a separator further enhances the manure treatment. So the separation and biological treatment together decreases or even eliminates the amount of nitrogen fertilizer the farms need to purchase.

And the financial benefits go beyond fertilizer. Keeping bedding and manure out of the treatment pond extends lagoon life. This reduces the frequency necessary to dredge the lagoon. And when it does come time to pump, Pro-Act’s biological manure treatment results in lagoons that do not require agitation, further increasing time and monetary savings.

The drier solids that come out of the separator are also much easier to apply to fields and incorporate into compost. In fact, some farmers are selling this compost in bulk to nurseries and municipalities, while others are bagging the material for retail sale to home gardeners.

Another money-saver is to use the manure solids as bedding. University studies have shown that pressed manure has just the right moisture content (70%) for composting. This raises the manure temperature sufficiently to kill bacteria, thus making the compost safe for use as bedding. Plus, in flush systems, the microbial component of Pro-Act’s treatment sanitizes the bedding further.

The Pro-Act Separator is designed to work on many farm types: dairy or hog, flush or scrape barns. In flush barns, Pro-Act's microbial mix has already gone to work reducing the odor and viscosity of the water and solids before the manure slurry reaches the separator. This makes the separator work more efficiently and puts less wear and tear on the equipment. With scrape barns, the manure is thicker. Separating the solids out of the manure stream results in a lagoon or storage tank that is less stressed and provides an environment for Pro-Act’s treatment to work even better.

“We’ve had quite an interest in our separator since we introduced it at the beginning of this year,” says Bill Campion, president of Pro-Act Biotech. “Times are getting a little tighter and the farmers are understanding that manure separation is really needed not only as a standard part of manure treatment but also as a way to put the manure to work for them.”

# # #