Composting Animal Mortalities

1. Composting Animal Mortalities Steve Higgins Director Environmental Compliance Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

2. Animal Carcass Composting 302 KAR 20:052

3. Rules and Regulations KRS 257.160(1)(f) allows disposal of animal carcasses by composting in approved facility www.al.nrcs.usda.gov

4. Rules and Regulations Site Permits issued by the State Veterinarian at a cost of $25 and renewed every 5 years

5. Rules and Regulations • All sites are subject to inspection • Any carcass not composted should be disposed according to KRS 257.160 • All facilities should have impermeable floor

6. Impermeable Flooring

7. Rules and Regulations Cost-effective efforts shall be taken to prevent odor, insects, and pest Maintain proper Moisture, Aeration, and Carbon-to-Nitrogen Ratio

8. The Composting Process Two ingredients are needed: Animal Carcasses Bulking Agent

9. Control the decomposition process • Soak up liquids produced by decomposition process • Provide good aeration, and increase • Should be high in Carbon Sawdust Wood Shavings Wood Mulch Horse Muck Corn Stover Bulking Agents

10. The Composting Process Place 1.5 to 2 feet of bulking material around the carcass – (Below and Above) Bulking material should for be “Coned”

11. The Composting Process • Larger piles tolerate weather fluctuation better than smaller piles • Additional mortalities may be added to the pile • Size is limited by equipment

12. The Composting Process Finished/Stable compost is filled with beneficial bacteria that jump-start the composting process and abate anaerobic gases www.torfaen.gov.uk

13. The Composting Process Compost pile should be periodically checked for: Temperature - 140 – 160 °F Moisture Odors Scavengers Pest

14. Temperature Temperatures can be approximated by the steam rising form the pile and by placing a hand near the center of pile Long stemmed Thermometers can also be used

15. Moisture Content Most Important Condition: Excess moisture can leach from pile - Potentially polluting surface or ground water Collect a handful of compost and squeeze: moisture Drips – Pile is too wet palm does not get wet – pile is too dry Hand is Wet (no drips) - Optimum moisture

16. Types of Composting Structures Determined by composting Method Windrow vs. Bin System Roof/No Roof

17. Choosing a Composting Site • Ideally located near animal housing • Should not be in a flood plain, with in 300 feet of a water well, stream, sinkhole, pond, property line, or public road • A hydrant should be near-by to add water as needed • Leachate – Divert to existing manure storage structure or grass filter strip

18. Sizing Composting Facility • Sized for your operation and equipment • Sizing based on estimated weight of average daily mortalities • Weights can be estimated using production records, industry standards or UK Calculator (based on NRCS guidelines)

19. Utilizing the Compost Finished material can be: Land Applied as fertilizer based on NRCS-590 Standards Used in Landscaping Erosion Control Recycled on future mortalities

20. Managing/ Troubleshooting

21. What not to do

22. Other Publications

23. Thank You