System for treatment of manure

• US 6,887,382 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Land O'Lakes Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ABI Alfalfa, Inc. (Land O'Lakes Incorporated)
• Inventors: Solar, Paul Joe, Moutray, Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): Prince, Fred G.
• Application Number:
  US10/361,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20040154981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 210/602, 210/747, 210/170, 210/908, 210/928, 47D/IG.10
• US Class Current: 210/602
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/00 Distributing devices specially adapted for liquid manure or other fertilising liquid, including ammonia, e.g. transport tanks or sprinkling wagons
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/20 from animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/32 characterised by the animals or plants used, e.g. algae
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 3/00 Fertilisers from human or animal excrements, e.g. manure
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 7/00 Fertilisers from waste water, sewage sludge, sea slime, ooze or similar masses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/20 Fertilizers of biological origin, e.g. guano or fertilizers made from animal corpses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 210/928 Paper mill waste, e.g. white water, black liquor treated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 47/10 Physical and chemical treatment of agricultural soils

Abstract

A waste management system dispenses liquid manure and/or sludge products onto land on which is grown a cultivar that is specially selected to perform with improved yields and stand persistence under conditions of heavy traffic, grazing, manure application and/or fertilizer loading. Selective breeding and/or selection for improved performance under conditions of heavy traffic, grazing and defecation has produced cultivars that demonstrate improved performance in this use.

Claims

1. A waste management system comprising,

a supply facility for use in providing organic waste material,

the supply facility selected from the group consisting of an agroindustrial facility, an animal production facility, a feedlot, a dairy, a poultry farm, and a sewage plant;

land for use as a disposition point for the organic waste material;

a conveyance for transporting the organic waste material from the supply facility to the land;

a crop of growing on the land for use in subjecting the organic waste material deposited on the land to in vivo processing,

the crop being breeder_specially selected for superior phenotype and survivability under at least one of grazing stress, manure loading stress and traffic stress; and

a dispenser assembly for use in applying the organic waste material to the crop.

2. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the supply facility comprises the agroindustrial facility, and the agroindustrial facility is further selected from the group consisting of a slaughterhouse, a paper mill, a cannery, and a tannery.

3. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the supply facility comprises the dairy, and the dairy contains more than 200 animal units.

4. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the supply facility comprises the feedlot, and the feedlot contains more than 200 animal units.

5. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the supply facility comprises the sewage plant and further comprises a sludge production unit configured to provide the organic waste material.

6. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the land is contiguous with the supply facility.

7. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the land is remote from the supply facility and the conveyance comprises a pipeline configured to carry liquid manure.

8. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the crop is selected by a process that causes accelerated demise of at least 50% of parent germplasm stock.

9. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the crop comprises clover.

10. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the crop comprises alfalfa.

11. The waste management system of claim 10, wherein the alfalfa comprises a cultivar that is processed by testing to confirm increased yields under at least one condition of traffic, grazing and manure stress.

12. The waste management system of claim 10, wherein the alfalfa comprises a cultivar that is processed by testing to confirm increased persistence under at least one condition of traffic, grazing and manure stress.

13. The waste management system of claims 11 or 12, wherein the alfalfa comprises a dormant cultivar.

14. The waste management system of claims 11 or 12, wherein the alfalfa comprises a semi-dormant cultivar.

15. The waste management system of claims 11 or 12, wherein the alfalfa comprises a non-dormant cultivar.

16. The waste management system of claim 10, wherein the alfalfa comprises JM-1.

17. The waste management system of claim 10, wherein the alfalfa comprises a JM-1 variant.

18. The waste management system of claim 1, wherein the dispenser assembly comprises a center-pivot device configured to dispense liquid manure.

19. In a waste management system that generates animal waste and disposes of the animal waste by dispensing the same onto land where a crop is planted, the improvement comprising:

a crop of alfalfa and/or clover growing on the land, the crop of alfalfa and/or clover selected from a breeder program to provide increased yields under conditions of heavy traffic, grazing and manure stress.

20. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises a dormant cultivar.

21. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises a non-dormant cultivar.

22. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises a semi-dormant cultivar.

23. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises JM-1.

24. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises JM-2.

25. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises CB-1.

26. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises CB-2.

27. The waste management system of claim 19, wherein the crop of alfalfa comprises a JM-1 variant.

28. A method of organic waste processing and disposal in a facility, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying organic waste material via a facility selected from the group consisting of an agroindustrial facility, an animal production facility, a feedlot, a dairy, a poultry farm, and a sewage plant;

processing the organic waste material to provide liquid manure;

growing a crop of alfalfa and/or clover on land, the crop being specially selected for genetics that provide at least one of superior phenotype, survivability, and yield performance under traffic, grazing and manure stress;

transporting the organic waste material from the facility to the land; and

depositing the liquid manure on the land for use by the crop to subject the liquid manure to in vivo processing.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop as alfalfa and/or clover that provides increased yields under conditions of heavy traffic, grazing and manure stress.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising a step of selecting the crop of alfalfa and/or clover to provide increased yields under conditions of exposure to liquid manure.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop to include a dormant cultivar of alfalfa.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop to include a non-dormant cultivar of alfalfa.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop to include a semi-dormant cultivar of alfalfa.

34. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop to include JM-1.

35. The method of claim 28, further comprising a step of selecting the crop to include alfalfa as a JM-1 variant.