Before using an aerator, the Heisler poultry farm had to deal with many problems stemming from raw manure. The farm would remove manure from receiving pits at least once a week and store it in piles covered with plastic sheeting. The manure would emit odors, attract insects, and turn into a “sloppy stinking mess” when it rained.
Using an aerator helped the farm in several ways:
- Reduced insecticide application: The cost of the auger attachment used for aeration was $12,500, which was paid for in a year by the reduction in insecticide applications alone.
- Improved compost quality: Aeration dries the manure and gets rid of the unpleasant odor. The resulting compost is a better soil additive than non-aerated manure. The compost is more granular, easier to apply to fields, and increases crop yields.
- Fly control: Before using the aerator, the farm had problems with flies breeding in the manure. They tried fogging and spot-spraying the manure piles to control the flies, but it wasn’t very effective. The aerator helped to reduce the fly problem significantly.
The Heisler poultry farm is located in east-central Pennsylvania, where they get an average of 41 1/2 inches of precipitation per year. The temperature ranges from -1 degree Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This climate makes it even more important to properly manage manure to prevent problems with odor and flies.
