So Rock Chuck, what is the preferred method of the big dairies around Twin for dealing with manure? I see the big dairy operation off highway 84 (heading toward Jerome, on the left) and it looks like they compost. Is that the preferred method or do most haul or pump to the fields? Just curious. Hauled a lot of cow [bleep] in my youth in a little 175 bushel IH manure spreader. Cow manure definitely the bain of any dairy farmer's existence 'cause those cows produce so much of it.
Some of the more progressive dairies have experimented with digesters to cook it into methane for fuel. That's an expensive project, though, so not many have done it. There are a number of compost operations going. They ship it all over the place to commercial nurseries and landscapers. I've been told that the one you've along I84 gets manure from a number of dairies to compost. Over all, though, it's a big problem. The law regulates how much they can put on the land to protect the soil and ground water. Some dairies have bought out farms just to have a place to spread it.
I can tell you this - if you buy property around here, if you're smart you'll get on Google maps and carefully study the aerial photos of everything around the land you're looking at. Dairies are easy to spot on an aerial. You really don't want to buy anything east of one.
