Custom Spreading: New Way To Handle Manure

Custom Spreading: New Way To Handle Manure SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 4-4-35 During the past year, a group of Iowa farmers has discovered that hiring to have liquid manure spread by a custom operator is cheaper than owning their own spreading equipment. These farmers are customers of Environmental Waste Disposal, a new farmer-owned and operated business in Stuart, Iowa, which does the job with a big Ag-Gator 2004 equipped with flotation tires and soil injecting equipment. Denny Draman, who has only been in business for a year, says business has been good, and the 2,200 gal. tank has been kept busy. "We didn't really close down for winter this past year," says Draman. "With the big flotation tires, we can handle most field conditions." The tires exert a pressure of only 15 lbs. per square inch, about one-fourth that of a standard truck. The selfpropelled Ag-Gator is the same type used by many municipalities to spread sewage sludge. When Draman takes on a job, it includes agitation, pumping, and hauling to the field and injecting. The custom rate is by the gallon of material moved, and rates start at under a cent a gallon, depending on distance of the haul and how far the rig has to travel to get to the job. The rig can pump from a lagoon, pit, or storage tank. As an example of how much time it takes to do a liquid spreading job, Draman tells about a customer who had 400,000 gals. spread on 80 acres. Traveling about a half mile to the field, Oraman averaged five trips an hour and the job took 40 hours. So far, Draman and his operator have been going anywhere in the state of Iowa, and there's a possibility of expanding into surrounding states. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Environmental Waste Disposal, Rt. 2, Stuart, Iowa 50250 (ph 515 523-2169).

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