Are there any type of animal fertilizers in organic farming?

Question

My sister read something online that organic farms are allowed to use animal fertilizers. If anyone knows anything about this please let me know. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Topaka11,

While there were several worthwhile items mentioned in this thread, I think I know what you are asking about.


In order to contemplate the accuracy of any answer we would have to figure out where your market was and what kind of animal fertilizer you want to know about - tissue based waste or poop. While the overall principle behind organic farming is basically the same around the world, how that principle is interpreted in the different world markets shows that there is a lot of variance in what is acceptable with animal based waste products.


I have a feeling that you would like to know more about the possible issues with using animal manure as a fertilizer. In the US the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
National Organic Program rules allow raw manure to be applied to crops up to 90 to 120 days prior to harvest. This time requirement has to do with E. Coli contamination issues. However, it was already posted in this thread that for your E. Coli considerations you will want to compost your animal manure for at least a year. Manure composted for less than a year has roughly 15-20 times higher E. Coli contamination rate than manure that was composted for longer than a year.


In European markets some countries do not allow any animal manure to be used unless it has gone through a digester (like what is used to degrade wastes/biomass to harvest the methane byproduct) first to eliminate any pathogens. A digester is easy to make. It it's simplest form it is a container that holds a slurry of biomass. As the bacteria break down the biomass various gases are released. Most people harvest the methane and use it for energy purposes, but a digester is very very very effective in producing a high-grade byproduct that can be used for soil enhancement. This is a little off topic but I mention it because a digester is also very effective in destroying the pathogens in various animal wastes.


As for the manure itself, the actual "rules" tend to be a little fuzzy when it comes to the sources of the manure. This raises the question of "if non-organic cows eat non-organic forage - can I use that non-organic manure as fertilizer for my organic crop?"


Yes ... but ... you will really want to consider the source of your manure because there are a lot of compounds that will pass through the animal and end up in their waste. Depending on the compound and the levels of contamination, you could definitely have something that could transfer over into your crop.


Organic dairy operations are only allowed to feed their stock organic forage/hay and feed/grain and there is a reason for that. Many plants are very good at pulling all manner of materials and compounds out of the soil and storing them within the plant fibers. If you put non-organic sourced manure on your crops, regardless of compost age, you could very well be passing along some of those contaminants to your crop despite all of your other organic practices.


And when it comes to animal waste, stick to non-carnivores. Waste from meat-eaters (dogs, cats, people, etc.) is generally something to be avoided for a variety of health reasons.


When in doubt, the best person to ask would be the certifying agent that is doing your organic certification. They will be able to provide you with the growing requirements for your area - but also research your target market. Just because you did everything that you were supposed to for your country, that doesn't mean that your organic practices will be accepted elsewhere.


I apologize for the somewhat vague nature of this reply. You can use animal poop as a fertilizer but you will want to consider what forage those animals are eating to make that manure. European and some Asian markets address this, but American organic certification is a lot more fuzzy on the subject. It's not really a sticking point now, but I would expect that the degree of interpretation will narrow within the next 10 years. Think about it now and it probably won't be an issue for you later and you will be ahead of the curve (as well as having a nice marketing point for your products)


Good luck with your efforts. We grow certified organic hay in Texas and had the same question ourselves when we first started out.

Y

Answer 2

Yes, some (but not all) organic farmers use animal manure as fertilizer.

There's a problem with using animal manures as fertilizer though. As more and more people live in cities and have less and less contact with animals, or even any sort of nature (like a lawn) they are loosing their natural immunities. This is a problem, because some people are becoming very sensative to Ecoli. I personally believe this will eventually lead to a ban of using natural fertilizers (manure).

Cow, pig, and horse manures all must be composted for a year or more. Those manures are too "hot" and will burn plants if put on without being composted. Composting all kills any weed seeds the manure might contain.

Goat, rabbit, llama, alpaca & sheep manure may all be applied directly to a crop, without being composted. They are "cold" manures and will not burn the delicate young plants.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 3

Absolutely, animal products are used in organic farming, and some of them are products that vegetarians do not want association with. Some people are vegetarian primarily because they have issue with the treatment of farm animals, and some of the products are representative of the worst violations which have been the motivation for the lifestyle change.

Blood meal, bone meal, feather meal, gurry, tankage and rendered products are all left over from animal carcases that can't be used in pet food or are not used as a feed component for the animals from which it came from. Nothing is wasted. If we can't eat it (or wear it as with leather), or our pets can't, then some is fed back to the animals in their feed and everything else is fertilizer. All that time that animals are grown on they also produce manure that is valuable. The main concerns with that, though is it may be a source of heavy metals depending on their diet, and their may be some minor concerns with medications, chemicals, and even pesticides from their care. Most of the concerns though seem to be unfounded and/ or unproven at this point.

For those who don't eat meat and have issues with dairy and egg because of animal abuse issues, those organic veggies may not be what you think they are, the message you believe you are sending with your actions is a lie by omission on their part.

Answer 4

Organic farming can only take place in healthy soil because the organic farmers aren't allowed to apply synthetic fertilizer to compensate for poor soils. This means that they rotate crops to add soil mass and organic matter, cover crop to prevent erosion, green manure (lay down green plants) to increase fertility, and often increase soil fertility with animal manure. There is hardly anything better for soil than animal manure well composted and spread across the ground to increase the nitrogen content of the soil. Chickens are very good for spreading and depositing manure, but cow and pig manure are the most abundant options. These must be spread out because large piles in one spot are not helpful. There is actually a piece of equipment specifically developed for spreading manure across fields to help the soil be healthy and productive.

Answer 5

We use some hormones to control the time of eg. a cow will be able to catch a baby and we do this on a farm because we need the animals to be able to catch babes in the same day. This is very important because in most cases we don' t have male animals in the farm, but we just use sperm and do artificial insemination. So, we call a vet to do the art. ins. less times and not everyday that a cow is able to catch a baby. It also helps to keep our animal in less groups.
If you think that these ferstilizers are the hormones we use, then this answer would fit you. But dont think that these hormones are so bad, they are the same that the animals allready have in their body. We just use different quantities in different time in order to change the circle (the womens cirle month).
Even women do the same with spirals (these spirals have hormones and they dont allow women to catch a child, and when they remove them, they are able to catch a child again after some days) Sorry, I dont know a lot cause I am a boy.
Finally, it is very acceptable this thing to happen in the animals and their products are still organic. These hormones dont go to other parts of the body except the reproductive system an organs.
Hope that I helped you, even though my english language level is not so good.

Answer 6

Yes and no. It depends on the farmer and what they feel is appropriate for their crops. However organic farming is a general term used by the USDA for an approved process, from beginning to end including fertilizers. There are specific guidelines to market your product as "organically grown" and yes animal fertilizers can be used on those organic crops, bone meal, blood meal for instance. My suggestion is to go to the United States Department of Agriculture. You will find everything related to organics and what constitutes organic.

Answer 7

Animal fertilizer is called manure. Preferably composted manure.

Answer 8

I am a chicken and bunny fertilizer person, diluted repeatedly in rain water! Then a liquid slur spread over the gardens.
The woman who spoke about E-coli is probably right, But, evolution has provided survival of the fittest! So, the fittest it is, and since when don't the majority of people believe in THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION? When it gets personal...That's when!?!

Answer 9

Yes animal manure is often used because of its high nitrogen content and because it is organic. Organice farmers use all kinds of fertlizer but it has to be produce with out man made chemicals.