Cow Runoff

[Raul]

With that I would agree. along with dangerous ammonia levels.

Wasn 't going to get too technical, oxygen depravation is caused by:

1.- Reduced oxygen content in the water as the bacteria use it to decompose manure

2.- High ammonia levels, ammonia causes swelling of the gills, the fish can 't breathe propely and oxygenate their blood because the gills are swollen.

3.- Ammonia is transformed into nitrite by nitrifying bacteria, nitrite enters the bloodstream through the gill capillaries and binds to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells transforming it into metahemoglobin which is incapable of binding to oxygen causing anoxia, cells die, ultimately the fish dies.

4.- Doesn 't cause oxygen depravation but very low oxygen levels can create anaerobic conditions and anaerobic bacteria create H2S which is also toxic.

So, too much of a good thing can also be bad ( or worse ).

[firefightn15]

This is a short article about the recent fish kill on my local flowage:

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1162

[ww2farmer]

There are  alot of ignorant statements beeing thrown around in this thread. I live in the heart of WNY dairy land, and used to be a dairy farmer, before we sold the cows and became a crop only farm. My local lake has about dozens of large farms in it's watershed, with a 100,000+ cows making manure, and that manure applied to the land that drains into that watershed. Runoff is enevitable, farmers can't controll the weather. Manure needs to be applied to the land for fertilizer, and most farms do it in an environmentaly sound manner. They incorperate it in to the soil ASAP, the don't  put it on heavy, if at all next to drains, ditchs, or feeder streams. And they are only allowed to put on a limited amount of manure as dictated by soil needs/run off potential set by there there KAFO plan. Yet runoff still happens.

Since runoff is unavoidable, I would rather have manure, than comercial fert. Manure in the ammounts that runoff now, and now that farmers are educated, and concerned about, is  doing little harm. The manure actualy gets used by the lakes biomass, plankton, vegetation, etc...

[firefightn15]

WW2farmer-

      I'm not sure as to whom you are referring but I grew up in the ag/dairy industry. Speaking strictly of my instance, when I use the term excessive I talk about specific farms who deluge fields with 2, 3, and 4 times the amount of liquid cow manure than that particular field can handle. Incorporating the manure into the soil only works if the farm does it to begin with and that is hard to do in the dead of winter. One of my local farms was sued in civil court and fined $30,000.00 after an environmentally sound farmer sent his run off down my neighbor's back yard, through her driveway, and fill the top half of her pond.

To get a bit off topic, some of these free stall farms have the herd to produce 10's of thousands of pounds of milks per week or even in a day. On occasion the problem is that they have no reasonable venue to get rid of all the waste; they run out of holding space and places to go.

Obviously we are not speaking of the "mom and pop" farms who run the honey wagon out once or twice a day but the large farms who have eaten up the local farms and still haven't the room to sustain their herd size. I see it first hand 2 miles up the road as well as other places within 15 minutes of me.

Including my own, I see terms such as excessive, severe, and high concentration when comments were posed on this topic and there is nothing ignorant about that.

I agree completely with your last comments and that most of the farming community is conscience of their fertilizing activity and these fine folks are not who I take issue with. "All it takes is one bad apple" is the old saying and it holds true.

If you were referring to any of my comments or posts, I hope this clarifies my point of view. 8-)

[tyrius.]

and most farms do it in an environmentaly sound manner. They incorperate it in to the soil ASAP, the don't put it on heavy, if at all next to drains, ditchs, or feeder streams. And they are only allowed to put on a limited amount of manure as dictated by soil needs/run off potential set by there there KAFO plan. Yet runoff still happens.

Yep, most are responsible.  But, there are always a few who will give the many a bad name.

I grew up helping my uncle on his dairy farm.  I've dragged a manure spreader through the field and watched liquid manure fly through the air.  He had a creek that ran through the back of his farm.  We didn't ever spread near that creek.  Which means that he was being responsible and it's not at all likely that runoff from one of his fields would cause a fish kill.  Other farmers spread right up to the waters edge and likely right into it.  Now, should that farmer not be held responsible for his actions?

[hogrustler]

Thanks for puttin out that fire, firefightn15

[Casca]

cow runoff? sorry to hear your bovine ran off. hope you find it.