Vermont Organics Reclamation initiates manure management program

Dairy farmer Rolland Rainville in Franklin, Vt., is participating in a manure management program designed to improve the environmental impact of his manure, without taking away from the quality or the volume he needs for his fields. The new program will be demonstrated for the first time on Aug. 25 at Rainville’s farm by local entrepreneur and founder Tim Camisa of Vermont Organics Reclamation.

In the process, manure is lifted out of Rainville’s pit into a screen separator and screw press, where 20% of the phosphorus is removed from the manure. The bi-products from the process are transported to a newly built greenhouse in St. Albans, Vt., and used to create potting soil and other organic soil products. Camisa has been designing and refining the manure management system since 2002 with one goal in mind: prevent further pollution of Lake Champlain and Vermont’s waterways.

Farmers can expect to receive between $8,000-$30,000 per year when they participate, depending on the quality and quantity of the manure removed from their farms. Camisa expects to export over 10 tons of phosphorus next year in soil made from the solids of the manure treatment process and other organic byproducts. The soil will also provide consumers with an alternative to traditional potting soil, made from peat moss.