Pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) and Dairy Waste Stream Utilization: Properties and Economics of On-Farm Windrow Systems

Emily F. Creegan, Robert Flynn, Greg Torell, Catherine E. Brewer, Dawn VanLeeuwen, Ram N. Acharya, Richard J. Heerema and Murali Darapuneni
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Emily F. Creegan: Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Robert Flynn: Extension Plant Sciences, NMSU Agricultural Science Center, Artesia, NM 88210, USA
Greg Torell: Agricultural Economics & Agricultural Business, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Catherine E. Brewer: Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Dawn VanLeeuwen: Economics, Applied Statistics & International Business, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Ram N. Acharya: Agricultural Economics & Agricultural Business, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Richard J. Heerema: Extension Plant Sciences, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Murali Darapuneni: Plant and Environmental Sciences and Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Tucumcari, NM 88401, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Improper management of organic waste can lead to unnecessary carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and groundwater contamination. In this study, organic waste materials from two of New Mexico’s (U.S.A.) top agricultural industries, pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) and dairy cattle dairy manure, were used to evaluate the feasibility of an on-farm compost program. Pecan woody residues (P) served as the primary carbon source; regional cattle dairy manure (M) served as the primary nitrogen source. Additional (A) inputs from a compost consulting company (PM/A) and green waste from community landscaping and on-farm harvested legumes (PMG/A) were employed, both of which required additional labor and material inputs. Finished composts were analyzed for selected macro, secondary and micronutrients, pH, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), electrical conductivity (EC), total carbon (TC) and organic matter (OM) content, bulk density (b d ), and microbial biomass. The PM alone treatment showed similar or significantly higher amounts of macro, secondary and micronutrients compared to the PM/A and PMG/A treatments. Total microbial biomass and total salinity were highest for the PM treatment. The total cost of the PM treatment was around 1/6 of the cost of the lowest-cost addition compost production scheme, indicating that simpler, lower-input production methods may be more advantageous for on-farm compost program development.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability; biomass; compost; compost consulting; cost benefit; landscape; manure; organic materials; organic waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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