| Criterion: | Manure Spreading: |
ACS Composting: |
| Odor | Odors long present and offensive to neighbors. | Odorless after 3 days. |
| Pests | A home for pests, weed seeds, & pathogens. | Few flies; weed seeds & pathogens destroyed. |
| Leaching | Nitrates & ammonia often leach into groundwater. |
Humus acts as nutrient reservoir until beckoned by the plants. |
| Water | Water holding capacity & infiltration rates measure below ACS compost. |
Compost humus holds 4 times its weight in water. Soil compaction reduced so filtration rates are improved. |
| Nitrogen | Organic N at 42.1% in Bloomsburg University study (manure w/ sawdust bedding). | Organic N at 97% in finished compost in Bloomsburg study. |
| Nutrients | Nutrients may be concentrated rather than balanced, which can be just as detrimental as a nutrient deficiency. | Compost nutrients are balanced, not concentrated. |
| Organic Matter | Organic matter increased, but not as high as with ACS compost. | Organic matter levels higher with ACS compost than manure. |
| Stability | Nutrients held in unstable form. | Nutrients held in stable form until needed by plant; little leaching. |
| Spreading | Purdue University spread manure daily. |
Purdue spread compost 5-6 days per year after switching. |
| Grazing | Cattle will not graze where manure has been recently applied. | Cattle will graze where compost has just been applied. Alfalfa with ACS compost has seen protein levels increase so that one dairy herd went from 35 lbs. to 16 lbs. of feed per day. |
| Yield | Early corn growth in manure less than compost. Plant height & dry weight below that of compost. | Early corn growth consistently greater in compost. Plant height and dry weight significantly greater with compost. |
| Salt Levels |
Salt in manure is passed on to the soil when spread, exacerbating any problem with salt build-up. | With humification, salt levels decline or are rendered benign. ACS compost has seen sodium at 799 ppm read 53 ppm 6 months after application. Salt ions in manure are altered by ACS. |
| Profitability | Extremely low price when sold may only cover costs of handling. | Sale of finished ACS compost should double, triple, or quadruple production costs. Significant fertilizer savings if applied to own fields. Soils healthier year-after-year. |
High quality compost degrades and renders harmless the undesirable effects of manure, while transforming its desirable properties into a soil amendment with numerous soil & plant benefits.