Best ways to store purchased poultry litter
P
oultry litter is
valuable to soil
fertility for farmers in
West Virginia. Litter is
generated from chicken
and turkey operations
primarily in the Potomac
Valley and is widely
used by area farmers
to fertilize row crops,
hay, and pasture.
Farmers in the North
Central part of West
Virginia have historically
purchased litter to
enhance pasture and
hay production, and
they continue to look
for available litter and
truckers willing to haul
this product.
Typically, litter is hard
to find during the early
spring and the summer
crop growing months;
however, availability
improves during the
late fall and winter.
Likewise, trucking
resources tend to be
difficult to find during
the summer construction
season, and the
availability improves
during winter months.
Following these storage considerations will protect water resources and
the investment you made when purchasing poultry litter to improve your
farm’s soil fertility.
• Roofed storage
Storage of purchased
litter needs to be planned
prior to delivery. To
protect water from soil,
waste, and nutrient
contamination, the West
Virginia State Department
of Agriculture (WVDA)
has established Best
Management Practices
for persons storing and
Improperly stored poultry litter can lead to the
handling fertilizers and
manures. It is best to store degradation of water quality. (Photo credit: www.flickr.com)
poultry litter in a roofed
including proximity to surface
structure that meets the United States
streams, seasonal high water tables
Department of Agriculture Natural
(less than 2 feet from the surface),
Resources Conservation Service
and potential loss of litter from a
practice standard for waste storage.
25-year, 24-hour storm event.
If this option is not available, W VDA
recommends the following set of
• Location of storage
practices to protect water quality.
So where should farmers store poultry
• Open storage
litter for the winter and early spring?
Open storage of litter, commonly
Store litter away from property lines
described as field storage, must be
so neighbors are not impacted by
covered with a tarpaulin if the storage
potential odors. If possible, locate the
time is greater than 15 days. The
storage area on a well-drained field
location of field-stored litter should
above the floodplain or on a hilltop.
be 100 feet from a well and at least
• Transporting litter
50 feet from surface water, including
The most cost-effective way to
springs, ponds, wet areas, and other
transport litter is to locate a tractor
water collection points. Locate a
trailer with a dump bed or a trailer
storage area at least 50 feet from an
w