Economic Analysis of Manure Harvesting Equipment Utilized in Feedyards for Dust Control.

Large cattle production facility produces large amount of manure. One of the purposes of manure management is dust suppression, which becomes a greater issue in prolonged dry weather. Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel developed, compiled and analyzed a two-page written survey with the help of agricultural engineers. Survey data were utilized to determine the most frequently used manure harvesting equipment. Results showed that larger yards tended to own and operate the manure harvesting equipment themselves. Only 23% of medium-sized and 21% of large-sixed feedyards owned and operated an elevating scraper due to its high cost. The frequency for large, medium, and small-sized feedyards to hire manure-harvesting contractors were 71%, 39%, and 36%, respectively. The most frequently utilized manure harvesting implements identified in the feedyard manager survey, which were tractor-pulled box scraper, front-end loader and dump truck, had a combined hourly cost of $89.89. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]