How to Convert Animal Wastes into Money
Did you know that there are ways you can convert animal wastes to generate income for you both directly or indirectly as a livestock farmer? Farming has gone past the ages of the routine cropping practices of simply putting seed on the ground, covering the soil, watering the soil, and allowing nature to take its cause in making the planted seed germinate, weed the germinated plant, fertilize the crop and harvest the crop when matured and due for harvest.
These days farmers should be able to think outside the box to be able to answer questions like; what can I do to ensure that I utilize all my farm produce including wastes and turn them into a money source?
If you can be innovative enough to find the answer to this question then I can guarantee you that you have devised another means of income for yourself even without realizing it yet.
Many fish farmers are still practicing the traditional way of flushing off the dirty waters from their fish ponds into a hole or by splashing them all over the soil.
Many livestock farmers are also still practicing the traditional way of taking their animal wastes to a designated location where they are to be burnt when dry or after a while, as well as many other old routine practices of decomposing animal wastes available.
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I’m sure by now you must be wondering where I am directing to with all these examples?
All I want is for you not to be the regular farmer, but an innovative farmer, a farmer who derives innovative means to enhance productivity and surely increase profit by utilizing all available resources within your reach to achieve this.
Can’t think of any unique idea right now? Alright let me give you an example to act as a guide below;
Ways you can Utilize Animal Wastes to Generate Income
Here are various ways you can utilize animal wastes and convert them into a source of income directly or indirectly;
1. The Use them Yourself Method
For the sake of this example, I will be using a maize farm, a fish farm, and a poultry farm.
Now assuming you have a maize farm, a fish farm, and a poultry farm then here is an example for you;
1. Plant your maize using the recommended spacings and the right maize seeds (corn seeds).
2. Channel your fish pond water wastes to your maize field with the use of irrigation pipes or other related techniques.
Alternatively, you can also channel your fish pond water wastes to a designated hole or a depositing point from which you can then channel the water to the maize field and use that as your source of water for the maize plants.
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3. When it is time for the fertilization of the crops, you should use your poultry wastes as manure on your maize field.
4. when the maize matures, harvest them and use them as part of the raw materials to formulate your fish feed and poultry feed.
Now, this is the intended farming strategy;
First I want to let you know that maize (corn) acts as a source of carbohydrate for most animal feeds and is mostly required in larger amounts.
Therefore, to minimize your general cost of production and ensure maximum profit, you have successfully achieved the following using this strategy;
1. You planted your maize farm with the intention of using them to feed your farm animals e.g. chickens, fishes, rabbits, grasscutters, etc.
2. Instead of wasting your fish pond water wastes, you made them become useful by using the water as your water source for irrigation.
With regular water availability, you can even get to cultivate your maize all year (practicing all year round maize farming) without having to wait for rainfall…. This will be our topic for another day.
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3. With your poultry manure acting as your source for crop fertilization, you won’t have to spend more money on purchasing fertilizers which thereby reduces the cost of producing your maize crops.
4. Finally, when the maize matures and is ready for harvest, you can then harvest them and use them as part of your raw materials in producing animal feed (making your animal feed) for your animals, thereby feeding the maize back to the animals whose wastes were used to produce them.
Now at the end of the day with all of these, you will successfully reduce your general cost of production which in return will generate maximum profit for you as the poultry farmer or fish farmer following this example.
2. The Sell Them Off Method
This is another method you can use to turn your animal wastes into cash. This method is pretty straightforward forward although not the best in terms of earning profitability and utilization of the waste materials.
This is the method whereby you simply decide to allow other persons who need the wastes to come and buy them off from you.
You can pack the generated animal wastes with sacks and notify buyers who might be gardeners that use the manure in their gardens, horticulturists who use them on their flowers, or even other farmers who will purchase them from you and use them as explained in the first option above.
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3. The Do Nothing Method
I know I am not supposed to add this method to the list, but I am adding it because I will prefer you do something about the animal waste… smiles!
Do not neglect the animal waste especially after you realize how useful it can actually become.
In conclusion, whether you are into livestock farming, horticulture, aquaculture, apiculture, etc. there are always innovative ways you can carry out your farming and farm operations to enhance agricultural productivity and increase profit.
We can together achieve sustainable agriculture and ensure food security in this growing population across the globe if we work together to contribute our different ideas and strategies.
This is where our discussion on this topic comes to an end.
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