Coolmore Ireland Breeders' Handbook 2019

Composting Compost is very important as a natural fertiliser on the land and it is also a way of using the large volumes of stable manure accumulated over the year. Stables are mucked out daily and the dirty straw is then used to bed down our cattle which are housed indoors during the winter months. The straw will naturally compost and decompose underneath the cattle, it will then be stored until it can be spread on the land the following autumn. The composted material gives the soil a good humus and its naturally high phosphorus and potash content enriches the land and reduces the need for synthetic fertilisers. In the spring cattle are let out to pasture and a system has been developed to manage stable manure during the summer months. Dirty straw is stockpiled on a large custom made covered concrete apron where cattle slurry is added. A purpose built machine then turns the straw, agitating it and adding air, which when mixed with moisture will speed up the decomposition process. Any run-off material is collected and stored in an adjacent tank. This liquid has a high nutrient content and is spread on the large willow plantation that surrounds the area. Willow trees are well known for their ability to absorb nutrients and therefore they have a natural cleansing effect on the run-off water. These nutrients also provide a feed source for the willows and help them to grow and thrive. The willows are felled and harvested on a rotational basis and the dried wood is cut into pellets which are used as fuel for the woodchip boilers that heat the many staff homes dotted throughout the farm. This reduces dependency on oil and other fossil fuels thereby helping to improve the farm’s carbon footprint.

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