The ability to turn highly putrescible poultry processing waste into nutrient-rich compost via a safe and efficient composting process underpins a new development at the Tirohia landfill site.
Tirohia Compost Solutions Ltd is a 50:50 joint venture company between H.G. Leach & Co Ltd from Paeroa and Bigham Holdings Ltd from Matamata. We operate a composting facility at Tirohia, transforming by-products from the poultry industry and green waste into high organic matter and nutrient-rich compost.
Tirohia Compost operates utilises poultry processing waste and local greenwaste to produce a high organic matter and nitrogren, calcium, and phosphorus-rich product.
Tirohia Compost helps the local area by not only producing a high quality compost, but by composting these poultry industry by-products, significant reductions in landfill volumes are achieved.
Matamata dairy farmer, Kerry Simpson, has applied 2.5t/ha of compost to part of his farm over the past two years. His milk solids production has increased 9% to 1,200 kg/ha which Kerry largely attributes to the compost application. During the 2005 dry summer the compost treated paddocks held on better and an extra grazing was obtained from them, “the compost paddocks didn’t look as stressed as the urea treated paddocks which received a ‘hit’ of nitrogen.” Tirohia Compost Solutions Kerry’s cows eagerly await another ration of compost enriched pasture.
AgResearch is monitoring a series of paddocks on Mr
Simpson’s farm that have received either: 0 t/ha, 2.5 t/ha,
or 10 t/ha of compost. Initial soil sampling six months after
application revealed increasing levels of Total Nitrogen, Olsen
Phosphate and Cation Exchange Capacity with
increased compost rates.
| Fine screened compost (< 40mm) |
|
Dairy farms
Forestry-to-dairy conversion
Horticulture
Cropping (Maize) |
2.5t/ha
5-10t/ha
10t/ha
10-20t/ha |
Unscreened coarse compost (> 40mm) is suitable for use as mulch, particularly in horticultural applications.
Compost analysis (typical concentration range)
| Measurement |
(%) |
Dry matter
Organic matter
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sodium |
50 - 60
40 - 45
0.7 - 1.2
0.30 - 0.65
0.15 - 0.35
1.90 - 5.50
0.11 - 028
0.09 - 0.16 |
A typical trace element analysis is available on request
please provide information on:
1) area to
be spread,
2) distance from composting plant,
3) type of farm,
to Craig on 021 952 768 or Steven by email at steven.hill@hgleach.co.nz.
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