I am fortunate that my farm in South Central Minnesota is close to a number of pork producers. All those pigs are fed a lot of corn and soybean meal which is a market for what I grow, corn and soybeans. In addition they also produce a lot of what I call liquid gold. Others might call it manure, those uninformed may call it waste. There is actually a big demand for a pork producers manure from their neighbors. It is a crop nutrient that   carefully managed.

One of my Pork Producer neighbors contacted me early last spring. He knew my crop rotation and that I had a field a half a mile down the road from his farrowing barns that would be planted to peas this year. He asked if we could work out a deal so he could inject manure on my field after the peas. His fields had soil test levels that indicated the manure would be of little benefit. So, we agreed on a price for the manure for my field.

Before manure is applied it is sent to a lab and tested.You have to know the levels of crop nutrients, in pounds per thousand gallons so you know how much to apply. Does this not sound sustainable? I raise soybeans that are crushed and the soybean meal is fed to pigs. The corn I raise is hauled to a Pork Producers feed mill down the road where is is ground into feed for pigs. Then I get some manure back to fertilize the next corn crop. Plus, consumers get bacon, ham, pork chops and shredded pork to enjoy!

More From KDHL Radio