Introduction
The climate for cattle feeding and general
livestock production in the Northern Plains is very suitable during nine or 10
months of the year. Mud, however, is
problematic during spring thaw and summer rainfall events. Fly ash produced from coal combustion in
electricity generating power plants in the region is known to have cementious properties.
The use of fly ash to stabilize soils in livestock pens has been
investigated by a collaboration of scientists from industry, UND, and NDSU at
the
Materials and Methods
Bison bull calves
(n=80) were placed in newly constructed feedlot pens in January 2001 and fed
for six months on this trial. Ten
animals were randomly allotted to each of the eight pens used in this study by
gate cut during initial animal processing and weighing. Four of the pens were prepared using fly ash
from Coal Creek Station in western
Bison were fed a
totally mixed diet in fenceline bunks to appetite daily. The corn based diets were 75% concentrate
with 25% chopped forage. Bison were
weighed individually at initiation of the trial in January and at approximately
90 day intervals. Period 1 extended from
mid December through mid February while Period 2 concluded in mid May.
Results and Discussion
Feed intake (Table
1) was not different for bison in the different pens throughout the study. Gains were similar during the first three months
when the ground was frozen. During
period 2 when spring thaw and several summer rainfall events occurred, bison
gains were greater (P<0.05) in the fly ash pens (1.88 vs. 1.53 lb/hd/day). During the
entire 6-month period, gains were greater (P<0.05) in the fly ash pens (1.80
vs. 1.65 lbs/hd/day).
Feed efficiency was not different during period 1 but improved (P<0.05)
during period 2 for fly ash penned bison (13.09 vs. 10.40 lbs. feed/lb
gain). Feed costs per pound of gain
reflect the improvement in gain and feed efficiency for animals housed in dryer
pens with a reduction in feed cost per pound of gain of $0.13 during the muddy
period and $0.06 per pound of the entire feeding period.
Photograph 1 depicts
bison in the pens during spring breakup of 2002. Photograph 2 shows pen surface during June of
2003 after a two-week rainy spell when beef heifers were penned in the same
adjacent lots.
The results suggest
that fly ash impregnated pens will provide for improved production from dryer
conditions. Longevity of the surface is
still under investigation but after three years of use, surface wear appears to
be minimal in the fly ash pens.
Approximately 4-6” of soil material has been removed in the control pens
due to hoof penetration and mixing of manure into the soil. When the pens were cleaned, approximately two
to three times more volume of “manure” was removed from the control pens than
the fly ash pens. This mixing and
subsequent removal accounts for the lowering of the pen surface in the control
pens as indicated in photograph 3.
Economic returns to
the use of fly ash are highly positive for animal performance. The magnitude of the improvement for bison
may be less than would be expected for beef cattle. Additional advantages may be from reduced pen
maintenance, lower volume of manure/dirt mix removed from the pens, and less
material for backfilling eroded areas behind cement pads, and along fencelines.
Implications
The recent approval
of fly ash for use in livestock pens will enhance animal production in 
described in detail in an extension publication available soon.
