Under-building pits should provide adequate access for pumping and agitation equipment. All containments should provide restricted access to unauthorized personnel. Provisions made for solid manure storage should control any leachate and assure all-weather access. Utilization options - The most sustainable utilization of manure is to apply it to growing crops. Manure nutrients have been utilized to enhance the growth of timber crops, feed grains, forage and pasture land, and more recently as soil enhancement for horticulture and landscaping operations.
Manure is removed from the long-term storage in various degrees of concentration.
Finding the optimal land application method requires a careful evaluation of soil tests, crop types and yields, tillage options, water needs and application window opportunities. Capitalizing on manure's water and nutrient value has in some cases made manure management a profit center for livestock operations. Examples are an enterprise that grows nursery stock in a plot in close proximity to the manure system and uses a trickle irrigation system to enhance the growth of the landscaping stock. These include gravity flow drain systems, pumps and pipe systems, and manure transport systems for field utilization. Some of the issues relating to transfer systems have already been discussed.