Miscellaneous Facts and Figures

Some Interesting Facts & Figures on Global Animal Production - From " Animal Agriculture And Global Food Supply", July 1999; Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) .

Composition of Animal Manures  (information from various sources )

Human versus Animals - Comparison of Waste Properties (July, 2001).  Ron Fleming and Marcy Ford - Ridgetown College, Univ. of Guelph - The following table is based on the information from design manuals for human waste treatment and animal manure production. It is an attempt to compare production on an equal footing, and includes waste generated, as well as other parameters typically of concern due to potential environmental impacts. 

 Excerpted from: Code of Practice (for the safe and economic handling of animal manures).  
Alberta Agriculture, Food &Rural Development publication Agdex 400/27-2. 1995.

Approximate nutrient content of animal manure - Alberta Agriculture, Food & Rural Development

Source: Sutton et al. Purdue Univ. 1D-1 01 (1975).
* Primarily ammonium N which is available to the plant during the growing season.
* Ammonium N plus slow releasing organic N.

Swine Manure as a Fertilizer Source- North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service - Publication AG-439-4; Revised June 1993 (MOC)

Volumes & Amounts of Manure Produced by Livestock  (Information from various sources)

Design and Management of Anaerobic Lagoons in Iowa for Animal Manure Storage and Treatment (1995) - [pdf]- Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University

Production and Characteristics of Swine Manure [34 KB pdf]- D.W. Hamilton,  W.G. Luce,  A.D. Heald, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service - Table 1 (below) shows the daily production of manure as it is excreted by the animal. This table was calculated using a corn-based ration. Notice how the manure characteristics change as the diet changes for different animals in different stages of life. Manure characteristics are broken down into four broad categories: quantity, organic matter, plant nutrients, and salts. 

Confined Feeding Program Technical Guidance AW-1 - Pork Producers (USA) - To provide information used in the review process for applications submitted to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) for approval to construct and/or operate a confined feeding operation as defined by the Confined Feeding Control Law; and to provide guidance on the proper operation of a confined feeding operation. 
Animal Manure Production. The following values should be used in calculating the manure produced when determining the minimum storage capacity needed for manure storage structures. If an unusual amount of drinking water spillage or clean-up water is involved, additional storage capacity may be necessary and should be provided. See example A-5, a copy is available in the IDEM-OSHWM file room.  

Animal Manure Management - NRCS/RCA Issue Brief 7, Dec. 1995

Manure, Fertilizer and Pesticide Management in Canada. Results of the 1995 Farm Inputs Management Survey (FIMS) - Policy Branch, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada - In December 1995, Statistics Canada, in cooperation with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, conducted the Farm Inputs Management Survey (FIMS). The survey was designed to contribute to the work being done on the Inputs Management component of the Farm Resource Management Indicator. This indicator forms part of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agri-Environmental Indicator Project.

The Agronomics of Manure Use for Crop Production - K.L. Wells, Extension Soils Specialist, Dept of Plant & Soil Sciences, Univ. of Kentucky - Nitrogen in manure - About 1/2 N in most animal manure is present in the soluble form as urea, with the remaining half as insoluble organic compounds. In poultry manure, about 1/2 the organic N becomes available within a year following application. Together with the soluble N, this can represent 65% to 75% of the total N available to the following crop. There are also indications that 60% to 65% of the total N in swine manure is available, following application and incorporation. pdf version (389 KB)

Feedlots Point Source Category Study (EPA-821-R-99-002, January 1999) - To gather preliminary information on waste characteristics and waste handling technologies and practices in the area of animal feeding operations, environmental impacts that may be attributed to these operations, and the industry's size structure, geographic distribution, and economic status.   Feedlot Industry Sector Profile [740K pdf]; includes livestock waste characteristics. 

Poultry Manure as a Fertilizer Source (Pub AG-439-5; May 1993) - J.P. Zublena, Extension Soil Science Specialist; J.C. Barker, Extension Agricultural Engineering Specialist; and T.A. Carter, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service - nutrient composition and availability of poultry manure.

Swine Manure Production and Nutrient Content (2003) [220 KB pdf]; John P. Chastain, James J. Camberato, John E. Albrecht, and Jesse Adams, III, Clemson Univ., South Carolina - daily manure production volumes for different swine operations and manure handling systems, nutrient content of swine manure - South Carolina Confined Animal Manure Managers Certification Program.

Assessment of the Potential for Livestock and Poultry Manure to Provide the Nutrients Removed by Crops and Forages in Kentucky [Pub IP-56]- by the Animal Waste Focus Group1 of the Environmental and Natural Resources Issues Task Force  - a comparison of total recoverable manure nutrients from livestock and poultry and total nutrients removed by harvested crops and grazed forages for each county in Kentucky.

Q. Does a farm with 10,000 hogs produce as much waste as a city of 40,000 people ? [taken from FAQS, NC State University]

RESPONSE: Since animal manure and human sewage are composed of many different compounds and parameters, no single number can accurately represent the human population equivalent of swine. Each parameter represents a different equivalency factor, therefore a single number, without qualification, is irrelevant.  For example, one farm with 10,000 hogs produces the same volume of waste as a population of 550 people. This statistic highlights the fact that people use significant quantities of water for showers, cooking, dishwashing, laundry, etc which becomes wastewater when mixed with sewage.    However, because of this water dilution, human sewage is less concentrated than animal waste. On the basis of organics, one farm with 10,000 hogs produces as much BOD as a population of 46,000 people. On the basis of nutrients, one farm with 10,000 hogs produces as much nitrogen and phosphorus as a population of 25,000 people. On the basis of bacteria, one farm with 10,000 hogs produces as much fecal coliform bacteria as a population of 2,300 people.    These analyses compare the amount of unrecycled wastes leaving a residence with those leaving a hog production facility. They do not take into account collection and treatment processes or the fact that cities have other sources of waste from businesses and industries besides residential sewage.    [011016]

Livestock Manure Production Rates and Nutrient Content [96 KB pdf]- James C. Barker, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, NCSU; S. C. Hodges, Soil Science, NCSU; F. R. Walls, North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services - Excellent information (North Carolina) on properties/characteristics of various types of livestock manures (animal source), and on manures from various types of storage and handling practices (piled, slurry, sludge, lagoons).

Comparison of storage, treatment, utilization, and disposal systems for human and livestock wastes (Nov. 2002) [2084 KB pdf]. Ron Fleming, and Marcy Ford, Ridgetown College, - U. of Guelph, Ridgetown, ON,  N0P 2C0 - The purpose of this report is to briefly describe the main systems in use today in Ontario (and in many other regions) and to put into perspective some of the features of the various systems used for human wastes and livestock manure.

Confined animal and manure nutrient data system - USDA ERS (Economic Res. Service) - This system provides state and National data about confined animal numbers and associated manure nutrients; Standard delivery is a series of downloadable Excel files by year and animal type with each file providing all available data for each state. 

Animal Manure Data Sheet (EB1719) Cooperative Extension, Washington State University - Ronald E. Hermanson, P.E. and Prasanta K. Kalita;  Table 1 - Livestock manure production and properties;  Table 2 - Fertilizer nutrients in fresh manure Source: Adapted from American Society of Agricultural Engineers ASAE D384.1 and Midwest Plan Service MWPS-18  [Tables in pdf format 45 KB] (1994).

Using Composted Poultry Manure (Litter) in Mulched Vegetable Production. U. of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. See Table 1.  Average nutrient composition of poultry manures.

Phosphate recovery from animal manure: the possibilities in the Netherlands [396 KB pdf] (Nov. 1998) Van Ruiten Adviesbureau/Project bureau BMA, for CEEP  - purpose of the study is to gain an insight into the current level of knowledge and state of affairs concerning the amount of phosphate in animal manure and the available processing techniques, experience and prospects for the recovery of phosphate from manure. The subject is treated in terms of the types of manure produced by four categories of animals: cattle, veal calves, pigs and chickens. Good information on nutrient content in various livestock manures, and separation efficiencies.

Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes: Factors to Consider (Farm Energy Technical Note)- John Balsam, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - This publication provides an introduction to the technology, with discussion of the digestion process; production, uses, and risks of bio-gas; digester design considerations; and system costs. Useful tables and further resources are included [pdf version 232 KB].

Agricultural Statistics

Canadian Statistics - Statistics Canada   -
      Tables by Subject
          - Agriculture;  

• Farm financial Statistics;
• Farms and Farm Operators;
• Livestock and Aquaculture

2001 Canadian Census;   2001 Census of Agriculture;  Canadian farm operations in the 21st century.

2006 Canadian Census;  2006 Census of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA

Manure Management in Canada - Farm environmental management in Canada - Statscan 2004 Vol.1(2) - Martin S. Beaulieu - information on various characteristics of manure management as practised on Canadian farms. Analysis is based on results of the 2001 Farm Environmental Management Survey (FEMS) and discussion focuses mainly on farms raising some level of livestock, irrespective of the major commodities produced. View Full Report (June, 2004) [342 KB PDF].

Canadian Livestock estimates (Statscan, Jan. 1, 2006).The national cattle herd has declined for the first time in three years in the wake of the reopening of the American border to Canadian cattle, easing the situation for farmers who had to feed record numbers of animals.

GD Sourcing: Research & Retrieval

A Geographical Profile of Manure Production in Canada - Statistics Canada - Catalog No.: 16F0025XIB (Feb. 20, 2001) - This publication is a collection of five annotated maps and graphs that describe the geographic distribution of manure production in Canada by river basin area. The amount of manure produced is estimated along with some of the major substances found in manure: (i) nitrogen, (ii) phosphorus, (iii) total coliform bacteria and (iv) fecal coliform bacteria; Profiles manure production, but does not examine the positive or negative environmental impacts of the quantities produced; excellent maps at different scales.  PDF versions available.

Distribution and Concentration of Canadian Livestock [1072 KB pdf] (April 2001) Agriculture & Rural Working Paper # 47. Martin S. Beaulieu, Frédéric Bédard, & Pierre Lanciault, StatsCan, Ottawa ON - study gives a ‘snapshot’ of where the larger concentrations of livestock and poultry were at the time of the Census of Agriculture in May 1996. Livestock concentrations (or densities) were analysed in terms of the total livestock population, irrespective of the different types of animals raised.

Manure storage in Canada  Vol. 1(1) (2003) [727 KB pdf] Statistics Canada - article presents various characteristics of the manure storage systems on Canadian farms, with particular attention to the dairy, beef and hog sectors. The analysis presented in this document is based on results from the 2001 Farm Environmental Management Survey (FEMS). This analysis focuses mainly on farms raising livestock, regardless of the major commodity produced on the farm.

Regional Nutrient Balances, Int'l Plant Nutrition Institute. The statistics presented here on N, P, and K contained in fertilizers, manures and crops provide a rough estimate of regional nutrient balances.

Manure, Fertilizer and Pesticide Management in Canada. Robert Koroluk, Farm Income & Quantitative Analysis,  AAFC - purpose of this report is to provide more detailed agri-environmental information on a regional and sectoral basis about the practices used for managing farm inputs. Complete Report [1230 KB pdf]. 

Bruce T. Bowman, Archivist
Last Updated: Sunday, January 01, 2012 01:03:19 PM