Sewage = bugs = turkeys?

[bowdude]

I know not a great thought maybe.  But the farmer next door to me must have an agreement with the local septic pumper.  His truck is in the field a couple times a week at least, depending on what area he must be working in.

  Anyway do you think it is coincidence, or have the turkeys just learned that this field has lots of bugs and just go there.  Good for me as they are just pounding that field and they are crossing my property much of the time. Hehehe!

 

[FOX SQUIRREL NUTS]

Careful there..that stiff can be less than desirable and host pathogens that can be carried by the turkey.  Its my business so i know this.  Ecoli can be prevelant

[bowdude]

You mean on the outside of the bird right?  So careful dressing is in order.

[George D. Stout]

UHHHHH....That would be illegal in most states, due to the pathogens inherent in septic waste.  Are you sure that isn't liquified cow-poop, which is okay to use as fertilizer?  I hope it's not septic waste.

[bowdude]

I suppose it could be as I don't recognise the truck.  It does have a name on it but haven't caught it yet.  But I KNOW I have seen the common one over the years dumping in fields here in WI.  Don't know if its legal or not.  I do know that ecoli is still dangerous in cattle stuff so no different there. Did a stint in the hospital from it while working on a veal farm years ago.

[FOX SQUIRREL NUTS]

Generally speaking when you field apply sludge( your septage) it needs to be placed in the soil( plowed) due contact with humans.  There are a whole host of nasties in there that I really don't think you want to be tangling with (Hepatitis, Ecoli etc....) It may be liquid manure from cattle or pig but there are restrictions on that too.  Be very careful...Please..

[bowdude]

I am really surprised.  Do the septic pumping companies also pump farm stuff?  Cause I know I have seen them dumping in fields.

[vermonster13]

Actually it is legal in many states. There are treatment and licensing rules in some but not all. Federal rules can allow up to 4" of treated septic a year on fields. The rules aren't very well monitored or enforced in many cases as for it is considered a low priority threat. There are rules on what kind of fields, field conditions, closeness to waterways, homes and roads, and animal exposure, but like I said little enforcement.

[Doc Nock]

Just in the FWIW department... I had folks I knew worked at sewage disposal plants and they're permitted to dump the treated sludge onto field that aren't growing consumable human crops, like tomatoes or something... but cow corn, or tobacco..ok.

The sewage plant workers claim it's the stuff from their dryig beds that are inert and now harmless... Uh-huh...

Kinda like years back when the pheasants were plentiful and pickin up too much of the mercury treated (anti-fungicide)corn kernels after planting and the birds retained high levels of mercury...or the family that bought some seed corn (treated) and fed to hogs and then when ate the hogs, the youngest child had brain damage from the fungicide mercury...

Seems we're not content to foul our nest (earth) for ourselves, we do it for wildlife too and then when we eat em...

  :eek:

[John Scifres]

Land spreading waste is probably more common than not.  Generally it calls for a permit, at least by rule, and may require some sort of a registration.  Check with your state or local envirnmental agency or healthdepartment for permitted locations near you.  Many states are online now.

  An Interesting Fact Sheet from Ohio State U.

[FOX SQUIRREL NUTS]

Actually there is a product that is quite desireable  that is safe for human contact.  For us in Ohio its called Class A Sludge.  that means it has gone through the thermophelic processes to kill all pathogens.  It is an awesome fertilizer.  They mix it with fine wood chips as a binder and sell it.  It takes a while for the reaction to happen and can be quite an expense to get it to the "safe handling" stage.  For Class "B" sludge,  it is generally in a more liquid form and can be injected into soil.  It has not gone through all the necessary heat processes that kill the bacteria/pathogen so there should be signs posted telling you what it is.  If it is farm waste I believe that falls under a different catagory.they will most likely be plowing or chisle plowing the field in the next 30 days.

[kurtbel5]

Anybody watch dirty jobs? I'm not sure what state, but they dumped a semi trailer worth on a big cement slab to evaporate, it was definetly human waste from septic systems.