Nutrient Recovery Fair Oaks Farms

Fair Oaks dairy uses nutrient recovery technology to process manure from 14,000 cows

Many dairy experts would describe Fair Oaks Farms as one of the nation’s most progressive dairy farms. So it’s not a surprise that Fair Oaks is the first large-scale dairy that decided to incorporate nutrient recovery into their manure management. This installation is truly a flagship project. It stands out because of its scale and the impact it continues to have across the US dairy industry. You can learn more about the farm’s commitment to advanced and sustainable farming practices on the Fair Oaks Farms website.

The challenge

For several years the farm had been investigating the potential to segregate and capture the valuable nutrients contained in the digested manure from their biogas plant. The goal was to create a nutrient rich fertilizer cake and a “tea water” effluent for unrestricted land application. At the same time, that would mean a substantial reduction in handling and transportation costs and allow improved land application of the carbon based fertilizer. Additionally, it would significantly improve the effluent water quality.

The fully automated dissolved air flotation tanks ensure an efficient capture of nutrients.

What it looks like today

After the farm’s operations team had investigated extensively the different options, the decision was made to implement the Trident system. It turned out to be the right decision. Today, the reliable manure treatment process separates the waste stream into concentrated NPK cake and clean effluent water. The farm is able to use the recovered nutrients as feedstock for commercial fertilizer production. In the produced ‘tea water’ there is very few suspended solids left. For the farm this means cleaner storage lagoons and unrestricted land application with high efficiency pivot irrigation systems.
Read the full article NUTRIENT RECOVERY HELPS FAIR OAKS DAIRY FARM STAY ON THE INNOVATION CURVE – Advanced Nutrient Management Technology.

Case study

To learn more about the project at Fair Oaks Farms, the specific project requirements and the benefits that the Trident system has brought to the operation, continue to the Newtrient case study. You can access the full Newtrient case study here.

If you are ready to transform your dairy operation contact your Trident representative to start with an initial assessment.