RDI projects
RDI projects
#savoniaAMK
Project Information |  |
| Name | Alternative bedding solutions for dairy herds |
| Start | 1.1.2024 |
| End | 31.12.2025 |
| Website | - |
| Status | Running |
| Contact | Eeva-Kaisa Pulkka |
| Description | Finland’s Territorial Just Transition Plan aims to halve the energy use of peat by 2030 and to completely abandon its use in the longer term. This reduces the availability of bedding peat, as raising peat solely for bedding use is not profitable. The reduction in the use of energy peat also directs other wood-based materials suitable for bedding, such as wood chips and sawdust that can be pressed into pellets, to energy use instead of bedding. Together, these factors significantly reduce the availability of current bedding and increase the price of bedding.
Farm bedding (or litter) is an important animal welfare and food safety factor in dairy herds and is needed on farms every day. When choosing bedding, the absorbent capacity, the effects on animal health, welfare, food safety and the health of people working in the barn, as well as the suitability and usability of the bedding must be taken into account. In addition, the bedding must be economical and environmentally sustainable to use. If litter can be recycled for as long as possible and finally utilized on the same farm as fertilizer or for other uses, it improves the farm's self-sufficiency and reliability of maintenance. The goals of the Alternative Bedding Solutions for Dairy Herds project are to find bedding options that meet the required criteria and to produce a versatile, unbiased information package to support bedding choices for dairy herds. To accomplish these goals, the project will gather dispersed research data and combine it with the experience-based knowledge and know-how obtained from dairy farms about different litters and their usability. There is a real need for compiled information about different litters because peat cannot be replaced with one single litter, therefore several different safe and economical alternatives must be found as quickly as possible. The project searches for and investigates alternative bedding materials that are suitable as bedding for dairy cattle, taking into account the criteria mentioned above. For example, litters investigated in the project include completely recyclable dry matter separated from sludge, sand proven to be good for animal welfare, and perennial reed sedge, which is suitable as an alternative crop. In the project, farm experiences and domestic and foreign research data on different litters are collected and combined to facilitate the application of knowledge in practice. At the farms participating in the project, the dry matter content, dustiness and hygienic quality of the bedding are measured, as well as the employees’ exposure to pollutants caused by handling the bedding. The litter separated from the sludge contains bacteria of intestinal origin and endotoxins. These may be released into the air during the application and use of the bedding, exposing workers to health hazards and diseases, especially those affecting the respiratory system. Manure litter can also contain zoonotic pathogens, i.e. pathogens that spread between humans and animals. Regarding the sand bedding, it is necessary to find out how much quartz is released into the indoor air of the barn when it is used. Quartz is a significant health risk in concentrations exceeding the limit values. Reed litter does not contain the same health risks as manure and sand litter, but it may be a sensitive material to mold during storage, which increases health risks for both animals and people. The result of the project is an information package that comprehensively presents different bedding solutions, which allows the farmer to choose the bedding that is best suited for the farm and to anticipate and reduce possible drainage-related risks and misinvestments. The solutions are comprehensively sustainable and support the profitability of production. Articles, social media publications and other easily usable material will be produced from the project's results and good practical solutions. In addition to agricultural facilities, the inf |
| Partners | Hanke toteutetaan neljään eri maakunnan yhteistyönä ja mukana ovat Pohjois-Savo, Keski-Pohjanmaa, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa ja Kainuu. Ryhmähankkeen päätoteuttajana on Savonia-ammattikorkeakoulu ja osatoteuttajina ovat Keski-Pohjanmaan koulutusyhtymä, Luonnonvarakeskus, Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu, Oulun yliopiston mittaustekniikanlaitos, Työtehoseura ja Työterveyslaitos. Savonia-ammattikorkeakoulu ja Oulun ammattikorkeakoulu tuovat hankkeeseen kokonaisvaltaista kotieläintuotannon osaamista, jota he ylläpitävät osana agrologikoulutusta. Lisäksi ammattikorkeakouluilla on vahvaa hanketoiminnan sekä viestinnän osaamista. Oulun yliopiston mittaustekniikan yksikkö tuo hankkeeseen ympäristön olosuhteiden mittaamiseen ja mikrobiologiaan liittyvää erikoisosaamista. Luonnonvarakeskuksen erikoisosaamista hankkeessa ovat eläinten hyvinvointi, elinkaariarviointi ja talouslaskenta. Keski-Pohjanmaan koulutusyhtymä tuo hankkeen demonstraatioalustaksi oman opetusnavettansa, jossa käytetään tällä hetkellä kuivikkeena lietelannasta separoitua kuivajaetta. Työterveyslaitoksen toimesta selvitetään työntekijöiden altistumista kuivikkeiden kemiallisille ja mikrobiologisille epäpuhtauksille. Työtehoseura arvioi eri kuivitusratkaisujen vaikutuksia työn tehokkuuteen ja suoritusedellytyksiin sekä kustannusten hallintaan.
Hankkeen kohderyhmänä ovat lypsykarjatilojen yrittäjät, karjatilojen työntekijät, alan neuvojat, opettajat ja tutkijat sekä eläinlääkärit ja maatalouden rakennussuunnittelijat. |
| Funded by | JTF FR 40% 2021-27 palkkojen yksikkökust.malli |