APPLYING BIOSOLIDS: ISSUES FOR VIRGINIA AGRICULTURE



Farmers typically pay about $7 to 10 per soil sample analyzed and take one soil sample for every 10 to 15
acres. Thus, a farmer could save approximately $0.70 to $1.00 per acre on every field where biosolids
application is planned.

Three Case Studies

The Hanover-Caroline and Colonial Soil and Water Conservation Districts, as part of their 1997 York and
Rappahannock River Tributary Strategies Project, selected three farms for case studies of biosolids
application. Two farms are in the Piedmont Plateau (Hanover and Louisa counties), the third is in the
Coastal Plains (New Kent County). The Louisa County farm is a grazing operation, and the Hanover
and New Kent county farms are corn, small grain, and soybean operations. The results clearly indicate
positive net economic benefits in each case.

Because yields, mineralization rates, leaching, and runoff are functions of soil type, slope, temperature,
and rainfall, tables 4 and 5 are provided as references for the three case study farms.

Table 4. Soil Properties_______________________________________________________________________

Property__________

Cecil, 14C2

Appling, 3C2

Bojac, 5A

Pamunkey

Slope range (%)

7-15

7-15

0-2

0-2

Slope length (ft)

80-400

120-500

Nearly level

Nearly level

Erosion hazard

Severe

Severe

Slight

Slight

Permeability

_____Moderate

Moderate

Moderately rapid

Moderate

Available water

capacity

Moderate

Moderate

Low

Moderate

Surface runoff

Medium to rapid

Medium to rapid

Low

Slow

Tilth

Fair

Fair

Good

Good

Organic matter

Low

Low

Low

Low

Natural fertility

Low

Low

Low

Medium

Subsoil

Predominantly

Predominantly

Fine sandy loam

Sandy clay loam

clay

clay

and sandy loam

Root zone depth

(inches)___________

________60_______

________60________

70-85

> 60

Table 5. Average Daily Temperature and Average Annual Rainfall

Climate Variables______

Hanover County

Louisa County

New Kent County

Ave. Daily Temp. (F)
Ave. Annual Rainfall

55.5o

56.0o

57.9o

(inches)_______________

_________41.0__________

_________41.8_________

__________43.2_________

J. B. Cocke Farm, Hanover County

J. B. Cocke’s farm produces cash grains—conventional till corn and full season soybeans. Approximately
7.5 tons of dry, lime-stabilized biosolids were applied to a 19.2 acre field in spring 1997, prior to planting.
This field is in a 5-year rotation: one year corn, four years soybeans. Typical yields range from 90 to 105
bushels per acre for corn and from 45 to 55 bushels per acre for soybeans. The field contains Cecil and
Appling sandy loam soils with a pH of 6.0. It last had biosolids applied in 1991.



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