Over the past few months, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) impacted more than 70 poultry farm locations housing 14.668 million birds in four Ohio counties. Nationwide, cases have been detected in flocks in all 50 states since the outbreak began in early 2022. Cases have also been confirmed in dairy herds in 17 states as of late April.
HPAI is considered a foreign animal disease that is thought to be transmitted by migrating wild birds. As such, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) carry out initial response and containment activities on affected sites as well as the surrounding area to manage the disease and prevent further spread. Although these poultry producers may have their Ohio livestock mortality composting certificates, federal livestock and avian mortality disposal laws take precedence when a foreign animal disease is involved.
A time-consuming process
The predominant method of HPAI disposal is composting of infected materials, which may include carcasses, manure, bedding, feed, and eggs, if a layer operation is involved. A premises must undergo appropriate disposal practices, in addition to many other requirements, prior to having their quarantine released.
Composting is the biological decomposition of organic material under controlled, aerobic conditions that can inactivate pathogens and convert mortalities into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. The compost can be used as a fertilizer.
Dealing with HPAI has been difficult for all involved, especially the livestock producers and the businesses tied to livestock production in affected areas. It has been a mammoth-sized undertaking in western Ohio to sample flocks for the virus and depopulate infected birds. Then farms must secure and transport carbon amendments for compost piles, build the compost piles, sample the compost piles for temperatures, turn the piles, clean and disinfect the premises, and transport and land apply the finished compost.
Ready for application
Once the compost piles have met the time and temperature requirements for virus elimination and are released by the state, the compost can be land applied to fields. In Ohio, producers must follow the state’s requirements for movement, distribution, and land application of mortality compost. Requirements may include sampling and testing of the compost for a variety of parameters.
Poultry compost analysis results may vary for many reasons. These can include sampling error, size and age of the animals composted, newness of the bedding material, quality of the carbon amendments used in the composting process, and the length of the composting period. Some compost piles will need additional grinding, screening, or time for further composting simply due to the size and variability of the wood chips used in the composting process.
A look at the numbers
HPAI struck a large commercial poultry laying farm in Defiance County, Ohio, in the fall of 2022. Table 1 shows the nutrient testing results from the HPAI compost land applied in 2023.
In addition to the compost samples, regular poultry litter was sampled and land applied for this farm at the same time of the layer compost sampling. This manure was from replacement laying hens that had produced manure for more than three months.
Nearly all the HPAI compost piles in western Ohio have met the regulatory requirements release and land application. Table 3 has the nutrient content from most of the turkey compost samples collected and sent for analysis.
Table 4 has the nutrient content of compost samples from layer farms collected and sent for analysis.
Confronting the concerns
There has been some reluctance on the part of landowners to accept poultry compost from turkey and laying hen farms impacted by HPAI. However, the compost has a carbon-nitrogen ratio of about 12 to 1, so there is little concern about nitrogen being immobilized in the soil while the compost breaks down. Wood chips or sawdust alone might have a carbon-nitrogen ratio of 200 to 1, and that addition to a field would definitely tie up soil nitrogen until the wood chips or sawdust break down.
The compost product has met USDA specifications for land application, so there is little concern about spreading HPAI to additional areas. Therefore, compost from HPAI-infected farms is a nutrient source farmers can use to amend their normal fertility program while adding organic matter to their fields.
This article appeared in the May 2025 issue of Journal of Nutrient Management on page 14-15.
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