Recycled human waste on hay fields

[jinman]

I have a neighbor who told me he bought some round bales of hay for his mules and later found out that human waste had been used to fertilize those fields. He said he rolled the hay off into a gully and will not feed it to his mules. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is.

Septic pumpers are supposedly allowed to chemically treat raw sewage they remove from septic tanks and then spread it onto surface hayfields. Of course, several cities sell what they call "rich soil" from the sewage plants to people to put onto their lawns. This all sounds like good practice to me, but some folks evidently have problems with recycled human waste.

I'm coming down on the side of the recyclers on this from my initial thoughts. What does the TBN braintrust think of this, and what problems might occur?

 

[radioman]

hmm this sounds like a job for mike rowe on dirty jobs to investigate and get some facts?:thumbsup:

 

[CurlyDave]

The one drawback I know of it that Lou Gehrig's Disease has been associated with the use of treated sewage as fertilizer.

I don't believe there is definite proof, but there doesn't have to be for me to make the decision that I am never going to use it...

 

[jinman]

CurlyDave, you mean using it for human food/vegetable crops directly, right? I don't believe that is allowed in the USA. In this instance, I'm talking about hay for animals. I believe sunlight is one of the "great purifiers" and grasses get a lot of exposure to sunlight before they are cut and baled.

 

[Thomas]

There was farmer in our area stop useing type of fertilize in cow corn fields couple years ago do to rubbish..mostly plastic,small piece of tin.

 

[oldnslo]

Was this from a municipal sewer plant or a single family residence? Heavy metals are a concern from municipalities I am not sure if these are in a large enough concentration to be an issue from a single residence.

We used to pump out tank and spread it on the fields.

Roy

 

[jimmyj]

I am with you Jinman. Probably OK. But, that said with all the hormones and medications and stuff there should be concern. Sun and oxygen are great purifiers but who knows how they work against things that are not part of the natural chain of events.

They made it illegal around here a few years ago I am pretty sure. We have another issue with "sludge" which is a byproduct of paper production. They spread it on fields and the community is very up in arms about it.

 

[bstrom]

Sounds like a bad idea to me. I'd be concerned about all the drugs people take and products containing heavy metals dumped down toilets. There are traces of prescription drugs in some of the water supplies already. I don't have the facts on this but I'm sure they are available.

 

[sweettractors]

With all the E-Coli outbreaks we have had in recent time, I am concerned about how that originates. Could it be treated human waste used for ferterlizer on the crops or hundreds of workers that were a 1/2 mile from the porta potties and had to do their business in the field? Ken Sweet

 

[mjarrels]

When I was in Korea, I was told not to eat veggies.

mark

 

[art]

For what I've seen working with communities in my area there are many markers or limits that have to be met first.

Metal is one thing and that doesn't meant the trash type!

In our local community they use them with wood chips from the local utility companies and after a period of cooking allow them to be used on non-edible gardens or around shrubs and tree's as I use them. I won't say how many also might use a few to spike there tomatos but there are some who always push. They do screen them with a couple types of screens one which is quite fine and then larger ones are used from time to time for different things. Within a few rains you normally can see the difference of many plants from the fertilizer value of it!

In the fall they also do spread some sludge on approved farm fields. It so far has only caused issues as to the shortage of it available to the area farmers.

Not every town can do this as many have to many undesirables in the sludge and do to the ingredients they are not able to spread it on any farm fields and it must be hauled away.

I don't see to much of an issue over it as the government has pretty tight details but like most things with them it depends on who is watching and guiding as to what might be allowed. After all look at the gulf mess!

I didn't heare of anyone with trouble coming back from nam from laying the rice paddies? But then again maybe that is where the healt trouble came from!

 

[jinman]

Well, I googled "human waste fertilizer" and got a ton of hits. In Washington State some wheat farmers are using treated sewage directly on their wheat fields and many other places allow it. It seems to be widely done and widely controversial. There have been many good points here and I hope we get more on both sides of the issue.

I know that I have an aerobic septic system that treats sewage and then sprinkler heads spray the water onto my lawn. The sludge stays in the tank. After 10 years, my tank only has 6" of sludge, but there is no telling what the sludge contains.

 

[captaincrab55]

With all the E-Coli outbreaks we have had in recent time, I am concerned about how that originates. Could it be treated human waste used for ferterlizer on the crops or hundreds of workers that were a 1/2 mile from the porta potties and had to do their business in the field? Ken Sweet

I'll second that....

 

[deepNdirt]

well it does have to go somewhere! Once while out of the job site when the port-a-jon cleaning man came to clean it out, afterwords he came inside where i was working conversation started up and I asked what they did with all the waste, he said he wasn't absolutely sure but he thought that they took it to a place where would be processed and were to be used on state roadway projects,
( right-of-ways) said ya know that green stuff they spray on side of roads and embankment's? that is this stuff been process and had grass seed added to it, .......... sound reasonable to me! although I meantioned this to a state DOT person once and he told me it wasn't true...... could had been a coverup though

 

[CurlyDave]

CurlyDave, you mean using it for human food/vegetable crops directly, right? I don't believe that is allowed in the USA. In this instance, I'm talking about hay for animals. I believe sunlight is one of the "great purifiers" and grasses get a lot of exposure to sunlight before they are cut and baled.

Actually, the concern is that players on sports fields fertilized with sewage can somehow contract the disease. No obvious route for this to happen, but the correlation is there.

Certainly , I would have concern for the farmer growing the hay, and I would wonder about people further down the chain.

 

[missourithunder]

jimmy j,
Check your PM box.

MissouriThunder

 

[CubMon]

So; sneaking into that large cornfield to 'harvest' a few ears to eat is now a no no for TWO good reasons: the shotgun AND a disease....

 

[jinman]

So; sneaking into that large cornfield to 'harvest' a few ears to eat is now a no no for TWO good reasons: the shotgun AND a disease....

RIGHT! Way too dangerous for you to do . . . send your wife.:laughing:

Dear Lord, forgive me for that. . .

 

[Bird]

I have serious doubts that using sewage on your vegetable garden would ever hurt you, but for me, like most folks, the thought is repulsive. So I wouldn't do it.:laughing: But I wouldn't hesitate at all to use it on a pasture or hayfield.

 

[jinman]

Since this is a common practice on all crops in Asia, I'm wondering about the frozen veggies you buy in the supermarket that say they come from China. I don't mean to single out China, but they are one of the primary sources I see in the "country of origin" listed on the package. Who knows what is used in Mexico and Central America where lots of fresh produce also comes from.