In livestock barns with deep bedding, odour can be a problem. Using pine chips as bedding can reduce odours and lower the concentration of pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, when compared to bedding made from corn stover. Corn stover is the leftover stalks, leaves and cobs of corn — a readily available agricultural byproduct in many areas of North America.
The challenge is that pine bedding is often more expensive than alternatives. Also, the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) of bedding made entirely of pine chips isn’t ideal for composting (or soil microorganisms).
Researchers compared various ratios of corn stover and pine chips. Spiehs et al (2017) found that “bedding material mixtures containing 30 to 60 per cent pine and 40 to 70 per cent corn stover may be the ideal combination to mitigate odours from livestock facilities using deep bedded systems.” The ideal C:N for soil life is 24:1; this was exceeded when pine chips were 60 per cent or more of the bedding. This study found that adding pine chips to corn stover did not affect E. coli numbers but the E. coli populations did decline as the bedding aged.
Source: Odorous Volatile Organic Compounds, Escherichia coli, and Nutrient Concentrations when Kiln-Dried Pine Chips and Corn Stover Bedding Are Used in Beef Bedded Manure Packs. Mindy J. Spiehs, Elaine D. Berry, James E. Wells, David B. Parker and Tami M. Brown-Brandl. Journal of Environmental Quality. Vol. 46 No. 4, pp. 722-732.
- Janet Wallace