Wisconsin Dairy Manure Lagoon: +64.6 lbs N/Acre and Phosphorus Reduction with Pit Puck

Results at a glance

Metric (per acre at 20,000 gal)	Before	After Pit Puck
Plant-available nitrogen	Low	+64.6 lbs
Plant-available potassium	Low	+71.6 lbs
Phosphorus	Limiting land application	-13.4 lbs
Sulfur	Higher	-5.8 lbs
Sludge, scum, odor	Heavy buildup	Substantially reduced

The problem

A Wisconsin dairy farm used a manure lagoon to store liquid manure and supply nutrient-rich slurry for field application. Sludge accumulation, surface scum, and strong odors were reducing lagoon efficiency, making agitation and pumping harder, and limiting the value of the storage system. The producer also wanted a better agronomic profile from the slurry, raising plant-available nitrogen and potassium while controlling the phosphorus levels that cap manure application rates under nutrient management plans. The trial tested whether Pit Puck microbial tablets, a high-CFU manure lagoon additive, could cut sludge and odor while shifting the lagoon's nutrient balance toward higher fertilizer value.

Before, during, and after

Before
Before treatment: sludge had built up on the lagoon floor and a scum layer covered the surface, driving strong odor and difficult agitation, while lab analysis showed low plant-available nitrogen and potassium, with phosphorus limiting land application.

After

After treatment with Pit Puck microbial tablets, the lagoon was cleaner and more biologically active, with substantially reduced sludge, less surface scum, and lower odor. Lab analysis confirmed better manure nutrient quality at the 20,000 gallon application rate: an added 64.6 lbs of usable nitrogen per acre, an added 71.6 lbs of potassium per acre, and a 13.4 lbs reduction in phosphorus per acre, giving the farm more application flexibility under its nutrient management plan. Sulfur also fell by 5.8 lbs per acre for a more balanced overall profile.

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Product used in this trial

Pit Puck®

Animal Waste Treat (AWT)

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