Living in the country is clean air, but it also means dealing with the smells of spreading. As part of its agricultural cohabitation campaign in Montérégie, the Haut-Saint-Laurent RCM underlines the efforts made by all to reduce odors due to agriculture and the solutions implemented on the fields.
Although foul-smelling, the manure spread at certain times on the fields is a natural fertilizer, important in the regeneration of the soil. In other words, it nourishes the earth so that it in turn can nourish the plants, vegetables and grains that grow there.
Innovative solutions
For several years, agricultural producers have favored new ways of doing things in order to reduce odors caused by farming and soil fertilization. For example, machinery makes it possible to lower the propulsion of manure by means of ramps, which reduces its projection in the air and diminishes the release of odors.
Several farmers have also set up windbreaks or woodlots that create a barrier against odors between agricultural properties and those of residents.
Farmers pay particular attention to the storage of manure by installing a roof over their watertight pits, by improving the ventilation of buildings or by perfecting the processes for treating animal waste. For example, some people compost by adding straw or shredded branches to these droppings, which turns them into rich, odorless compost.
Finally, producers optimize the spreading of manure to the fields by considerably reducing the odor impact. Because agriculture is a happy blend of several techniques that make it possible to have healthy cultivable land, while taking care of its neighborhood.
