Carcass composting program is in full swing. After many years of planning by the Ruby Valley Conservation District (RVCD) and its partners, the carcass composting site is operational and now accepting livestock carcasses!
At first glance and smell, it’s nearly impossible to detect the natural process occurring under layers of manure, wood chips, and dirt. The composting process is simple, but it is important to get the compost recipe correct. There are five requirements that need to be met to break down carcasses, destroy disease-causing pathogens, and prevent smell: a proper ratio of carbon to nitrogen, 40 to 60 percent moisture content, a temperature of 100 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, an appropriate oxygen concentration, and a specific pH range. When a carcass is brought to the site, it is buried under a thick layer of manure, the bulking material, to satisfy the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Snow and water are added to increase the moisture content, but it is important not to add too much, or smell will become a problem.
Composting also relies on naturally occurring microbes that heat the pile and kill any harmful pathogens as they decompose each carcass. The material surrounding each carcass regulates the oxygen concentration of the pile. Materials like coarse wood chips are beneficial as the bottom-most layer to provide proper circulation throughout the pile. Typically, pH does not need to be adjusted due to the natural balance between the bulking material and the normal pH of an animal. Within only a few months, the carcasses break down into compost. What seems like a pile of manure is extremely effective and efficient at breaking down carcasses when done correctly.
Since the launch in January 2021, the program has started the composting process with 350 cow and calf carcasses, but is also accepting sheep and horses. The potential for this program is great.
Carcass composting provides benefits in two main ways: reducing livestock depredation due to large carnivores and improving ground and surface water quality. Carcasses are typically disposed of on producers’ properties in pits or buried, while others are taken to the local dump. As wolves have been reintroduced to the greater Yellowstone area and grizzlies are expanding in population and distribution, these methods of disposal have led to increased predator-livestock conflicts.
Predators are drawn to areas where mass numbers of carcasses are buried and begin to interact with livestock at greater rates. The Livestock Loss Board reported that Madison County had the highest livestock loss rate in Montana in 2021 and 2022, totaling $62,304 and $73,773 respectively. Burying livestock and carcass pits can have negative impacts on water quality as water may carry disease or other contaminates through groundwater and surface water sources.
The Ruby Valley carcass composting site is designed to reduce predator-livestock conflict while also protecting water quality within the Valley!
It is important to note that animals euthanized with pentobarbital cannot be composted. Studies have shown that pentobarbital persists in animals after euthanization and can cause death for any animals and birds that consume the euthanized carcass. Water quality may also be affected if animals euthanized with pentobarbital are not disposed of properly. Alternatively, animals may be sedated and brought to the site.
Talk to your veterinarian before considering carcass composting as an option.
To schedule a free and confidential pick-up,
call the RVCD at (406) 842-5741 x 104 or email info@rvcd.org.
This program is made possible by funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Blackfoot Challenge, the Montana Livestock Loss Board, a NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant, Patagonia, the Wildlife Conservation Society Harder Foundation, and Madison County.
