Bedding Management
alternative practice names:
Bedding Quality; Dried Manure Solids; Green Compost
With the environment of the cow and udder exerting major influence over health and production efficiency on dairy operations, the management of bedding to provide a clean and comfortable environment is of utmost importance. Among the many housing and lying surface strategies that dairy operations have adopted globally, the use of a bedding substrate to freshly cover the lying surface periodically, provide cushion, absorb moisture, and relieve abrasion is a ubiquitous best management practice.
The application of best practices to the various bedding strategies depends upon the housing, climate, and manure handling decisions, but achieving low bacterial counts for the substrate in use is a universal objective. Maintaining a bed that is clean and comfortable for the cow is also a primary goal in any dairy system.
Sand: Sand is considered a gold-standard bedding substrate for cows by many for good reasons. When managed correctly, sand has low organic matter and low moisture, resulting in low bacterial counts that help maintain udder health and hoof health. It also simultaneously achieves excellent cushion and traction for cows.
Organic bedding materials: This includes wood products, hulls, straw, and other similar crop co-products. They present advantages and disadvantages with large variations in dry matter, bacterial counts, availability, and handling options.
Separated manure solids: Manure solid bedding is an increasingly common choice throughout North America, offering circularity to the resource pool and superior integration options with anaerobic digester systems. It is a relatively simple practice in the most arid climates where dry matters greater than 65% can be achieved prior to the use of this material under the cow, whereas in more humid climates, bedding with manure solids becomes relatively management intensive, requiring careful monitoring of equipment to achieve dry matters greater than 35% and application of agents such as lime or heat to lower bacterial counts. Frequent application of fresh bedding is often essential in these climates.
Composted separated manure solids: Separated manure solids can be composted to reduce moisture content and kill most pathogens. A drum composter accelerates the composting process by drawing oxygen through the material while constantly turning and mixing it.
When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found:
Northwest, West, Upper Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast
FARM SIZE
When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:
All Sizes

Practice Benefits
Increased time lying down: Better bedding management increases the time cows spend lying down by providing a dry and comfortable surface, which cows clearly prefer. Increasing lying time is important because it allows cows to rest, ruminate, and reduce stress on their hooves, which improves overall health, milk production, and welfare (Fregonesi et al., 2007).
Improved health: Clean, dry bedding reduces bacterial growth, particularly around the udder, which lowers the risk of infections like mastitis. Using bedding materials that do not promote bacterial growth, such as sand, can significantly lower the occurrence of environmental mastitis (Robles et al., 2020).
Reduced lameness: Proper bedding management provides a soft, cushioned surface that minimizes pressure and abrasion on cows' hooves and joints. Bedding materials like sand or well-maintained manure solids offer excellent traction and reduce the risk of slipping, which can lead to hoof injuries. Additionally, clean, dry bedding lowers the risk of bacterial infections like digital dermatitis, a common cause of lameness in dairy cattle (Gastelen et al., 2011).
Improved milk quality and production efficiency: Clean bedding reduces bacterial contamination on the teat, leading to lower somatic cell counts (SCC), which are indicators of milk quality. Udder hygiene and cow comfort should improve milk quality and production efficiency in dairy operations.

Implementation Insights
Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements

Operational size: Using separated manure solids as bedding is more practical for larger farms due to the upfront costs of manure separation and drying equipment. It is less suitable for farms with daily manure spreading or extensive pasture, as they may not produce enough manure to justify the investment.
Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

Bedding driers: These are often necessary for dairies using manure solids as bedding, though some opt to mitigate these costs by increasing the frequency of fresh solids application.
Sand management: For dairies using recycled sand, expenses include installing mechanical separation systems or constructing concrete settling lanes and covered storage areas for the sand.
Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

Labor: In any strategy, the amount of time and specialized labor devoted to bedding management will likely go up with the pursuit of excellence in dairy management. Minimally, training and monitoring staff members who clean and care for the cow housing areas will be required, along with some more specialized monitoring, whether through periodic inspection, analysis of udder health data, or collection and analysis of bedding cultures.
Equipment maintenance: The equipment used for mechanical sand separation or manure solids separation necessitates regular maintenance on a daily or weekly basis by technicians with specialized expertise.
Implementation Considerations

Sand: For farms using virgin sand, sourcing sand and handling sand-laden manure will present challenges. If sand separation is used, the equipment requires significant maintenance and monitoring for wear and quality.
Organic bedding: If fresh organic bedding is used, consistent supplies and the options for manure containing these discarded materials may be limiting factors.
Separated manure solids: Solids separated from liquid manure and used fresh are sometimes called "green compost." Using green compost is similar to using green sawdust for bedding. This material is more volatile because the pathogens have not been reduced through anaerobic digestion or accelerated composting. Any dried manure solids will be reheated if stored for any length of time in a pile. Compost bedding must be managed to avoid reheating and growing more bacteria. It should be used fresh and applied to stalls multiple times during the week.
Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams
PROFIT POTENTIAL
High-quality bedding management enhances profitability by reducing the incidence of infections such as mastitis, leading to lower veterinary costs and improved milk quality. Clean, comfortable bedding promotes cow health and well-being, which increases milk production efficiency. Additionally, proper bedding management minimizes the risk of lameness, reduces treatment expenses, and enhances cow longevity, ultimately contributing to a more profitable dairy operation.
Dried manure solids, when managed properly, can be an economical bedding option without significantly increasing the risk of mastitis or elevated somatic cell counts. Bacterial levels are more influenced by moisture and stall management than the type of bedding used (Schwarz et al., 2010; Husfeldt et al., 2012). Switching from sand and organic bedding to separated manure solids will generally reduce farm input costs and can improve profitability if attentively managed.
FEDERAL COST-SHARE PROGRAM
While financial incentive programs don't incentivize bedding management, many federal and state programs are available to offset the costs of manure separation technology and drum composters. See Composting: In-Vessel/Drum and Manure Separation: Coarse Solid-Liquid Separation for more information.
Additional Resources
► See the Newtrient Solution Catalog to learn more about Manure Solids Bedding Management and related solution providers.
Article: Bedding Choices: Mastitis Control and Cow Comfort (Progressive Dairy)
Article: Bedding Considerations to Lower Somatic Cell Count (Pennsylvania State University)
Article: Bedding Options for Dairy Cows (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Article: Use of Dried Manure Solids as Bedding For Dairy Cows and Case Study (Cornell University)
Testing Resource: Bedding Culture Submission and Interpretation (University of Minnesota)
Testing Resource: How to Collect Bedding Samples (Cornell University)

Environmental Impacts
MAY REDUCE FARM GREENHOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT
Little scientific research directly evaluates the practice's impact on a farm's environmental footprint. However, high-quality bedding management may reduce methane emissions per unit of milk (GHG emission intensity) by decreasing the incidence of mastitis, infections, and lameness, thus decreasing the replacement rate and increasing production per animal.
Additionally, bedding materials and management can significantly impact greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stored dairy manure. Proper bedding management may decrease emissions related to bedding decomposition, particularly when organic materials like manure solids are managed to limit methane and nitrous oxide release. Generally, organic bedding materials like wood can result in higher emissions compared to inorganic options like sand due to their higher volatile solids content. However, as organic materials degrade, emissions may eventually level out over time (Fillingham et al., 2017). This impact may be offset by emission reductions associated with organic bedding materials. By using manure solids produced on the farm for bedding, the emissions associated with sourcing and transporting sand or other organic bedding materials are eliminated. Furthermore, by separating solids from manure, the rate of methane production from the remaining liquid manure during storage is reduced (see Manure Separation: Coarse Solid-Liquid Separation). A systems-LCA approach is essential for accurately modeling the full impact of bedding choices and improvements in cattle health on greenhouse gas emissions, as it accounts for interactions between bedding materials, manure management, and broader farm practices.
See the research highlights below:
Organic bedding, such as wood, increases the volatile solids (VS) content in manure, leading to higher CH₄ and N₂O emissions compared to inorganic bedding like sand. Riche et al. (2007) found that, over a 207-day storage period, wood bedding resulted in 53% higher total GHG emissions (measured as CO₂ equivalents) compared to sand. CH₄ emissions were 51% higher, and nitrous oxide emissions were nearly eight times greater with wood bedding, largely due to the formation of surface crusts that promote methane and N₂O production.
Fillingham et al. (2017) found that the use of composted manure solids as bedding reduced total GHG emissions (CH₄ and N₂O) compared to traditional liquid manure storage, though NH₃ emissions were higher during active composting.
Hassouna et al. (2010) studied gaseous emissions from cattle housing in France and found higher N₂O emissions in buildings with straw-based bedding and solid manure handling systems when compared with liquid manure handling systems.

Alignment with FARM Program
FARM Environmental Stewardship (ES) V2-V3 Alignment
The manure section of FARM ES Version 3 asks about which bedding type is used out of the following options: sand, straw, sawdust, manure solids or none. The type of bedding can influence the greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
FARM Animal Care (AC) V5 Alignment
The FARM Animal Care program requires that 90% or more of observed pre-weaned calves, heifers, dry cows, and lactating cows (over two days old) achieve a hygiene score of 2 or lower on the FARM Hygiene Scorecard, ensuring proper cleanliness across all age groups.
Contents
We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights.
We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights.
With the environment of the cow and udder exerting major influence over health and production efficiency on dairy operations, the management of bedding to provide a clean and comfortable environment is of utmost importance. Among the many housing and lying surface strategies that dairy operations have adopted globally, the use of a bedding substrate to freshly cover the lying surface periodically, provide cushion, absorb moisture, and relieve abrasion is a ubiquitous best management practice.
The application of best practices to the various bedding strategies depends upon the housing, climate, and manure handling decisions, but achieving low bacterial counts for the substrate in use is a universal objective. Maintaining a bed that is clean and comfortable for the cow is also a primary goal in any dairy system.
Sand: Sand is considered a gold-standard bedding substrate for cows by many for good reasons. When managed correctly, sand has low organic matter and low moisture, resulting in low bacterial counts that help maintain udder health and hoof health. It also simultaneously achieves excellent cushion and traction for cows.
Organic bedding materials: This includes wood products, hulls, straw, and other similar crop co-products. They present advantages and disadvantages with large variations in dry matter, bacterial counts, availability, and handling options.
Separated manure solids: Manure solid bedding is an increasingly common choice throughout North America, offering circularity to the resource pool and superior integration options with anaerobic digester systems. It is a relatively simple practice in the most arid climates where dry matters greater than 65% can be achieved prior to the use of this material under the cow, whereas in more humid climates, bedding with manure solids becomes relatively management intensive, requiring careful monitoring of equipment to achieve dry matters greater than 35% and application of agents such as lime or heat to lower bacterial counts. Frequent application of fresh bedding is often essential in these climates.
Composted separated manure solids: Separated manure solids can be composted to reduce moisture content and kill most pathogens. A drum composter accelerates the composting process by drawing oxygen through the material while constantly turning and mixing it.
Practices and technologies
Bedding Management
alternative practice name:
Bedding Quality; Dried Manure Solids; Green Compost