Modern and innovative dairy cattle breeding technologies are highly dependent on the level of mechanization. This article presents modern solutions for dairy cattle breeding, in particular, for livestock buildings, in which longitudinal development is possible in accordance with the farm’s needs as well as with obtaining additional energy from biogas and post-ferment for granulated organic fertilizer. In the analysed technology for milk production, methane fermentation, biogas yield, and the possibility of fertilizer production in the form of granules are considered. The presented modular cattle breeding technology includes sustainable production, which is economic; environmentally friendly, with preconditions in the facility including animal welfare; and socially acceptable, resulting from a high level of mechanization, which ensures both comfortable working conditions and high milk quality. The presented production line is an integral part of the milk production process with the possibility of organic fertilizer being used in the production of healthy food.

The aim of the study was to present the scale of greenhouse gas emissions from animal production, and to provide test results from different housing systems. In three free stall buildings, two with slurry in deep channels and one with cattle in cubicles staying on shallow litter concentration of ammonia and carbon dioxide were measured in summer season by using dedicated equipment from Industrial Scientific Research. Air exchange was calculated on the base of balance carbon dioxide method. This method was used in order to estimate the air flow rate. Concentrations of ammonia and CO2 were measured as the base for air exchange and ammonia emission rates. Ammonia emissions were product of ammonia concentration and air exchange rate. Temperature and relative humidity were measured to establish microclimate conditions in buildings tested to show the overall microclimatic situation in buildings. Differences between ammonia emission rates were observed in both housing systems. The highest ammonia emission rate was equal to 2.75 g·h−1·LU−1 in well-ventilated cattle barn with the largest herd size.

Acidified slurry is a novel organic fertilizer that limits gaseous ammonia emissions and reduces nitrogen losses. Our research aimed to determine the effects of short-term fertilization with acidified slurry on the chemical properties and bacterial community of soil used for maize cultivation. In the months after spreading, raw slurry fertilization had a significant impact on the increase in values of N-NO3. In contrast, soil fertilized with acidified slurry had lower N-NO3 values when compared to raw slurry fertilization treatments. Bacterial sequencing using Illumina MiSeq showed no differences in the genetic diversity of bacterial communities. In all tested soil samples, dominants at the phylum level were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria, while dominants at the class level were Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Thermoleophilia, Gammaproteobacteria, and Acidimicrobiia. The values of biodiversity indices (Shannon index, Simpson index) in tested samples were similar. Our results suggest that short-term fertilization with acidified slurry does not adversely affect the biodiversity and structure of the bacterial communities and has a slight impact on soil chemical properties.

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