The ROI of Smarter Manure Management

Part 5: Manure Management | MJE, LLC

Manure management might not make your top five list of exciting capital investments—but when it’s done right, it absolutely belongs on your balance sheet. Calculating manure management ROI from the ground up is what MJE is all about.

In this final part of our manure management series, you will learn how well-designed manure systems help feedyards and dairies:

Lower labor and maintenance costs
Stay ahead of compliance issues
Maximize crop returns through targeted nutrient application
Open the door to revenue opportunities through compost sales, recycled bedding, and even renewable energy

Poor Management is Expensive

Lagoon overflows. Damaged lanes. Wasted water. Repeated clean-out costs.
If you’re not managing manure efficiently, you’re probably spending more than you think—in labor, in time, and in missed opportunity.

Whether it’s paying crews to dig out basins that weren’t sized correctly, running vac trucks twice as often because of poor slope, or losing nutrients in the lagoon that should have gone to crops, the bottom line is that all of adds up.

Smarter Systems, Lower Operating Costs

The goal of MJE’s manure system design isn’t just containment—it’s efficiency.

Designing smarter from day one means:

Shorter, more efficient cleaning cycles
Systems that require less water and fewer man-hours
Separation systems that reduce wear on pumps and equipment
Drainage that works with gravity, not against it

For large dairies, even a single saved hour per flush cycle adds up to thousands per month.

Crops Don’t Need More Fertilizer—They Need the Right Fertilizer

A well-planned manure application system means you’re feeding your soil—not flooding it.

Smart application practices = ROI:

Use soil sampling to tailor nutrient levels
Apply only what your crops need
Avoid the cost (and liability) of over-application or runoff

And with proper nutrient management, manure becomes a valuable input, not a waste stream.

Reuse that Reduces Your Bottom Line

Depending on your setup, separated solids can be reused as:

Bedding (especially in fiber barns)
Soil conditioner/compost for neighboring farmers
A product to sell, not haul away

Not only does this reduce landfill or haul-out costs—it offsets operational expenses like bedding materials or synthetic fertilizer purchases.

Renewable Energy, Real Revenue

For operations considering biogas integration, the ROI can be even more direct.

Covered lagoons and anaerobic digesters can:

Produce marketable natural gas
Reduce methane emissions for ESG or carbon credit compliance
Eliminate lagoon cleanouts
Create clean flush water and more stable effluent

Biogas systems require upfront investment, but they can pay off in the long term—especially when designed in partnership with experienced manure system contractors like MJE.

What’s the Real ROI?

While results vary, most operations see:

Labor and equipment savings from more efficient pen and lane cleaning
Crop yield increases from properly applied manure
Reduced bedding and fertilizer purchases through recycling and composting
Avoided fines and violations from staying compliant with NMP and CAFO requirements

And in some cases—new revenue from manure-based products or energy.

MJE Designs with ROI in Mind

Every pen we grade, every culvert we size, every basin we place—it all serves a purpose: to save you time, money, and frustration.

The truth is that there’s no such thing as a cheap manure system that works well long-term.
But there is such a thing as a smart investment.

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