By Katie Cimino, Jenfitch
For many livestock operations, lagoon management becomes a cycle of recurring challenges. Crusting builds up at the surface, pump-out becomes inconsistent, odor increases, and fly pressure never fully resolves. Even with regular treatment, these issues tend to return, often more quickly than expected. The frustration is not a lack of effort or attention. It is a result of how the system itself is functioning.
Manure lagoons are often treated as simple storage areas, but in reality they operate as complex biological systems. Each day, they receive a continuous load of organic material including manure, feed residue, bedding, and wash water. Over time, this material does not fully break down. Instead, it accumulates, separates into layers, and forms stable structures within the lagoon. The surface layer becomes especially important, as lighter materials bind together and create a crust that traps moisture and nutrients while supporting ongoing microbial activity. Beneath that surface, conditions often limit full decomposition, allowing partially degraded material to persist.
This is where many of the visible challenges begin. As organic material builds and stabilizes, the lagoon becomes less efficient at processing waste. Operators experience this as thicker consistency, reduced flow, and difficulty during pump-out. At the same time, the surface environment becomes ideal for fly development, providing both the moisture and nutrients required for reproduction. These outcomes are not isolated problems. They are the direct result of a system that has become structurally resistant to change.
Traditional treatment approaches typically focus on addressing individual symptoms. Products are applied to reduce odor or control flies, but the underlying structure of the lagoon remains intact. That structure, largely supported by biofilm and bound organic material, continues to protect buildup and maintain the conditions that allow these issues to persist. As a result, treatments may provide temporary relief, but the system quickly returns to its previous state.
A more effective approach begins by addressing the lagoon as a whole system rather than a series of isolated problems. This means focusing on both the physical structure of the lagoon and the way organic material is processed within it. At Jenfitch, this approach is supported through the combined use of biosurfactant technology and stabilized oxidative chemistry.
FlyGuard JC-9620 is designed to disrupt the structure that forms at the lagoon surface. By interacting with both water and organic material, it reduces the forces that hold crust and biofilm together. As this structure begins to break apart, trapped moisture is released and material is redistributed throughout the system. This reduces the stability of the surface layer and makes the environment less supportive of ongoing fly development. Rather than targeting flies directly, it removes the conditions that allow them to persist.
Once that material is exposed, the system must be able to process it effectively. JC-9465 supports this next step by strengthening the oxidative environment within the lagoon. This allows organic compounds to break down more efficiently and helps regulate microbial activity. As a result, material that would otherwise accumulate begins to be processed, improving overall water quality and reducing the compounds associated with odor.
When these two approaches are used together, they create a sequence that restores system function. Structural barriers are broken down, and the lagoon regains its ability to process incoming organic load. This leads to more consistent performance, including reduced crust formation, improved pump-out conditions, lower odor, and a noticeable decrease in fly pressure.
For operators, the benefit is not just in addressing one issue at a time, but in stabilizing the system as a whole. Lagoon management becomes more predictable, and the need for repeated reactive treatments is reduced. These improvements also extend beyond the lagoon itself, supporting better overall facility hygiene and more efficient downstream processes.
As regulatory and operational pressures continue to increase across the industry, solutions that improve system performance rather than simply managing symptoms are becoming more important. Treating the lagoon as a dynamic system, and addressing the conditions that drive instability, allows operations to move toward a more sustainable and effective model of waste management.
If lagoon issues continue to return despite consistent treatment, the problem is not a lack of input. It is that the system has not yet been addressed at its core. When the structure is disrupted and the system is supported in processing material effectively, the results are not temporary. They are lasting improvements in how the lagoon performs.