Preble Soil and Water Conservation District

Lagoon Waste Management System for Hog Farm. 

Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS

Best Management Practices for Manure Utilization

To insure that manure is used in an economical and environmentally sound manner, you should consider the following when applying manure to your fields:

ü Manure should be tested on a regular basis (once every two years) unless there are changes in the feed, bedding, environment, and management. If any of these occur or anything else that changes the value of the manure, it should be retested.

ü Soil testing should be done once every three years. Unless there are problems in certain fields, then they should be tested yearly. If possible, soils should be tested by soil type, which has an effect on test values. (course textured versus finely textured soils)

ü Fertilizer recommendations should be made on a field-by-field basis according to soil test levels of the field.

ü Use realistic yield goals when making fertilizer recommendations. (last 5 year average)

ü When making nitrogen recommendations the previous need to be considered, some crops leave nitrogen in the soil. (legumes such as soybeans, alfalfa, clovers)

ü Setback areas from open ditches, rivers, streams, shallow wells, cisterns, and ponds should be observed. With residue cover of 30% or more leave 10 ft., for bare ground leave 25 ft. Water sources used for human consumption leave 100 ft. When spreading on frozen ground, on less than 6% slope setback, on greater than 6% slope don’t spread.

ü When soil test levels of P reach 150-lbs/ acre (Bray P1), manure should be applied at only drop removal rates. If soil tests of P reach 300-lbs/ acre, no manure or fertilizer should be applied.

ü Keeping good records, it is a major part of any management plan. Records of the past manure applications will help in estimating future fertilizer needs.

ü In conclusion, manure has all the nutrients needed by plants for healthy growth. It is to our advantage economically and environmentally to put them to good use so the nutrients don’t become a pollution problem. This can be done by manure sampling, soil testing, realistic yield goals, and paying close attention to application rates.

Winter Weather Complicates Manure Application:

Protecting water quality would be a lot easier if farmers never needed to apply manure when fields are frozen or covered with snow.  But the fact is some farmers don’t have enough storage capacity to get through the winter.  Sometimes, even farmers with storage facilities need to apply manure in the winter because of wet fall weather or other problems delayed application.

Unfortunately, uncooperative weather can lead to pollution, even for farmers who follow winter manure application guidelines.  Last winter, for example, a quick thaw led to a rash of pollution complaints in early March.  Manure applied earlier in the winter had remained frozen on fields for weeks or even months, before after the thaw surface flow carried it into streams.

To guard against such problems, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has revised the standard for application of manure on frozen and snow-covered soils.  The new standard will significantly reduce the risk of pollution problems, but winter application can still be tricky.

The new standard includes six criteria, and all six must be followed to comply with the standard.  The requirements include a 200-foot setback from waterways and streams, at least 90 percent surface residue cover, and specific application rate limits depending on manure moisture content.  Manure should not be applied on more than 20 contiguous acres and additional criteria apply for fields with slopes greater than six percent.

 Although some other states have prohibited manure application to frozen or snow-covered ground, it’s still permitted under very careful management in Ohio.  To protect this option, farmers need to guard water quality by minimizing winter application and by following the standard when winter application is unavoidable.  The Preble SWCD/ NRCS can offer suggestions to help you through the process.

For some farmers, adding storage capacity would help.  Others might need to manage application more carefully.  For example, farmers might adjust crop rotations to open up application sites earlier in the fall.  Those who must apply manure in the winter might reserve fields farthest from waterways for winter application.  Staking out application areas ahead of time could also make it easier to meet application criteria.

The SWCD and NRCS can help producers apply for cost-share funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to build manure storage facilities.  The SWCD and NRCS can also design manure storage facilities and help farmers develop manure management plans.  The goal is to protect water quality while using the manure to enhance soil fertility.

For more information about EQIP, the new application criteria, or other manure management issues, contact James R. Couch, Manure Nutrient Management Specialist at the Preble Soil & Water Conservation District at (937) 456-5159.

 

 

 

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