If we think about managing fertilizer inputs in-
at a time when we have really high fertilizer costs, one of the
great places to start is by getting the most...
the most benefit, the most nutrients that you can out of manure, compost,
alfalfa, other organic sources.
So tonight, I've got kind of a tall task here.
I'm gonna give you some tips- five tips about manure management
in about ten minutes.
So- so, hold on, here we go.
So, your motto...
I don't know if anybody's ever created a motto for their manure management.
But here's a first. This could be a motto this year.
Instead of buy one, get one free, it could be apply one get one free.
What does that- what does that mean?
Well, the point is if fertilizer costs have- have doubled in some cases,
that also means that now your manure or your compost is worth
twice as much as it used to be.
And so it becomes even more critical to do the best job that you can
at managing and getting the most nutrients out of manure
and other sources that we can.
So here's our tips.
Tip number one: Properly sample your manure.
So you know what's in it.
I ran across these facts, and I thought it was really interesting.
So, the average dairy cow produces about 18,000 pounds of milk a year,
which results in about 42,000 pounds of manure a year.
If you look at average concentrations, you get about 200 pounds of nitrogen,
and about 45 pounds of phosphorous from every cow, each year.
That's about enough to fertilize an acre of corn.
So I thought that was really interesting.
So now we can think about one cow per acre.
[chuckles]
When- when we're thinking about fertilizing.
This is an interesting figure.
It just shows kind of some average nutrient concentrations
for different types of manure.
Both liquid and solid from different types of livestock.
So- so we know...
We know cows produce a lot of manure,
and there's a lot of nutrition in that manure.
So, here's just an example, and I want to highlight a couple things.
So, lets- let's just look at cows.
So, beef and dairy, solid manure.
We can get anywhere from maybe 10, up to 30 pounds of nitrogen-
total nitrogen, per ton of manure.
So if we're putting about ten tons per acre of manure on our cropland,
then we're getting about 150 to 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre.
Which is about enough, in some cases, to meet the entire need of the crop.
So, it's also- so how- how do we sample?
How do we properly sample?
There's lots of factors that go into this, but just, simply: it's important to get
a good representative sample.
And to do that as often as you can.
So, if you have a solid- a solid manure pile,
the recommendations suggest that you do not sample the crust
or the outer part of the pile, but you break that away
and then you get inside the pile.
And you take at least six, I saw some recommendations up to
25 different samples around that pile.
Mix them together really good in a bucket or some other container.
And then take a sample of about two pints and put that into a bag.
And then either keep it cool or freeze it.
Most people suggest freezing it so that as it goes through the mail
it doesn't leak or
[laughing] oh man, or cause- cause any problems.
So, you can throw it in the freezer.
Not your spouse's freezer, where the food goes.
Different freezer.
But throw it in the freezer and then- and then send it in the mail.
The same principle applies for liquid manure.
You just need to collect a representative sample.
About the same number, maybe six to ten, or a little bit more
throughout the liquid lagoon.
You do want to agitate it so it's mixed well when you take those samples.
And then you can put it in a jar, put it in a bag, freeze it, same-
same process.
So manure can be sampled in the pit or lagoon.
It can also be sampled as you're applying it.
If it's sampled where you're applying it, then you're not going to
get the results very fast, and probably not in time to adjust how you apply.
One last piece here, of why you should properly sample your manure.
I'm going to venture to say that this is...
a manure analysis is probably one of the best investments you could
make on your farm.
Here's a little example.
To get a manure analysis costs about $80,
plus a little bit of time and shipping costs.
So maybe $100 or $120 to get a manure analysis.
So let's just say you're using this pile of manure to apply to
about 120 acres of corn.
Say one pivot.
And if you're properly analysing and knowing the nutrition of your manure,
and you could adjust your fertilizer by let's say 20 pounds of nitrogen
and 20 pounds of phosphorus.
If you look at today's prices, that amount of nitrogen and phosphorous
is worth about $3,600 for that 120 acres of corn.
So, a hundred dollar investment to potentially save thousands
on your fertilizer bill, if you properly credit and know precisely what-
what nutrition you have in your manure.
Tip number two:
So, we've gone through all that trouble to know what's in the manure,
and if we go and put that out in the field haphazardly,
we've just lost all the benefit of knowing what nutrition
was in that manure or compost.
So it's really critical that you know approximately how much you're putting on.
There's different ways to do this, but I think one of the easiest ways
is just to weigh how much manure you have in your truck or a tank,
or whatever you're using to apply your manure.
Weigh it, and then go apply it uniformly, not like what you see in this picture.
[chuckles] Apply it as uniformly as you can.
And then, go out and just measure the area that you- you applied.
So, if it's 15 or 30 feet wide by whatever your run is-
1,000 feet- you can calculate the area, multiply that by the amount
of manure that was in your applicator, and then you've got your rate.
And you'll know how much nit- nutrients you're applying.
Tip three:
So, you've carefully measured what's in your manure,
and you've carefully applied it, you know the rate.
Now it's important to retain as much of that nutrition as you can.
And this is particularly important for nitrogen.
So, most recommendations say that-
that we need to get the manure in the ground within twelve hours.
If we wait longer than twelve hours, we start to lose a lot of ammonia.
A lot of nitrogen.
And so, if it's at all possible, get it incorporated within
a 12-hour period and you will save- you will save a lot of nitrogen
from leaving your field.
Tip four: Be strategic about how you apply-
apply your manure.
Usually we're thinking pretty heavily about phosphorus and nitrogen.
And in some cases, nitrogen's kind of the key.
So, if we're thinking of nitrogen, it's important to focus first on
the areas that need the most nitrogen, and that will need it for two years.
And I'll mention this- I'll mention this later.
So crops like corn, small grains that are going to need-
they're gonna need nitrogen.
Another tip as you think about targeting is what type of manure you're using.
So, if you've got some manure with sand in it vs. straw,
there's different things to consider.
If you've got manure with sand, it's good to incorporate quickly,
because you lose more ammonia faster.
If you've got straw, there's more carbon in the manure,
and you don't lose ammonia as fast and so you don't- it's not as critical
to incorporate it as quickly as if- if you have sand.
Tip five: Don't- don't forget about the second year.
The second year credits from manure.
So here- here's a table of estimates that you should use to figure out
how much of the nutrients are going to be available.
So, most estimates say that about 80-90% of the phosphorus and potassium
that you put on with manure is available the first year.
So- so most of the phosphorus and potassium,
you're gonna see right away, for that first crop.
Nitrogen is not the case.
Most estimates say about 50%.
So, if you're putting on 10 tons of manure,
you're getting 200 pounds of total nitrogen,
about half of that is going to be available the first year.
The second year, you're going to get another- about a quarter of that.
So, [clears throat] so 50 pounds of nitrogen in the second year.
And in some cases, you can even get some the third year out.
So just don't- don't forget that when you put manure on.
There's gonna be some residual. It's gonna provide nitrogen for two years.
So account for that when you're applying.
So those are the five tips of manure management:
Sample, measure, retain your nutrients, target your applications, and make sure-
make sure you properly credit the nutrients.