October 2024 - Journal F e - Flipbook - Page 12
Management
The Value of
MANURE
Marty Rost
Environmental Specialist
Pipestone Management
Marty Rost was raised on a grain, cattle, and hog operation in southwest
Minnesota. He earned his degree from South Dakota State University
and has been helping farmers at PIPESTONE since 1995. Now serving
as Environmental Director, Marty is dedicated to supporting farmers
while promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship.
As you all know, manure has many bene昀椀ts that
help improve the soil fertility. Aside from the everpopular discussions about Nitrogen, Phosphorous
and Potassium (NPK), manure provides many other
micronutrients such as Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium,
Sodium, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Zinc. Manure
from a farrow to wean operation could generally have
$10-20/acre in value from these micronutrients.
NPK are the most commonly talked about nutrients
that are needed by the crops we grow. It is important
to remember that the amounts of these nutrients varies
from barn to barn and region to region. Reasons, they
vary include herd diets, water quality, manure storage
facilities and many other factors. For instance, manure
coming from an uncovered manure storage structure
will have less Nitrogen than if it’s coming from a
covered manure storage structure due to volatilization
of the Nitrogen. That’s why it is critical that you test the
manure and use a good sample history to determine
the application rate. Not doing this could result in
wasting nutrients or depriving your crop of needed
nutrients. Once application is complete, make sure
to submit manure samples from the manure that is
applied. Calculate from those results, what nutrients
your 昀椀elds received and if supplemental nutrients are
needed.
The value of NPK from a farrow to wean operations
will generally be in the $10-$25/1,000 gallon range.
Depending on soil and crop needs, the value per acre
will hit anywhere from $100 to $225 per acre. Likewise,
manure from 昀椀nishing facilities could range from $30$60/1,000 gallons.
It is important to remember that there
are a few cons that come with using
manure. Some include soil compaction, wet
application conditions, early application
leading to N loss, inconsistent nutrient
distribution, tracks and ruts just to name
a few. However, many of the cons
can be mitigated by proper planning,
communication, patience and working with
the applicator. If I’ve learned something
over the years, it’s not to pass up a pumping
opportunity when it’s there. If the ground
is 昀椀t and you have access to an applicator,
apply some manure. You never know what
the next weather pattern or challenge may
bring. Be patient when working with custom
applicators and the owners of the manure.
Applicators get held up by weather just as
much as crop producers. The swine producer
is also pressured by storage limitations at
times. If you are fortunate enough to have
your own manure application equipment,
make sure to set time aside to apply manure
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