Now that corn silage harvest is finally complete, it’s time to accomplish one of the ‘crappier’ jobs on the farm: spreading manure.
With the majority of crops now taken off the fields, farmers are beginning to empty manure storage pits and drain some of their lagoons. However, fall is not necessarily the best time of year for manure application according to Douglas Beegle, Professor of Agronomy at Pennsylvania State University.
“With fall manure application, significant nutrient losses are almost inevitable because the manure is lying on the field for a long period of time,” Beegle says. “However, there are some important things we can do to reduce these losses.”
- Establish a Cover Crop
One way to help reduce nutrient losses is to establish a cover crop where manure will be applied during the fall and winter. “Having a cover crop will generally double the recovery of fall- and winter-applied manure nitrogen by next year’s corn crop,” Beegle notes.
Though you typically want to have a well-established cover crop before spreading, manure can be applied beforehand if needed. “Generally, the priority should be getting the cover crop established, and then spreading manure. This gets the cover crop established in a timely fashion in order to ensure good cover going into the winter,” Beegle says. “In some cases, applying manure before cover crop establishment is necessary - if the storage is full, for example. However, this will delay cover crop planting until the manure and the soil have dried out enough for planting.”
- Pay Attention to Soil Conditions
A cold, damp fall can cause poor soil conditions, leading to a less than ideal manure application. Beegle recommends paying special attention to field and soil conditions during the fall season to help prevent severe soil compaction.
It’s also important to make sure that your soil nutrients are in balance. “If you are applying manure this fall for next year’s crop, take that into consideration when you plan your spring and summer fertility program,” Beegle notes. “If manure is applied in both the fall and the spring, higher rates of additional fertilizer may not be needed.”
