# feed lot cattle manure for fertilizer



## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

I have a buddy that runs feeder calves through a feed lot. I have access to tons and tons of manure. These cows are fed strictly grain. Would this be an adequate fertilizer for bermuda hay if I add nitrogen?


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Not sure what Bermuda requires for fertilizer but the manure should work good. Its all I used on alfalfa for many years.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

How much land are you spreading the manure on? Also how many head of cattle are producing this manure?

yes the manure sure will help but it might be a bit low in nitrogen.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Manure is good for the soil. Anything that helps build up the soil is good for what a person is growing.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

A manure test wouldn't be too expensive and would help you precisely determine application rate.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

I will be putting it on about 50 acres and there's about 400-500 head producing the manure.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

One average nutrient content of dry beef cattle manure:

14% N - 9% P2O5 - 11% K2O

All will not be readily available to plants at time of application


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## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

400 head will cover a lot more than 50 acres. Here in Iowa the DNR would be there to show just how much and when and how you apply that much manure.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Yea I know it will cover more than that. I am trying to get 200 more acres.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

It should be enough for that to. I covered 100 heavy every year with 60 cow calf manure


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

You should also get a soil analysis done where your going to spread. That'll tell you how much (in combination with a manure analysis) your spread acres will take. If your low P in the soil, you have a larger window for application rates.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Wish we had access to some. Mostly chicken manure available here and run into problems with too much P and neighbours complaining.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

There are lots of huge feedyards in this area and YES the manure is very good fertilizer . We try to apply 12 to 16 ton per acre every other year or so . Texas A&M has done some very good testing on the manure from different yards . Worse part of using it is the weed seed, cement,rocks and pipe you get spread across your fields. I deduct some off their prices after I see how much , tends to piss them off but I get tired of picking it up and having it tear up equipment when it goes into it swather or a combine. Compost is very nice but it takes out some of the nutrients during composting process VS the non composted manure. I am lucky there is a 75000 head yard 5 miles away ,so I never have a problem with getting enough manure from them. TX a&m use to have print out of what each ton. of dry manure consists of in way of nutrients . Down fall of using it is it can add to your compaction issues, we run a disk-ripper behind manure trucks, after it is spread it needs to be worked in asap so you wont lose any nutrients into the air .


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

Are those feeder calves fed a diet with additional antibiotics, growth hormones or other non nutritional components. It might be worth investigating what kinds of pharmaceutical compounds you would be concentrating on your soil over time. We had an opportunity to spread biosolids on our fields and decided to pass after researching the lab analysis. Livestock provided access to pasture and without the stress of confined feedlots are not normally treated with the same pharmaceutical dependent diet. Others may have different opinions, but, I would be careful about "tons and tons" of manure from these feedlots. Just my two cents worth.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

No antibiotics, He owns a feed mill so I know what they are feed. Its not your typical feed lot. He buys feeder calf's and feeds them to 600lbs or so and then we ship them to a real feed lot. He is a good buddy of mine I put up all his lot fence, water line, and barn. And I will mix feed for him when he is not a round. He feeds like I do just feed.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

Fossil02818 said:


> Are those feeder calves fed a diet with additional antibiotics, growth hormones or other non nutritional components. It might be worth investigating what kinds of pharmaceutical compounds you would be concentrating on your soil over time. We had an opportunity to spread biosolids on our fields and decided to pass after researching the lab analysis. Livestock provided access to pasture and without the stress of confined feedlots are not normally treated with the same pharmaceutical dependent diet. Others may have different opinions, but, I would be careful about "tons and tons" of manure from these feedlots. Just my two cents worth.


 Have you ever been to a large scale feedyard ? You keep saying the word pharmaceutical , what does that have to do with cattle eating corn silage ,flaked corn , flaked milo and ground alfalfa ? Are you one of those folks who think they are pumped full of drugs ? btw I see them having very little stress ? I dont know where you get that idea for sure ? Only stress they would have is when they are to be shipped out to the packers and then they are handled carefully to keep the stress down. Being from new england I doubt you know much about real feedyards like what is out west. If you think the manure that is spread will contaminate the soil and affect the growing crops , I have to say NOWAY . This goes on 100's of thousands of acres and has NO effect on crops or food supply far as contamination of end product . You almost sound like a tree hugger ? Just sayin.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

I worked in a 35000 head feedlot. They are pumped full of ralgro and synovex. Then they started into the optaflex which is similar to paylean. I dont believe this has any effect on soil but I wouldnt eat the meat. We did a trial implanted vs no implants and it made virtually no difference in adg. The implants might explain why people grow much bigger now. I dont agree with them but guys want them out 10 days sooner.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Fossil02818 said:


> Are those feeder calves fed a diet with additional antibiotics, growth hormones or other non nutritional components. It might be worth investigating what kinds of pharmaceutical compounds you would be concentrating on your soil over time. We had an opportunity to spread biosolids on our fields and decided to pass after researching the lab analysis. Livestock provided access to pasture and without the stress of confined feedlots are not normally treated with the same pharmaceutical dependent diet. Others may have different opinions, but, I would be careful about "tons and tons" of manure from these feedlots. Just my two cents worth.


"Fed a diet with additional antibiotics". Additional antibiotics? To what other antibiotics?

Growth hormones are present in everything you eat. Plant and animal.

Bio solids is the processed material from human sewage sludge commonly found in the NY, NJ area. I think using this as an apple to apple comparison is a stretch.

I've been to some large feed yards. I would not consider those animals stressed. I drive by "stressed" cow herds here, in pasture, here due to overstocking. These animals are thin and under fed. That's stress and poor welfare.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

ontario hay man said:


> I worked in a 35000 head feedlot. They are pumped full of ralgro and synovex. Then they started into the optaflex which is similar to paylean. I dont believe this has any effect on soil but I wouldnt eat the meat. We did a trial implanted vs no implants and it made virtually no difference in adg. The implants might explain why people grow much bigger now. I dont agree with them but guys want them out 10 days sooner.


Hormone implanted beef has been scientifically proven safe. They release low concentration over a period of time. The ears are discarded at slaughter.

Implants are a management tool for the producer. They are proven to increase gains. You claim virtually no difference in your trail. Your last sentence claims guys wanting to reach weight 10 days early. 10 days is very significant when you consider ingredient costs and how much feed an 1100 lb animal will eat everyday. I suspect the Optiflexx improved feed efficiency.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

There is a couple of dairies right down the road from me, they use the pivot irrigation to spray the barn wash-out over hay (or haylage). That grass grows FAST, especially in spring thru late fall, until the first frost kills it back.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Bonfire said:


> Hormone implanted beef has been scientifically proven safe. They release low concentration over a period of time. The ears are discarded at slaughter.
> Implants are a management tool for the producer. They are proven to increase gains. You claim virtually no difference in your trail. Your last sentence claims guys wanting to reach weight 10 days early. 10 days is very significant when you consider ingredient costs and how much feed an 1100 lb animal will eat everyday. I suspect the Optiflexx improved feed efficiency.


What scientists? The ones Cargill hires? That was a trial done at the feedlot with 5000 head. They stopped using implants after they analyzed the results. 300 more pounds of feed was cheaper then the implants and paying the crew to process them for implanting. This was 2006. Feed where we were was $180 a ton at the time. Meat you buy at the stores is tough and doesnt taste great. I will grow my own.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I have not done it for awhile since I have not been running feeder heifers on pasture. But implanting the heifers keeps them(or at least helps) from coming into heat.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

ontario hay man said:


> I worked in a 35000 head feedlot. They are pumped full of ralgro and synovex. Then they started into the optaflex which is similar to paylean. I dont believe this has any effect on soil but I wouldnt eat the meat. We did a trial implanted vs no implants and it made virtually no difference in adg. The implants might explain why people grow much bigger now. I dont agree with them but guys want them out 10 days sooner.


Tell me how they are pumped full of ralgro and synovex ? If it was not safe to eat I am sure they would not be and have been doing it for decades . I will bet money that this beef is top notch and safe or there would not be MILLIONS of head each year sent to the packers. Do you know they are checked everyday for such contaminates ? It might just be a canadian thing ? Didnt they have some issues up there off and on over the years past ?


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

ontario hay man said:


> What scientists? The ones Cargill hires? That was a trial done at the feedlot with 5000 head. They stopped using implants after they analyzed the results. 300 more pounds of feed was cheaper then the implants and paying the crew to process them for implanting. This was 2006. Feed where we were was $180 a ton at the time. Meat you buy at the stores is tough and doesnt taste great. I will grow my own.


From US FDA
http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/productsafetyinformation/ucm055436.htm

Alberta, Ca Ag and Rural Development
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/beef11691


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

I dont buy everything I read. Now they have to say its safe because they have let it go so long. Lets remember most consumers live in a city and think it comes from a grocery store. Tell them its safe they buy it. My point is the beef grown like that tastes like shit compared to what I grow myself. My hundred or more customers obviously agree. Canadian beef is just as safe or safer. We just have more honest government and cattle organizations.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

******* is spot on. I would suggest applying it in liquid form or even injecting to avoid residue when you cut again in 30-45 days. The increase in microbial action will make a huge difference.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

hillside hay said:


> ******* is spot on. I would suggest applying it in liquid form or even injecting to avoid residue when you cut again in 30-45 days. The increase in microbial action will make a huge difference.


I'm guessing he'll apply it in the form in which it's given to him. Not that liquid isn't nice.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

To somewhat change the subject as to the type of crop manure is spread. I went to a class on nematodes earlier this last week. The presenter said one of the ways to try and keep nematodes out is to be careful what type of manure you are using. If the feed that the cows have been eating has nematodes in it then those nematodes will be in the manure and if it is spread wet then you now will have nematodes in your fields. I would worry about that if I was spreading on alfalfa or a field meant to be planted in alfalfa. I've found the same goes for weed seeds.


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## panhandle9400 (Jan 17, 2010)

ontario hay man said:


> I dont buy everything I read. Now they have to say its safe because they have let it go so long. Lets remember most consumers live in a city and think it comes from a grocery store. Tell them its safe they buy it. My point is the beef grown like that tastes like shit compared to what I grow myself. My hundred or more customers obviously agree. Canadian beef is just as safe or safer. We just have more honest government and cattle organizations.


You never answered my question about how you pump in ralgro ? Now you are slamming USA beef producers with your last statement . ******* and hillside out here there are NOBODY has any liquid cow shit , it is all dry scraped from pens and spread with spreader trucks, only liquid know that is used is from pig operations who do inject into center pivots. If you were ever to see some of these large cattle feeders you would understand. I will try to post some pics later .


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

panhandle9400 said:


> You never answered my question about how you pump in ralgro ? Now you are slamming USA beef producers with your last statement . ******* and hillside out here there are NOBODY has any liquid cow shit , it is all dry scraped from pens and spread with spreader trucks, only liquid know that is used is from pig operations who do inject into center pivots. If you were ever to see some of these large cattle feeders you would understand. I will try to post some pics later .


I've seen pivots outside of the large dairies and feedlots here using lagoon water. Maybe that's what they mean? Nasty lookin stuff. But you are right most is scraped from the pens and in the huge feedlots like JBS Swift they put it in a sort of landfill, drained then hauled out on spreaders later. Not entirely dry though when scraped, but not liquid by any means.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

panhandle9400 said:


> You never answered my question about how you pump in ralgro ? Now you are slamming USA beef producers with your last statement . ******* and hillside out here there are NOBODY has any liquid cow shit , it is all dry scraped from pens and spread with spreader trucks, only liquid know that is used is from pig operations who do inject into center pivots. If you were ever to see some of these large cattle feeders you would understand. I will try to post some pics later .


I processed mant thousands of cattle. I processed one with 4 implants in its ear any hundreds with 2 implants. I call that pumped full. And how is my statement any different then yours? Maybe its a Canadian thing? Didnt we have problems off and on? Ya we sure did. We had bse. Of course you guys did to. 1 cow in Washington that the usda only admitted to after they figured out how to track her origin to canada. You guys came out smelling like roses we lost everything. Everything I worked my ass off for. Getting up at 5am going to school and coming home and working til midnight 7 days a week just to loss it all because usda shut the border down and I was selling cattle for 10% of their value. Am I pissed about it still? Your damn right I am. And nobody can tell me the us with 10 times or more cattle never had their own case of bse. I call bullshit and always will. The usda just shut up and swept them under the rug.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I guess no one better mention the COOL labeling too. But this post was about manure spreading. Besides the nutrients in the manure it also adds lots of organic matter. A very good thing if you have poor sandy light soils.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Ya lets not start on that topic. As far as the manure spreading he says its on hay so there wont be any injecting or discing. I would say your good to go.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Spreading a bunch today


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Atleast some members have the right color of equipment.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

ontario hay man said:


> 1 cow in Washington that the usda only admitted to after they figured out how to track her origin to canada. You guys came out smelling like roses we lost everything.


My opinion was the BSE case was political. It was announced that we had a case of BSE. Canada had stated they would shut down beef imports from countries that had confirmed BSE. Canada closed their borders to our product. Then it was announced the cow came from Canada and we obliged by closing the borders as fair play. The case of BSE was not kept a secret until the cow was traced back to Canada. Country of origin was not released until a day or so later.

Do I believe your country was set up? Yes.

I also believe Japan was in on the deal. Canada had closed imports from Japan because of BSE. Japan does not export beef to Canada other than the than the rare cut of Koby Steak. Japan got their drawers in a wad and had been exporting a large portion of their beef from Canada.

The ordeal crippled the Canadian beef industry. The U.S. had been finishing a lot of Canadian beef and doing well because of the exchange difference. We had a President who was a cattle rancher and allowed the players to play a stacked deck.

No one will ever convince me that BSE is caused by anything other than Pour On dewormers.

Just my take on this.

Back to our regular scheduled advice on other manure.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Tim/South said:


> No one will ever convince me that BSE is caused by anything other than Pour On dewormers.
> 
> Just my take on this.
> Back to our regular scheduled advice on other manure.


You want to at least provide a link to a paranoid website that supports this?

Also, manure is great. Take whatever you can get.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I know I didn't come out of it smelling like a Rose.I took a $80,000 hit on cattle that yr.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> You want to at least provide a link to a paranoid website that supports this?
> 
> Also, manure is great. Take whatever you can get.


Do your own home work.

Cornell university had a page that stayed up a long time tracing BSE to pour on dewormers, which affect the central nervous system of the parasite rather than poison either the bovine or the parasite. Strangely that page is no longer up. They stated point blank that the dewormer was the cause.

Two years before England had the mass out break of Mad Cow, the Ministry of Agriculture mandated that all cattle were to be given twice the dose of pour on dewormer at twice the frequency. This was to subdue the outbreak of the warble fly.

We have fed blood meal and bone meal for 100 years with no BSE. We introduce a dewormer that is to be applied to the spine of an animal, the path way of the central nervous system, which also just happens to be where BSE is found in cattle, and suddenly it causes blood and bone meal to manifest into BSE. Strange how a product designed to alter the central nervous system comes on the market and we begin having deaths by deterioration of the central nervous system.

There was another study that traced each individual who died from BSE in the UK and all but one was directly related to individuals who had handled some type of pour on related chemical. Some with cows, some as an insecticide.

Back when the topic was hot, a lot more information was out there.

I prefer to be well informed and read with both eyes opened.

Some prefer to drink the Koolaid.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Panhandle, I sometimes forget how dry it is out that way. Here it rains so often that the pits always have water in them. Just agitate and pump in the spreader. Couldn't get dry manure if we tried!LOL I take that back, there are a few superdairies around who have installed the separators.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

So why is it pointed out only on the one case of bse in the states. There were other cases but some how those test results or animal or papers or whatever some how disappeared. The States and Brazil both were really trying to hide BSE when they had cases after seeing what happened to Canada and England. Also who knows how many other countries have found something that a reporter never got a wiff of and put a small article in the ag papers.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Tim I agree with what you say except for the borders thing. Your country shut it down may 20 03 we shut our down dec the same year. I know some of you lost money to. I wasnt trying to offend you guys but what panhandle said got me a bit more then hot. We sold heifers with 300 lb calves at side and rebred for $500. We had to sell all our cows all our equipment and then sell the farm. We lost over half a million and are still trying to rebuild. I just dont understand why it had to go that way. The closest bse to us was 2000 miles away. That sure seems fair. So im sorry if I offended anybody with my comments from before but dont say its a Canadian thing and we have problems. Every country does some people are just in denial.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Hog. I did some digging and found that the us admitted to 4 cases. I personally know a high profile Canadian vet that was working in texas. He saw very many suspect animals and said something about testing them. They got rid of the animals and literally ran him out of the country. They said if he didnt leave they would arrest him for conspiracy or some stupid crap.


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## enos (Dec 6, 2009)

[quote name="hog987" post="119902" timestamp="1391275443"]

I guess no one better mention the COOL labeling too. But this post was about manure spreading. Besides the nutrients in the manure it also adds lots of organic matter. A very good thing if you have poor sandy light
soils.[/quote

Pretty sure there is some kinda $hit getting spread on this thread. Easy boys.


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## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

I am a cow calf operation. I have 't given a antibiotic in over a year knock on wood! Operators such as myself strive for that goal after all sick animals cut into profit margin.


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## Maryland Ridge Farms (Mar 1, 2009)

Manure = Good for the soil!


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Wow lots of poop in this thread.

The problem we have here is the only place to buy manure is dairy farms, which most of which are liquid. And the only people with liquid spreaders are those dairies.

I'm much more concerned about hormones and pharmaceutical chems coming out of human biosiolds than anything a cow produces. But mention that at a farmer's market and you get odd looks. I can't get over how the average consumer thinks I"m just out there everyday shooting anti biotics into cows since I'm not organic. We've treated one cow in 4 years.

But that's a different subject, I'd take as much free manure as you can get. It takes some time to spread but I think its better in the long run and cheaper than real fertilizer.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Maryland Ridge Farms said:


> Manure = Good for the soil!


I'm not so sure the environmental activists are as concerned about our injecting a sick animal with antibiotics as they are about antibiotics in livestock feed.

Regardless, there are major sources of beef feedlot manure along a south to north line from Texas/New Mexico to Montana/North Dakota and beyond. And, this manure is a great source of plant nutrients while providing a bit of organic matter to improve the soil.

When considering the application of beef feed lot manure, we as grain and forage crop producers need to remember to apply this material according to the phosphorus needs of the soil rather than as a source of nitrogen or potassium. When limiting the application rate according to the phosphorus needs of the soil, we can then add fertilizer nitrogen and potassium to meet the plant's need for these two macro nutrients that may not have been applied in adequate amounts in the manure.

I also agree with a previous post that there are many more antibiotics returned to the environment in human excrement than from cattle. This also applies to phosphorus in streams. Agriculture gets blamed for rising P levels in streams while the blame should also consider the high levels of P in municipal discharges of treated water back into streams.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Good post Vincent.

Regards, Mike


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Daily haul and spread here. Heifer barn is a bedded pack that gets cleaned regularly unless its froze solid like it is now. Sure do cover a bit of ground a year. Only spread on hay ground unless its wet then it goes on corn ground. Hay utilizes nutrients much better imo. Makes a big difference in yield hauled some over to a field we have at neighbors that was well depleted after the Amish used it. Covered half the field that half was so tall and thick you couldn't walk trough it and had to drop a gear mowing it. Best time here to spread seems to be in late summer/fall before it gets too cold and the plants can still take in nutrients before they go dormant. Wish i could get some chicken litter to spread on ground thats not close to home


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Griffin. Do you have pigs near you? Thats the best I think.


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