# Liquid Manure on Hay fields between cuttings? Good or Bad



## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

Ok guys so all my seeding is done and i had the neighbor put liquid manure on. Man things greened up and are shooting up fast. My fields never looked so good before.

My question is is it harmfull to the T and O grass to put the liquid manure on after first cutting? I've seen it done here on alfafa fields in between cuttings but was wondering if its a good or bad idea. Maybe harmful to the horses consuming it?

If it's best to not do inbetween cuttings is there something to spray or fertilize with that is good and boost growth on the timothy and orchard grass?

I have 7 ac of hayfields that i'm working with of my own and help my neighbor w/ his 25 ac.

You guys have been a great help in all this new haying to me. Enjoy getting on here everyday readying all the new posts and learning how you all do this.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

We used to apply liquid dairy manure to alfalfa right after the crop was taken off. Last year was the first year in many years that we did not do this, and it seemed as though the alfalfa yeilds were better. On the other hand, a pasture of grass that we custom cut and bale for a neighbor was yielding poorly, so he applied dairy manure to it and the improvement the next cutting was startling. Just driving by we could see to the foot where the manure hit the ground. If you are going to do this, try to time your application just before rain.


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

A large dairy farm down the road from my place uses a drag-line to apply manure after each harvest (or so it seems to me). I am not sure if this is a result of added moisture in place of rain(in a dry year), but the boost this gives the crop when compared to other near-by un treated feilds is "startling" indeed. The drag-line is definately the way to go, the pump is set up by the lagoon and a tractor drags the hose by the sprayer that is on the 3pt hitch. They must have 7 miles of hose, they can sure cover ground in a hurry and cross under roads through the ditches. The best part about this is no returning to the pit to reload a tanker! Secend best is huge reduction in soil compaction. The only downfall is the wildly expensive cost for the system, hose reels, pump, spreader attachment, drag line and other hose, but if you have LOTS to do, and you value your time, it is the way to go!


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## 52Trap (Feb 23, 2012)

We've hauled liquid swine manure on Blue Grass, and Grass mixed hay fields before. There are a lot of things that can affect your results e.g. nutrient content of the manure, the temperature when hauling, rain/moisture etc. to name a few. But in general we've had good luck. Grass like most things love nitrogen and that’s exactly what you'd be applying along with additional P&K. Based upon our experience I recommend spreading the manure as soon as the hay crop has been removed. Besides not burning the new growth with the manure, you'll have a lot less tracking when using a big tank. If possible try and spread the manure when you won't have consecutive real hot days, and a little rain around application would be ideal. Either way even if you do get some burn from the manure it will usually grow out of it and the increase N will give you a boost esp. with cool season grasses in the fall. We never had an issue with palatability with the hay off these fields, and have never had negative feedback from customers. Best of Luck!


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## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

Thanks alot, im goin to try n gdt loads delivered after my 1st cutting . Goin to a sale today to see if I can find a haywagon.


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