Using manure to its maximum value for crops

As fertilizer input costs continue to rise, farmers are looking for alternatives ways to cut their costs. A recent article in “Manure Manager” magazine titled “Valuing Manure Nutrient Resources” explains the benefits of maximizing the nutrient content of the manure you apply to your fields.

Doing soil analysis will tell you what your nutrient requirements are. Once you know the requirement for the crop you plan to plant, the manure needs to be analyzed for nutrient values. Manure analysis focuses on analyzing the plant-available nutrients, mainly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

In this organic form, the nutrients phosphorus and potassium are as available to the plants as in most commercial fertilizers. However, the nitrogen in manure is found in the form of organic nitrogen and ammonia (also known as Ammonia - N). It needs to go through a biological break-down to make it available to the crop. This nitrogen is usually available to the next crop.

The organic matter is also an important component of manure, but it is difficult to place an accurate dollar value to this. Manure is considered a complete nutrient for the plant as it has all the necessary components for a plant to grow.

It is important to do a nutrient analysis of the manure because of the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is not balanced as it is in commercial fertilizers. Because of this, your application of manure for nitrogen benefits may be limited by the amount of phosphorus your land can handle. However, this will still reduce the amount of commercial fertilizer required at time of planting.

Using manure to supply your crop with the nutrients needed for the crop is an efficient and an environmental way to maximize profits and crop yields. Businesses like Bartels Environmental Services Inc. provide these analyses to farmers to help them utilize the manure to its maximum effectiveness for the crops. As they also use GPS (tracking) to apply the manure, Bartels Environmental Services Inc. are fully equipped to help you maximize all the benefits your farm’s manure has to offer.

Regulation in Ontario

In Ontario, most municipalities land apply their biosolids. Other municipalities burn it to create energy or just reduce the quantities of waste sent to landfills. Finally, some municipalities just send their biosolids to landfills. However, biosolids are great for adding macro and micro nutrients and organic matter which are crucial for the development of crop plants. Therefore, sending biosolids to a landfill is a waste of nutrients which would be better used in land application for crops.

Prior to January 1 2011, the land application of biosolids was regulated by the Ministry of Environment. Since January 1 2011, the application of biosolids is regulated by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), with the Ministry of Environment enforcing the policies set out in Ontario Regulation 267/03 - the Nutrient Management Act.
The Ontario Regulation 267/03 is intended to protect our water supply. At the same time, it strives to optimize field inputs, by reducing field input costs and maximizing crop yields. Under this Act, biosolids are regulated as a beneficial nutrient for soil conditioning and improvement. Specifically, this Act controls the amount of nutrients added to the soil via the application of biosolids. It looks at the macro nutrients (which are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) as well as eleven micro nutrients (which are Arsenic, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel, Lead, Selenium, and Zinc). These are considered to be necessary to the growth of crop plants.

The amount of biosolids allowed to be applied to the farmer’s field is calculated by developing a Non Ag-Source Material (NASM) plan. This is done using a program called NMAN3. (The NMAN3 program replaces the Certificate of Approval for application of biosolids after Jan 1, 2011.) The NMAN3 software stipulates required data, such as the soil test results, biosolids analysis reports, cropping practices of the farmer, size of the field, and required setbacks. The amount of macro and micro nutrients in the biosolids analysis and the soil analysis will dictate the application rate on the farmer’s field.

Bartels Environmental Services’ application technicians have NASM and NMAN3 training, as well as the associated certificates. They are more than willing to assist farmers with these programs.

Using manure to its maximum value for crops

As fertilizer input costs continue to rise, farmers are looking for alternatives ways to cut their costs. A recent article in the magazine, Manure Manager, titled “Valuing Manure Nutrient Resources” explains the benefits of maximizing the nutrient content of the manure you apply to your fields.

Doing soil analysis will tell you what your nutrient requirements are. Once you know the requirement for the crop you plan to plant, the manure needs to be analyzed for nutrient values. Manure analysis focuses on analyzing the plant-available nutrients, mainly nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

In this organic form, the nutrients phosphorus and potassium are as available to the plants as in most commercial fertilizers. However, the nitrogen in manure is found in the form of organic nitrogen and ammonia (also known as Ammonia - N). It needs to go through a biological break-down to make it available to the crop. This nitrogen is usually available to the next crop.

The organic matter is also an important component of manure, but it is difficult to place an accurate dollar value to this. Manure is considered a complete nutrient for the plant as it has all the necessary components for a plant to grow.

It is important to do a nutrient analysis of the manure because of the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is not balanced as it is in commercial fertilizers. Because of this, your application of manure for nitrogen benefits may be limited by the amount of phosphorus your land can handle. However, this will still reduce the amount of commercial fertilizer required at time of planting.

Using manure to supply your crop with the nutrients needed for the crop is an efficient and an environmental way to maximize profits and crop yields. Businesses like Bartels Environmental Services Inc. provide these analyses to farmers to help them utilize the manure to its maximum effectiveness for the crops. As they also use GPS (tracking) to apply the manure, Bartels Environmental Services Inc. are fully equipped to help you maximize all the benefits your farm’s manure has to offer.

The value of applied manure

Manure used properly can save you a lot of money on fertilizer and can raise your profitability by as much as 15%. However, a study in Missouri found that many farmers were over applying and not utilizing the full benefits of the manure available. Over applying manure causes the crop to lose some of the benefits of the manure in the same way that over applying chemical fertilizers can adversely affect the crops.

When compared to chemical fertilizer, manure’s fertilizer content is not as readily available and concentrated to the crop. Therefore, to maximize the benefit of the manure
it is better to inject it, and the timing of the application is crucial to the planted crop’s ability to utilize the full benefit of the manure. Injecting and proper timing allows for the mineralization process of the nutrients, which is what makes the nutrients available for the plants to use. Since the different crops need the different nutrients at different times, the amount of manure applied and the timing of the application will vary with the field and the crop.

As part of your Nutrient Management System, accurate soil and manure analysis will help develop the full benefit of manure to the crop planted. Bartels Environmental Services has a full line of modern equipment to help you make the most of your manure. They will help you save money through proper management, by the use of their GPS metering and field mapping equipment.

Do you think that you could get more benefits from your manure application? Have you been disappointed with the results of your manure usage?