For farmers, the
cost of appropriately applied
fertilizers is returned many times over in the value of
increased crop production. Fertilizers are a costly input to
crop production; therefore, the most beneficial use of
manure nutrients is important for economic
sustainability.
Farmers must develop nutrient management plans to
address the complexities of extracting the fertilizer
value of manure in modern cropping systems. Those
plans ensure that manure is being applied in an
environmentally sound manner.
Manure has an additional agronomic benefit beyond
its nutrient content. Manure contains many additional
organic compounds. These organic compounds help
build and maintain soil structure, which in turn helps
maintain soil tilth, add water-holding capacity, improve
soil’s aeration and reduce soil erosion. The organic
compounds in manure are food for the soil’s microbial
population, which may enhance nutrient availability,
assist residue decomposition or in some cases, help
remove nitrate from the soil.
How is manure applied
to land?
Based on the
equipment available, manure is applied to cropland in one of
three ways: surface application,
surface application with incorporation and soil injection.
Liquid manure can be applied using irrigation equipment.
With this method, the manure is supplied
from the storage facility through a pipeline to the field.
A sprinkler spreads the manure evenly on the land. The
sprinklers move across the land at a set rate to ensure the
proper amount of manure nutrients are applied.
Surface application with incorporation is achieved by
following any surface application with a tillage implement
within 24 hours of application. |
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Injection is
achieved by using a toolbar mounted to a manure hauling tank
wagon or hose-type applicator. In the field, manure is
distributed using a
toolbar applicator pulled behind a tractor or manure tank
wagon as the manure is applied. The toolbar
applicator is usually equipped with chisel-type disc closers
or minimum till injection devices so that the manure is
incorporated or injected into the soil.
Incorporating or injecting manure into the soil increases
nutrient availability, reduces the potential for manure
runoff and significantly reduces odors from land application
of manure.
Tank wagons vary in size from 1,000 gallons to 10,500
gallons. A tank wagon is a large tank that may be mounted on
wheeled axles and pulled behind a tractor or mounted
directly on a truck. The tank wagon uses a pump or a
pneumatic device to deliver the manure onto the soil as it
moves across a field. Tank wagons can be used with injection
or incorporation toolbars that deliver the manure below the
soil surface. |
