>Dave,
> Your message doesn't say that they were studying manure spread in the
>winter. I imagine that manure spread in a season when it could break down
>and add to the soil's organic matter would reduce both nutrient runoff and
>soil loss, but that's not going to happen with manure that is spread in the
>winter. This enviro-wacko/farmer has seen, as Sumner described in an
>earlier post, that although everything holds together nicely as long as
>things are frozen, as soon as the rains come, they'll wash away some of
>those nutrients because the ground is still too frozen to absorb anything.
>Or - take a day like yesterday, when we had 5 inches of rain in 18 hours -
>there were rivers running down the pastures, even though the ground is now
>thawed, it's saturated. It is true that we are on a bit of a slope, so
>things move more than they would on flatter ground.
> Could you explain what "proper handling of manure" is in these studies?
> Paula Roberts
> Meadowsweet Farm
> Maine
>
Winter spread manure freezes in place (we're talking real winter areas like
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and certainly Maine and other northeastern US states
quality) shortly after it is spread. If the manure contains a decent
amount of bedding, it meshes together and there is surprisingly little
runoff in the spring. Obviously, slurry manure is different than manure
containing bedding. Slurry manure is what most free stall set ups deal
with or hog farms. Manure containing bedding is common to stanchion and
tie stall barns or bedded pack loose housing set ups.
Certainly, extreme slopes, freak rain storms, will all have an effect. But
the key difference in less extreme cases is the amount of bedding included
in the manure and again, counter to common thought, the thicker the
application, the less runoff occurs. Proper handling? Well, this farm
has been in my family 122 years so by many seasons of observation, we know
which fields need the nutrients and how best to apply manure to maximize
the benefits, minimize losses.
There is currently a study of an outwintering site that involved some
sloped ground and an area where winter feeding concentrated the manure.
Initial studies don't show a lot of nutrient movement. Again, the common
perception is the opposite so this will fly counter to the
enviro-extremists. I'll report back when I see more on this.
Dave G.
WisCOWsin
