Manure Management Plans: Increase Crop Yields While Minimizing the Nutrient Movement

A comprehensive manure management plan for the nutrient needs on your acreage is serious business.  A Manure Management Plan will help you develop and manage annual field-specific nutrient management plans, location, rate, timing, form, and method of all nutrient applications.  A Manure Management plan will help increase crop yields and minimize the nutrient progression toward surface and groundwater resources.

Manure Management Plans are not always required, but they do provide a source of information for good farm management.

What is a Manure Management Plan?

A manure management plan shows how manure generated at a feedlot facility is going to be used during the upcoming cropping year(s) in a way that protects surface- and ground-water quality, while being beneficial from an agronomic and economic standpoint.  A MMP is to be reviewed each year and modified to include changes in cropping rotations, manure amounts, manure nutrient levels, fields for application, or other practices that affect the available nutrient amounts or crop nutrient needs.

This information is an excerpt from the MPCA Manure Management Plan publication.  Source: Manure Management and Air Quality at the University of Minnesota.

Learn more about Manure Management Plans including Manure Sampling and Testing, Soil Testing, Calculating Manure Application Rates, Calibration of Manure Spreaders and more from the Manure Management and Air Quality at the University of Minnesota.

Start your own Manure Management Plan with these easy to use tools from the U of M Extension, Click Here.

Rapidly estimate the value of manure for specific manure types, application methods, soil nutrient status, and crop need

Just as important as having a Manure Management Plan is, knowing the economic value of the manure you are using, based on fertilizer replacement value and application costs, can make a major impact on your plan.

You can estimate the value of manure through this excellent web-based manure value calculator developed by the University of Minnesota Extension.  This calculator is an online tool to compare the value of manure from alternative manure application rates and methods.

What is Manure Worth – from the University of Minnesota Extension

• Estimates of the economic value of manure are important in comparing manure application rates and methods, valuing manure for off-farm sale, budgeting new facilities, and evaluating contract livestock production opportunities.
•  Use this calculator to rapidly estimate the value of manure for specific manure types, application methods, soil nutrient status, and crop need.
•  The estimates are based on fertilizer replacement value and application costs.

Manure ValueThis calculator is based on the spreadsheet “What is manure worth?”, developed by: Bob Koehler – University of Minnesota Southwest Research & Outreach Center (retired), and Bill Lazarus and Will Meland – UM Department of Applied Economics

Source: U of M Extension Manure Management and Air Education