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Farmers encouraged to account for manure nutrients
A nutrient management specialist says a lot of farmers are not accounting for the nutrient value available in manure.
Marzu says with input costs rising and some products being short on supply, it will pay to test manure so that farmers can use those nutrient credits and only buy what they need.
Marzu says crop farmers might want to work with their neighbors who have animals. “I’ve heard of farmers actually taking a look, and it’s like you know, I’m just a crop farmer but that manure looks pretty interesting to me, so a lot of farmers are actually taking a look at, well, maybe I could purchase some manure from that dairy farm down the road and get those nutrients on my field.”
Marzu recommends both soil testing and manure testing, and he says with the cost of fertilizer, spending a little on tests might save farmers a lot of money. He also says the manure pit should be agitated before pulling random samples.
