Late Fall Applications Of Manure Can Do Wonders For Your Soil And Your Pocketbook!

Looking for a way to help improve both your soil and your pocketbook? Maybe it would be wise to consider a late fall application of manure. You may be surprised to know that a late fall application of manure may not only present one of the most environmentally safe times of the year to apply manure, but it is also an application time that will allow good nutrient recovery for next years crop.

Trying to get more organic matter into your soil?

Manure has many benefits, most of which everyone knows. It adds organic matter to the soil, which in turn increases soil moisture holding ability, improves internal soil drainage, builds soil structure and stability and provides a food source to maintain a diverse biological population in your soil. Any manure additions to your soil can only be considered a huge bonus!

Looking for some valuable nutrients?

When you apply manure, it is important to know the nutrient content of what is being applied. Not all manure is the same, taking a manure analysis will provide you with the information you need to decide on an appropriate application rate. Manure is made up of two main sources of nitrogen, the readily available mineral nitrogen in the ammonium form, and the more slowly available nitrogen bound to a carbon in the organic form. Organic nitrogen is available slowly over time, as a function of temperature and soil aeration. The mineral nitrogen, ammonium, is a positively charged ion that binds to soil particles. The longer ammonium remains in this form before it is converted to nitrate the less potential for loss due to nitrogen leaching. This is the big bonus of late-fall applied manure. This is the reason late fall applied manure is so much better than early fall applied manure. Ammonium applied into cool soils will not convert to nitrate and be lost. When does early fall become late fall? The rule of thumb is when the soil is less then 10°C. The nutrient management workbook says late fall begins Nov 10th.

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Want to be a good environmental steward?

Take a look at the phosphorus index, to determine separation distances from surface water sources, in all cases when your soil test is greater than 30 ppm. The phosphorus index uses a series of 5 factors including field slope, length of slope, soil drainage class, and soil texture to determine an appropriate separation distance and application rate for manure application from surface water.

If using liquid manure, watch out for maximum liquid loading limits. These limits apply so that manure does not run down a slope and into a water source. It is important to ensure that manure applied to the soil, stays where it is applied. This ensures an even distribution of nutrients across the field. The maximum liquid loading limit for your soil type and slope can be calculated using Tables 1 and 2 in the NMAN Workbook. Just to give you an example, liquid manure should not be applied on a clay soil with a 5% slope at a rate higher than 4,450 gal/ac. within 150 m of surface water.

Be wary of when late fall becomes winter. Manure application onto frozen or snow covered ground is never a good idea. Soil can become saturated by snow, ice and meltwater, thereby reducing the soils ability to absorb and hold nutrients. Pathogens and nutrients mix easily with run-off water and can make their way into surface water sources. A good rule of thumb to use is, if you can incorporate or inject your manure you are still okay. When in doubt, leave at least 100m separation distance to surface water sources, avoid floodplains and spring run-off areas, and choose fields with less than 3% slope.

In all cases chose the separation distance that is the greatest and affords the most protection of the watercourse.

One last word of caution, as with any field application, watch out for compaction. But if the soil is fit, and the crop is off, a late fall application of manure can improve your soil health, provide you nutrients for next years crop and when done correctly will have no negative impacts on the environment

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