Managing Manure to Reduce Costs in No-Till
Ron Wiederholt
NDSU Extension Nutrient Management Specialist
High prices of commercial nitrogen fertilizer are putting pressure on crop production budgets. Whether crops are grown using no-till or conventional till, manure is a low cost alternative to high priced fertilizer. Significant amounts of research show that most manures can be used successfully under no-till conditions without any special considerations.
Livestock manure is no longer a waste product of cattle production. There is an average of 10 to 15 pounds of nitrogen available per ton in the first year of application of beef feedlot manure making it a viable fertilizer source. Compared with anhydrous ammonia at about 24 cents per pound of actual nitrogen, or urea at about 35 cents per pound of actual nitrogen, beef feedlot manure at 12 cents per pound of available nitrogen (custom hauled with 12 pounds of available nitrogen per ton) is a clear bargain. If the cost of applying manure is spread out over the amount of phosphorous and potassium contained in manure, then the cost of the nitrogen is even less.
Utilizing livestock manure is a smart business move when trying to position your operation during high fertilizer prices. Producers who have access to livestock manure to supplement their crop fertility program have a competitive advantage over producers without access. Along with producing meat or milk, livestock are fertilizer factories. Producers spend money and time growing crops they feed to livestock, which the livestock then process into coproducts. Usually producers think about just the meat or milk, but the manure nutrients are just as valuable.
To realize the value of manure, it has to be applied uniformly and consistently. If not applied uniformly or the manure nutrients are not properly credited, a valuable resource is wasted. Besides the nutrients available, research has shown positive benefits to soil quality from the use of manure. Manure contributes significantly to the organic matter in the soil as well as adding needed carbon for life cycles that go on in the soil. These benefits are more long term and are noticed gradually over the years with the application of manure.
The soil health benefits of manure could be looked at as synergistic with a no-till system. Major soil improvement characteristics seen in no-till systems parallel what happens with the use of manure. An added benefit of manure use is greater capacity for the soil to hold nutrients in the organic form. Combined with increased soil health, the soil can respond quicker to optimum growing conditions releasing nutrients at levels more closely matching crop needs thereby increasing the efficiency of nutrient use by the crops.