1	Manure Management and Water Quality
2	Main Message Properly managed manure is not an environmental threat. The main issues for water quality are 1) accidents and mismanagement 2) whole farm nutrient balance
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4	Potential Pathways
5	Review of historical soil conservation experiment data Manure reduced total runoff by 1% to 68%. Manure reduced soil erosion by 13% to 77%.
6	Too High Rate Poor Coverage
7	Broadcast
8	Irrigation
9	Injection
10	Solid Manure
11	Nutrient Management The key to environmental stewardship with manure is… Careful management to avoid spills Proper use of a good nutrient management plan Uniform application across the field to avoid “hot spots”
12	Properly Managed Manure Will Reduce Nitrates in Tilelines
13	Nitrates in Tileflow Poultry Manure Plots
14	Phosphorus in Tileflow & Runoff Poultry Manure Plots
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17	Are Inputs & Outputs In Balance?
18	Manure Nutrients Alone Will Grow Good Crops
19	Recommended Rates Work Research Results from SE Iowa - Corn Yields
20	Calculating the Correct Rate of Manure The correct nutrient rate depends on The crop to be grown The previous crop (was it a legume?) The expected crop yield The nutrient concentration in the manure/compost Weather
21	Calculating the Correct Rate of Manure Corn Use nitrogen for planning if soil P tests are not high Apply 0.02 kg N from the manure for each kg of corn produced Wheat Use nitrogen for planning if soil P tests are not high Apply 0.022 kg N for each kg of wheat
22	Nitrogen Losses After composting the manure nitrogen should be organic N or nitrate, so none should be lost to the air Losses to the air occur from ammonia N Rapid incorporation helps insure that none is lost
23	Separation Distances Observe reasonable separation distances from important water sources Rivers & streams Lakes Wells Wetlands In the US we typically use at least 200 ft (60 meters) separation
24	Other Nutrients If you apply enough manure to satisfy the N requirement, you will also be applying enough P and K. No additional commercial fertilizer should be needed
25	How to Know What’s in the Manure Have the manure tested by a chemical laboratory Total Nitrogen Total phosphorus Potassium
26	Rules of Thumb from the US Manure from 1 cow will fertilize 0.25 ha/yr Manure from 1 hog will fertilize 0.05 ha/yr Manure from 10 chickens will fertilize 0.01 ha/yr
27	To do the Best Job Test your soil Phosphorus (Bray test for plant-available P) Potassium pH (soil should not be too acid) Test the manure Total Nitrogen Total phosphorus Potassium
28	Your Role in Nutrient Planning You can help people who take compost with their nutrient management plans Provide them with analysis of the compost Help them develop a written plan to use Weigh some loads of compost so you can estimate load weights Or have a set of scales at the platform Bag the compost & “guarantee” the analysis
29	Your Role in Nutrient Planning Hire a nutrient “expert” to help producers develop and implement plans Help producers with record keeping
30	Summary If manure is stored safely (which yours should be after constructing the platforms), the main risk of environmental contamination comes from improper application…typically overapplication of nutrients. You can help producers develop and implement good plans, which will help preserve a good environment.