With increasing regulations, the livestock producer needs to understand the scientific principles that affect manure transformations and how to use these principles to manage the manure for maximum fertilizer value with minimal environmental impact. Improved land application of manure is one part of the solution, but we suggest that the producer evaluate the quantity of nutrients arriving on the farm as feed, animals, and fertilizer compared to the total that is exported.

Planning 2021 Fertilizer-N Application Following a Dry 2020

Fertilizer-N is a big investment for crop production in Nebraska and elsewhere. After harvest, growers tend to plan their fertilizer-N management for the next year’s crop. But the question is how much nitrogen can they apply to get the most profit from their fertilizer-N investment?

Manure Management: Economics, Agronomics, Environment - Part 2

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has released a new feature article on the manure industry in Nebraska. In the article, which is part two of a two-part series, the author highlights the fact that manure is nature's recycling program from the perspectives of crop and animal farmers.

Tips for Winter Manure Application

Manure application on frozen or snow-covered soil poses a higher risk of nutrient loss through runoff.

2021 Land Application Training Shifts to Hybrid Learning

The Animal Manure Management team has opted to change the format of live Land Application Training events this year. In February and March, the team will host a series of three1.5-hour long zoom sessions that will serve as the first portion of initial land application training. Recertification training and the last segment of initial training will be held at a later date, hopefully in-person. Anyone is welcome to participate in the zoom sessions, but participation at each session will be limited to keep them interactive and informative.

Bringing Manure Application to the Digital Age

Current manure application practices have little to no precision application capabilities compared to other modern agricultural equipment. Due to some recent emerging technologies being released on the market, manure application is finally joining the digital age. This article summarizes these new precision manure application technologies.

Got Manure? Need Manure? – There’s an App for that!

The UNL manure team has been working on building an app to connect the public to the manure people they need, and maybe learn a little bit about manure along the way. Our goal with the app is to enable folks to find a manure applicator, broker, advisor, or resource person in their area. We’ve been testing and updating, and we think it’s ready for its full debut! The app is available for both Android and Apple devices.

Manure Phosphorus and Water Quality

Manure produced in animal feeding operations is a source of fertilizer that can be used to reduce our dependency on commercial fertilizers. Manure contains several essential nutrients that crops that crops rely on to grow, most notably nitrogen and phosphorus. Proper management of manure before, during, and after land application helps to slow down the contamination of our streams and reservoirs.

Variable Rate Manure Applications Based Upon Management Zones

There are many challenges associated with variable rate manure applications such as variable nutrient content within the manure source and nutrient availability, application equipment, and prescription methodology. However, in many cases, these challenges are outweighed by environmental and economic benefits from variable rate manure applications.

Applying Manure Management Concepts On-Farm

This year’s Land Application Recertification sessions, called Applying Manure Management Concepts On-Farm, are scheduled to be in-person at many locations across the state in June, with one taking place in May in Lexington. Manure trainings earlier this year were held virtually, but we’re making progress, and that means we’re looking forward to seeing everyone in-person for the next manure event.

Manure Application Options for Beef and Dairy Systems

When it comes to animal manure from feedlots being applied to the land in Nebraska, developing management practices that efficiently uses the nutrients from manure while being environmentally sustainable can be a complicated process. This article introduces some land application approaches for beef and dairy feedlot systems.

With increasing regulations, the livestock producer needs to understand the scientific principles that affect manure transformations and how to use these principles to manage the manure for maximum fertilizer value with minimal environmental impact. Improved land application of manure is one part of the solution, but we suggest that the producer evaluate the quantity of nutrients arriving on the farm as feed, animals, and fertilizer compared to the total that is exported.