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Common mistakes with manure application

An inspector with the Ohio Department of Agriculture says there are two common mistakes farmers make when applying manure in crop fields. Kevin Elder is Chief of Livestock Environmental Permitting at ODA. He says the most common mistake is an accidental manure discharge in tile outlets, which can contaminate waterways and kill fish & wildlife.

“If it’s a field you haven’t applied to, look for tile outlets look for blowholes, fix those blowholes and monitor the outlets to prevent discharge” says Elder.

He also tells Brownfield farmers should NEVER apply manure on frozen or snow covered ground.

“Any manure or fertilizer application on frozen or snow covered ground that’s not worked in has the highest chance of movement. It will move, you will get less use of those nutrients and will cause water quality issues downstream,” says Elder.

Elder says injecting and mixing manure into soil rather than broadcasting is the best approach to applying manure and avoiding an accidental discharge.

Brownfield spoke with Elder at the Conservation Tillage & Technology Conference in Ohio.

Audio: Kevin Elder, Ohio Department of Agriculture