Considerations for handling beef manure this winter
Assessing stockpiling and winter application strategies
By Tony Mensing
Raising beef cattle presents producers with plenty of unknowns but one of the things that can always be counted on is that along with beef cattle production comes manure production. It is one of the simple facts of life that if we are in the cattle growing business we are going to have to deal with the results of cattle “doing their business.”
Despite manure production being an obvious commonality between cattle operations it can sometimes feel like a topic that even producers would rather sidestep if possible and then if avoidance isn’t an option, maybe try to get by just tip toeing through discussion on the matter hoping to not get in too deep and loose a boot. It can be a somewhat controversial or polarizing subject even within the production ag sector. That along with the generally less than glamourous nature of manure handling makes it an easy subject to want to push aside but it is important and deserves serious consideration from a management and stewardship point of view.
Much of production agriculture, beef cattle production being no exception, is a somewhat delicate balance of many intertwined variables that managers are continually adjusting to achieve the best overall outcome from the whole system. If producers start focusing on just one or even a few of the system variables and ignoring the others, that often ends up leading to the overall system being less productive than its maximum potential.
Manure is clearly not all sunshine and roses so to speak but not recognizing it as a resource is short sighted and can damper productivity on the big picture system because one of the significant variables is being ignoring or at the least discredited.
Regulatory requirements are a critical consideration for manure handling any time of the year, but it is worth noting that some requirements may be different during this time of the year than during the growing season. The specific circumstances applicable to different locals, facility types and sizes, and manure handling methods, etc. are too numerous to adequately address here.
As an example, in Iowa there are some additional restrictions or prohibitions during certain parts of the winter season for land application of liquid manure from facilities over a particular size threshold. Also, in Iowa those restrictions are different than they would be for solid manure – the point being that producers need to understand what specific requirements they are subject to and maintain appropriate compliance with regulators.
It is also important to note that regulatory compliance is the minimum requirement, strategizing manure handling this winter should include consideration of the potential value of exceeding those minimums. That value proposition goes beyond simple dollars at one snapshot in time. For example, one might try to evaluate social and community impact, the potential for long term soil health benefits providing a positive impact to feed production, or manure hauling costs versus benefit.
Operations can vary widely in what resources they have available as well as how they prioritize different value prospects so there isn’t a one size fits all strategy regarding stockpiles and prospective winter applications of manure. There are however some widely applicable considerations that managers can assess while building their operation’s winter manure handling plan.
Cattle manure is not a waste by-product but rather a nutrient resource that can be used in crop production systems if those nutrients are applied where they are needed. That same manure can also be a liability if it ends up somewhere it shouldn’t be, like if it runs off the land surface and ends up in a surface water.
Another widely applicable consideration for winter manure handling is the fact that risk increases as exposure time increases. For example, if bedded pack manure would be land applied in February it would have an inherently higher risk of being impacted negatively by weather than if it were applied closer to the growing season when it could be utilized simply because of the increased exposure time. The specific amount of increased risk would vary from situation to situation, but more time means more risk.
As you work through all the considerations affecting winter manure handling and management for your operation don’t lose sight of the value that manure has as a resource. Sampling the manure for nutrient content may be helpful in this process and more information on that can be found in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Publication AE 3550.
If you intend to move some or all the accumulated manure out of the cattle production area during the winter, consider utilizing stockpiles to get the resource closer to its best use location while minimizing its exposure to negative weather impacts, provided this approach meets applicable regulatory requirements of course. Stockpile locations should always be well thought out generally minimizing the remaining transport distance to its final application area while at the same time avoiding sloped areas prone to runoff as well as areas near susceptible resources or infrastructure such as surface waters, tile intakes, water wells or residences for example.
As all the moving pieces of cattle production continue to get balanced and management decisions get made, don’t leave manure out of the equation but instead use it to build up the potential positive value in your big picture system rather than treating it like a waste.
Mensing is a field agricultural engineer with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.