Madison Messenger - December 25th, 2022

PAGE 10 - MADISON MESSENGER - December 25, 2022
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Mind your manure when applying it in winter
Can you spread manure in the winter
when the ground is frozen or snow covered?
We get this question a lot, so… can you? The
answer: It depends.
Surface manure applications on frozen
and/or snow-covered ground are discouraged
and considered “not acceptable” under current
USDA guidelines because these conditions
provide a serious risk of runoff. Soil is considered
“frozen” if the manure cannot be injected
or immediately incorporated into the soil.
In the case of solid manures, the guidance
is that manure will not be surface applied
in these conditions and should be
stockpiled on an acceptable site until it can
be applied for the next growing season.
For liquid manure, it is also “not acceptable”
to spread in these conditions and
therefore discouraged in all but emergency
situations. An “emergency” exists as a temporary
situation due to unforeseen causes
and after all other options have been exhausted.
Only limited quantities of liquid
manure shall be applied to address manure
storage limitations until non-frozen soils
are available for manure application.
If you must make emergency winter manure
applications, follow the accepted best
management practices for the situation. In
Ohio, those accepted best management
practices can be found in the USDA-NRCS
Nutrient Management Standard (590).
They are: (in part)
• Stay back 200 feet from grassed waterways,
streams, drainage ditches, tile surface
inlets and all other water bodies and 300
feet from developed springs, wells, and public
surface drinking water intakes. In certain
instances, these setbacks may need to
be increased.
• Apply on fields with at least 90 percent
surface residue cover.
• Apply manure to areas of the field with
the lowest risk of nutrient transport, such
as areas furthest from streams, ditches, and
waterways, with the least amount of slope.
• For fields exceeding 6 percent slope,
apply manure in alternating strips 60 to 200
feet wide on the contour, or in the case of
contour strips, on the alternating strips.
• Limited application rate—5,000 gallons
or, next crop need/removal for P, whichever
is less.
• Do not apply on more than 20 contiguous
acres. Contiguous areas must be separated
by breaks of at least 200 feet.
Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota
Spreading manure on frozen or snow-covered ground is considered “not acceptable”
by USDA guidelines due to potential risk for runoff.
All applications of liquid manure to
frozen and snow-covered soils should be documented
in the producer’s records. As always,
the four R’s (rate, time, source and
placement) of all nutrient applications apply
anytime nutrients are applied.
Yuletide Greetings
We’re overflowing with gratitude for your
kind patronage and wish you all a very
merry holiday season.
ROBY’S
MEMORIAL
DESIGN AND LETTERING
67 CHERRY ST., LONDON
740-852-5674
Photo courtesy of Manure Manager Magazine
There are several methods for applying manure to agricultural fields. Injecting manure
can be a great way to supplement nutrients when done correctly.
Additionally, there is a risk of runoff
when the top two inches of soil are saturated
and when there is greater than a 50
percent chance of rainfall of more than a
half-inch within 24 hours of the time of application.
The Ohio Applicator Forecast is
designed to help nutrient applicators identify
times when the weather risk for applying
is low. The risk forecast is created by the
National Weather Service and takes precipitation,
temperature, and snowmelt data to
estimate the amount of water in each area.
This amount of water is used with soil data,
such as texture and depth, to determine how
much should soak into the ground and how
much should flow over the surface. Utilize
this helpful tool at https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/plant-health/resources/ohio-applicator-forecast.
Following best management practices
keeps nutrients where crops can use them
and protects the aquatic life in our creeks
and streams. If you have specific questions
about how these best management recommendations
relate to your field or operation,
please check out our website at madisonsoilandwater.com
or call the office at (740) 852-
4003. We are located at 831 U.S. Hwy. 42
NE, London.
Broc Sehen, district technician
Madison Soil and Water
Conservation District