Now that first crop hay is coming off, it provides an opportunity to further draw down his manure pit by applying to acres that were just cut.
Three to four thousand gallons/acre of manure applied to harvested hay fields has soil fertility benefits as well. Nutrient content book values (lab averages) for unincorporated dairy manure are 7 pounds of nitrogen, 5 pounds of phosphorus, and 16 pounds of potassium per thousand gallons.
From a potassium standpoint (at 4,000 gallons per acre), that’s approximately equivalent to 100 pounds per acre of potash.
Target older stands, with a fair amount of grass, to take advantage of the manure-supplied nitrogen, and see tonnage increase. FG
—Excerpts from the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Discovery Farms Program
Photo courtesy of University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension.
