Manure 101: Nutrient Management and the Dairy Industry.

1
Manure 101Nutrient Management and the Dairy
Industry.

• Kevin Erb
• UW-Extension NPM Program

University of Wisconsin - Extension UW-Madison
College of Agricultural Life Sciences
2
Farmer View of Site-Specific Future Manure
Regulations
3
What is Nutrient Management?Common Sense.

• Combine on-farm nutrient sources, with commercial
  fertilizer, to meet crop need.

On-farm nutrient sources (manure)
Soil reserves
Commercial fertilizer
Minimize nutrient losses
4
Environmental Aspectsof Manure

• Nutrients
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Bacteria/Pathogens
• BOD

5
Nitrogen

• Groundwater Concerns
• EPA Standard 10 ppm
• Blue Baby Syndrome
• Hypoxia

6
Hypoxia
7
Phosphorus

• Surface Water Concern
• Algae Growth

8
Environmentalists view of how farmersmanage
manure.
9
(No Transcript)
10
Phosphorus

• Movement
• Soil attached is most common route
• 1 lb P 500 lb algae
• One ton soil eroded 1 ton algae in water
• Stop Erosion, Solve Big Part of the Problem
• National Buffer Initiative (USA)

11
Potassium

• Dairy Animal Health Concern
• Too Much in Ration Ketosis / Milk Fever

12
Bacteria

• E. Coli
• Up to 6 month viable in soil
• Does not survive as well on surface
• Enters streams when manure runs off

13
Antibiotics

• Animals DO NOT break them down.
• Excreted intact with the urine
• Low level resistance concerns

14
Biochemical Oxygen Demand

• A measure of how much oxygen is removed from a
  water body by the bacteria breaking down organic
  materials. (BOD)
• Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
• Oxygen required to break down chemical
  compounds in water body.

15
Manure Basics

• What is Manure?
• Urine, feces
• Waste feed
• Parlor water
• Gray water (sinks, etc)

16
Manure Basics

• How Much Manure Does a cow produce in a day? A
  week? A Month? A Year?

17
The Influence Of Milk Production On Daily Manure
Production
18
How Much Manure?

• Typical Dairy Cow
• 148 lbs/day (18 gal)
• 1036 lbs/week (124 gal)
• 4440 lbs/month (531 gal)
• 54020 lbs/year (6460 gal)
• Does not include youngstock, other wastes

19
Rule of Thumb 1

• One cow plus replacement plus wastewater 10,000
  gal/year

20
What is in manure?

• Nutrients
• Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium
• Micro nutrients (Sulfur, Boron, etc)
• Whatever the cow eats that does not become milk
  or meat becomes manure.
• If its in the feed, its in the manure.

21
Dairy Diet and Runoff

• Manure from 2 rations applied
• 1.28 and 0.48 P (rec is 0.34-0.38)
• Runoff was 4x higher for high P diet
• Same lbs P applied
• Runoff was 10x higher when manure rates were the
  same.
• Ebeling et al, 2001

22
Dairy Diet Impacts

• Ave P in dairy ration is 0.47
• Gunderson, Keuning Erb, 2001
• NRC Recommendation is 0.32-0.38 P
• Higher rates are due to belief that lower P
  reduces reproductive efficiency.

23
The Manure Paradox

• Crops use NPK in a 312 ratio
• Dairy manure is a 112 ratio (available)
• Meet the crops N need excess P
• Meet the crops P need buy N fert

24
Manure Nutrient Content - Dairy -

• _____________________________________
• N P2O5 K2O
• (surface/incorporated)
• ____________________
  __
• Solid (lb/ton) 3 / 4 3 8
• Liquid (lb/1,000 gal) 8 / 10 8 21
• _____________________________________

25
Crop Nutrient Removal

• N P2O5 K2O
• - - - - - - - - - lb/a/yr - - - - - - - -
• Corn (160 bu/a) 160 60 40
• Corn silage (23 ton/a) 225 90 170
• Soybean (40 bu/a) 115 35 40
• Alfalfa (5 ton/a) 250 65 250
• Reed canarygrass 250 125 325
• (5 ton/a)

recommended application rate. Note that these
numbers vary by state/prov.
26
Example of P2O5 Recommendations for Corn

• Yield Goal Soil Test Level
• bu/a Low Optimum High Ex.High
• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - lb/acre - - - -
  - - - - - - - - - -
• 111-130 65 45 25 0
• 131-150 75 55 25 0
• 151-170 80 60 30 0

27
Corn Nutrient Need vs. Manure Nutrient Supply
Following a Nitrogen Strategy
lb/acre
28
Manure Application Rates

• Nitrogen Strategy
• Maximum rates
• P and K in excess of crop need
• Efficient with time and labor
• Preferred when land is limited

29
Corn Nutrient Need vs. Manure Nutrient Supply
Following a Phosphorus Strategy
lb/acre
30
Manure Application Rates

• Phosphorus Strategy
• Low rates
• Need supplemental nitrogen
• Increased time and labor
• Need adequate acreage

31
Manure Nitrogen ContentTotal vs. AvailableSolid
Manure
lb N/ton
32
Soil Test P Changes Slowly

• Soil buffering capacity
• The amount of fertilizer needed to change the
  soil test level by 1 ppm
• 18 lbs P2O5/acre 1 ppm change in soil P
• Time is required to either lower or raise soil
  test levels.

33
Soil Test P Changes Slowly- Example -

• Soil test P 75 ppm (EH)
• Track draw-down of P over a CCOHHH rotation.

34
Soil Test P Changes Slowly- Example -

• Soil test P 75 ppm (EH)
• Track draw-down of P over a CCOHHH rotation.
• Corn _at_150 bu/a removes 55 lb P2O5/a/yr
• Oats _at_ 100 bu/a removes 25 lb P2O5/a/yr
• Alfalfa _at_ 5 tons/a removes 65 lb P2O5/a/yr
• Removal of P2O5 over rotation 330 lbs P2O5

35
Soil Test P Changes Slowly- Example -

• Soil test P 75 ppm (EH)
• Track drawdown of P over a CCOHHH rotation.
• Removal of P2O5 over rotation 330 lbs P2O5

Change in soil test P 330 lb P2O5/18 18 ppm P
36
Soil Test P Changes Slowly- Example -

• Soil test P 75 ppm (EH)
• Track drawdown of P over a CCOHHH rotation.
• Removal of P2O5 over rotation 330 lbs P2O5
• Change in soil test P 330 lb P2O5/18 18 ppm
  P

• Soil test P 57 ppm (EH) after the 6-year
  rotation.
• (75 ppm P - 18 ppm P 57 ppm P)

37
Regulations

• 1972 Clean Water Act
• Point vs. Non-Point Sources
• Problem Not Yet Solved.

38
Regulatory Future

• Each Providence, State, County, Township may be
  different.
• Future
• Lower AU (animal unit) threshold for permit
• More phosphorus emphasis
• Future emphasis on bacterial / antibiotics / odor
  concerns
• Short term focus will be on P based nutrient
  management

39
Economics(Nitrogen _at_ 0.20/lb)

• 100 Cow Dairy
• Alfalfa N 1,200
• (50 acres/yr _at_ 120 lbs N/a)
• Manure N 1,320
• (22 tons/cow/year _at_ 3 lbs N/ton)
• Total On-Farm N 2,520

40
Economics(P2O5 _at_ 0.25/lb K2O _at_ 0.13/lb)

• 100 Cow Dairy
• Manure P2O5 1,650
• (22 tons/cow/year _at_ 3 lbs P2O5/ton)
• Manure K2O 2,288
• (22 tons/cow/year _at_ 8 lbs K2O/ton)
• Total Manure P205 K2O 3,938

41
If You Are Going To Use Manure as a Fertilizer
Treat It Like A Fertilizer!
42
Soil Test Phosphorus Variability from a Wisconsin
Dairy Farm
43
Public Relations

• Manure Handling and Application
• Odor control
• Real or perceived excessive rates
• Road spillage
• Traffic hazards delays
• Spreading near water
• Cattle in water

44
Challenges of the Future

• Dairy Trends.
• Management More cows, fewer farms.
• Realization by farmers that manure management
  requires a cash investment.
• Manures Internet IPO Lots of ideas now, lots of
  broken ideas coming in a few years. Easiest to
  use / most farm-profitable techniques will remain.

45
Opportunities of the Future

• Every farm will have a nutrient management plan.
• Nitrogen Phosphorus Pendulum
• Affiliated and independent consultants
• Site-specific research
• Between 1992 and 2001, UWGB was the lead
  institution for mass balance research.

46

• Farmers are searching for answers.
• Manure is no longer considered the last item
  after everything else is done.

47

• kevin.erb_at_ces.uwex.edu