By Glen Arnold
With great planting conditions last week. Corn fields are emerging across the state. For livestock producers, especially pork producers, the application of manure to corn can make better use of the available manure nutrients. Incorporating manure into growing corn can boost crop yields, reduce nutrient losses, and give livestock producers or commercial manure applicators another window of time to apply manure to farm fields.
It is important to know the nutrient content of manure if a livestock producer is counting on using the nutrients to replace commercial fertilizer. Various swine integrators use different feeding rations so a recent manure analysis it important.
Numerous livestock producers have adapted manure tankers for side-dressing corn into emerged corn by modifying rims and wheels for traveling down corn rows. Even with the soil compaction concern, corn yields from side-dressing with manure are similar to side-dressing with commercial fertilizer. Using a manure tanker also allows the corn to be taller, providing a wide window for manure application.