Oh, Manure!

 In last week’s blog, I discussed the importance of a clean barn! But unfortunately, the by-product of any barn is manure, Usually lots of manure! What do you do with it? People post this question all the time on social media pages!

 Before you dispose of the manure, it must first be removed from the barn. There are various tools and equipment for this task, some more efficient than others.

 Manure spreaders make spreading manure easy and fast. They come in an array of sizes and costs.

 Pushing manure with a wheelbarrow can be difficult, and unless you are dumping your manure into a compost pile, the site of manure everywhere is unpleasant. They attract flies, and you can risk a fire from the accumulated heat. A manure pile is a waste of nutrients and can become a source of bacteria when rain washes manure into water.

 Barn owners have gotten very creative with how to dump and remove manure. These are methods I have experienced firsthand, and they are not exactly user-friendly and can be a source for injuries and employees quitting:

· Pushing a wheelbarrow up a narrow ramp to then tip the wheelbarrow into a spreader. We have all seen videos of a poor sap who stumbled and did a face plant in the manure.

· Collecting muck buckets and stacking them on the back of a Kubota (requiring lifting), then standing on the back of the Kubota and lifting the muck bucket over their head to dump into a dump trailer (even though the dump trailer had doors that would have allowed easy access to walk into, but for some unknown reason, the doors were never used.) Try this on a windy day!

· Parking a dump trailer along the side of stalls at a very high-end barn, where the average monthly board bill was $1,500. The horses stalled along the side of the barn had a lovely view of the ever-increasing manure pile, which meant flies everywhere. Because of its size, it was emptied only once a month.

· Pushing a wheelbarrow through mud and muck to dump at the far end of the pasture.

 The backbreaking and potentially dangerous methods barn owners and managers create for their employees when dumping manure are incredible. If it were any other industry, such conditions would not be tolerated. Barn owners must do better with their employees and create better working conditions, starting with handling manure.

 There are many options for disposing of manure that save your back and are good for the environment:

· Spreading manure around the property via manure spreader. Spreading manure is fast and easy; you are done with it daily! The best method is to compost the manure and then spread it over it for best pasture management practices. Manure, which is not composted, is high in nitrogen, and as a result, weeds may germinate. Rotating fields and keeping animals off the pastures is best to prevent ingesting parasites and possibly spreading diseases. In addition, medications and dewormers may be spread with the fresh manure. Therefore, animals should be kept off the grass for several weeks at a minimum, although many horses will avoid the areas on their own. It is best to spread when the temperatures are high so that the manure will dry quickly, aiding in killing parasites. Manure should never be spread near water or where the land slopes towards waterways. Avoid spreading on wet areas, as this will result in the soil becoming over-compacted, which will result in poor grass growth. The goal of spreading is to retain the good nutrients for the soil to absorb and for the parasites and any other unwanted elements to dry out. The downside to spreading is that it may not be legal in your area, depending on drainage, the location of drinking water, and the watershed. Neighbors may complain about the odor from freshly spread manure.

· Create a compost pile. There are pros and cons to composting –vs- spreading manure. One benefit of composting your manure is that the nutrient release is slower, which benefits plants. Weed seed germination rates will be lower than if you spread the manure directly. Additionally, the bedding and hay will compost along with the manure rather than being spread across your fields. Compost will create less mud if you are in an area prone to such, and a good argument for composting is that parasites and fly larvae will be killed off. However, to compost, you will need some type of system in place, and it is more labor intensive as you will need to turn the compost every few weeks. If you have a tractor, this is not an issue. Otherwise, you will be shoveling the compost from one pile to another and then into a wheelbarrow or spreader when it is ready to be spread. Ideally, the compost system should be covered so the nutrients aren’t lost from runoff, and if it is not covered, you should install a drainage system. Composting also takes several months. The University of Massachusetts has an excellent article on building a self-regulating manure composter. Grants may be available through your soil and water conservation office or contact your extension office or state ag department. Locate manure compost where the area is not at risk of contaminating water. It should not be near the barn or other structures; it should be out of sight and easily accessible.

· Contact local gardeners who will be happy to come and haul away the manure, especially if you have composted it. One method to make the manure easy for gardeners is to place the manure in empty feed bags, where the manure will start composting. This will provide an easy way for the manure to be transported.

· Rent a dumpster

· Hire someone to haul the manure away

 I am fortunate to have both a Newer Manure Spreader and a Kubota side-by-side. Until recently, I would spread the manure on my pastures, alternating turnout so nobody was turned out on the pasture with recently spread manure. However, with just 3 acres, that can become problematic. I have an easement between my farm and some woods, that I am also able to utilize, which helps to offset the amount of manure being spread on my pastures.

 This past winter, I began composting manure, using the instructions provided by the University of Massachusetts. I have 3 bins, all covered and with a PVC pipe in the center. I also have a 4th pile, also covered, but I am experimenting to see how long it takes to compost by being left alone, with no turning and no pvc pipe. This process has allowed me to give my fields a break and I am looking forward to spreading freshly composted manure this summer.

Finding ways to be creative with disposing of manure is something every barn owner must figure out and do so in a way that is best for the environment. What method do you use to remove manure? Comment on our Facebook page!