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Re: manure is money in the pot
D.B. Sullivan wrote:
> NEBRASKA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
> Fall 1997, Number 60
>
> <snip>
> For the individual who has developed a grazing system, this manure is
> "money in the pot." A 100 head beef cow herd will produce approximately
> 1150 tones of manure. The University of Nebraska has valued each ton,
> on a nutrient basis, at $9.57. The gross value of that manure is a
> whopping $11,005.50.
> <snip>
>
> Does the value of manure reflect loss to the atmoshere of 50 % in the form of
> gasses.??
I contacted the author of this article, Terry Gompert, who is the
Extension Educator for Knox County here in Nebraska. He said that
these figures assume capture of all nutrients, which probably isn't
realistic. 45% of the N in beef manure is in the form of urea, some or
all of which may be lost to the atmosphere.
In the article, Terry goes on to say, "The exciting opportunity is to
capture as much of the manure as possible." Well-managed grazing may
reduce/minimize the amount of urea lost. Because the manure patties are
thinner, says Terry, the dung beetles can break them down more rapidly,
thus stabilizing more of the urea.
Terry got his information from University of Nebraska publication EC
89-117, "Fertilizing Crops with Animal Manure." If you wish to contact
him directly, his email address is cnty3123@unlvm.unl.edu
Thanks for reading and questioning this article!
Cris Carusi
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
PO Box 736
Hartington, NE 68739
402-254-2289
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