Cattle manure may have a future as “brown gold” if current trends in fertilizer and natural gas prices are considered.
“With fertilizer prices continuing to rise because of high gas prices, the value outlook for cattle manure looks more promising than ever,” said Trevor Lennox, a forage industry development specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture.
The production of fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer, is energy intensive, resulting in substantial costs for farmers planning for next year’s forage crop.
“It is plausible to expect large increases in the price of nitrogen for the 2006 growing season, thus causing producers to reconsider how much nitrogen fertilizer they are planning on applying,” Lennox said.
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As distressing as this may sound, it could contribute to a change of attitude. Manure, often viewed as an unwanted byproduct, likely will be considered more of a resource waiting to be used.
“Given that the cattle industry will continue to grow and develop in Saskatchewan, we need to continue to use manure and view it as a valuable resource,” Lennox said.
“It’s not as easy as it sounds, however. Cattle manure is an organic fertilizer, and not all of the nutrients are immediately available for crop uptake, making it a slow-release fertilizer.”
During a project conducted near Swift Current, Sask., with the Southwest Forage Association, non-composted cattle manure was applied to a forage stand in mid-May of 2001.
“The average nutrient values in a ton of manure were as follows: 24 pounds of organic nitrogen, with approximately one-quarter to one-half of the nitrogen available for crop uptake in the first year; 12 lb. of phosphate, with approximately one-half of the phosphate available for crop uptake in the first year; and 53 lb. of potassium, with approximately 95 percent of it available for crop uptake in the first year.”
Manure also supplied other nutrients, such as sulfur, copper and zinc.
The treatment that gave the most improvement in productivity was a one-time manure application of 60 tons per acre in May of 2001.
“This high rate actually reduced the productivity slightly in the first year of treatment, due to some crop smothering.
“However, in 2002 and 2003, the high rate resulted in a doubling of productivity, when compared to areas where no manure was applied. Basically, this manure treatment acted like a rejuvenation treatment for the forage stand.”
From an environmental standpoint, it is advisable to wait a number of growing seasons after applying another high rate of manure in order to prevent phosphorus from building up in the soil.
