A Top Ten List: Preparing for Fall Manure Application

Prior to land application, review your manure, nutrient, or comprehensive nutrient management plan, make any necessary updates such as adding new fields. Review the plan, application methods and separation distances with employees and/or commercial manure applicators. Also consider evaluating fields for application. Because winter application of manure is prohibited for confinement feeding operations with liquid manure, plan ahead in the event you may have to apply manure under emergency situations in the winter. Save fields with the flattest slopes and P-Index ratings of 2 or less for emergency application

Commercial Manure Applicator Training Scheduled for Jan. 6, 2011

Commercial manure applicators can attend three hours of training on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011, to meet annual commercial manure applicator certification requirements. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will conduct Commercial Manure Applicator training from 9 a.m. to noon at 75 locations in Iowa, and four locations in surrounding states. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop but applicators must register by Dec. 30 with the ISU Extension county office where they plan to attend. A complete list of county extension offices offering this workshop can be found at www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/certification/11macprogrampostcard.pd

Confinement Site Manure Applicator Workshops Scheduled for 2011

Confinement site manure applicators and anyone interested in learning about manure issues should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension in January or February 2011. These workshops are offered in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). There is no fee to attend the workshops, but applicators will need to pay certification fees to complete certification requirements

Manure Stewardship: Late Winter Manure Application and Risk

There are many definitions of stewardship, but a basic definition is “the responsibility to care for resources.” When applying the term stewardship to manure management we could define it as the “responsibility to collect, transport and apply manure to meet crop nutrient needs while minimizing impacts on resources.

Winter Application of Manure: Regulations and Common Sense

In 2009, the Iowa Legislature passed a bill pertaining to winter application of manure on snow-covered and frozen ground. The rules enforcing that legislation were completed earlier this year and went into effect on Sept. 15, 2010. This law applies to liquid manure from confinement feeding operations that have more than 500 animal units in confinement. This law does not apply to: manure from open feedlots dry manure (frozen manure is not dry manure) liquid manure from small animal feeding operations (confinements with 500 animal units or less) liquid manure that can be appropriately injected or incorporated on the same date of application

Certification for confinement site manure applicators

Confinement site manure applicators must become certified by October 1, 1999, under a new law passed by the Iowa Legislature. As a result, Iowa State University Extension is offering certification workshops in most counties. By attending a workshop and paying a certification fee to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), manure applicators will become certified. The other option instead of attending a workshop is to pass a written exam. During the 2-hour workshop, which must be attended for the full length of time, applicators will learn what they need to know to become certified by the DNR

Manure management policy

Manure management policy and regulations are issues of concern to many Iowa crop and livestock producers. These policies and regulations have been changing so quickly that often we barely have time to comprehend the effects of one set of policies before a new draft has replaced the old policies. Currently, there are regulations in Iowa that are being discussed at both the state and federal levels

RUSLE2 and P Index Workshops for Manure and Nutrient Plan Writers Offered by ISU Extension

Livestock producers and service providers can receive training on how to use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2 (RUSLE2) and the Iowa Phosphorus Index for use in nutrient management and manure management plans at workshops being offered by Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG), in collaboration with the Iowa USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service