Annual Record Keeping Requirements for Manure Management. Photo courtesy of Natural Resources Conservation Service South Dakota
Category:  Manure Management, Nutrient Management
Practice Type:  Management
Landuse/Agriculture Type:  Row Crop, Fodder, Pasture, Small Grains
Climatic Zones:  Temperate, Semiarid, Tropical
Regions:  North America, South Asia, Europe
Pollutants Treated:  Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sediment
Description: Manure spreader calibration involves determining the agronomic rate of manure and adjusting the spreader to apply manure at this ideal application rate on agricultural fields. Calibrating the spreader to agronomic rates ensures the nutrient needs of the crop are met and negative environmental impacts are minimized.
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Implementation Considerations: To calibrate a spreader, reliable estimates of the land area to which the manure will be applied and the amount to apply are necessary. The spreader must be recalibrated every time there is a change in manure nutrient concentrations, new equipment, or when a different application rate is desired. To maximize this practice, manure testing would be needed to accurately assess nutrient concentrations in the manure.
Scalable to small farms? Yes
Scaling Considerations: Should be able to be done under directions of trained agronomic extension personnel
1 Jokela, Bill. "Manure Spreader Calibration." SERA-17, Minimizing Phosphorus Losses from Agriculture. Web. Jan. 2014. http://www.sera17.ext.vt.edu/Documents/BMP_manure_spreader_calibration.pdf .