By Glen Arnold
Ohio State University Extension has conducted manure research on growing crops for several years in an effort to make better use of the available nutrients. Incorporating manure into growing corn can boost crop yields, reduce nutrient losses, and give livestock producers or commercial manure applicators another window of time to apply manure to farm fields.
Our research started with using manure tankers modified with narrow wheels and in recent years progressed to using drag hoses on emerged corn. We now feel confident that liquid livestock manure can be surface applied or incorporated into corn from the day of planting to the V4 stage of development.
In Darke County, Harrod Farms has used a drag hose to apply swine finishing manure to their corn fields in the 2014-2017 growing seasons with great success. The corn was generally at the V3 stage of growth when the manure was incorporated as a sidedress.
| Harrod Farms Four-Year Manure Incorporation Drag Hose Corn Plots |
Year | Swine Finishing Manure | 28% UAN |
2017 | 165 | 145 |
2016 | 222 | 216 |
2015 | 154 | 121 |
2014 | 204 | 204 |
Average yield: bu/acre | 186.3 | 171.5 |
The manure treatments have averaged 14.8 bushels per acre more than the 28% UAN treatments. The Harrods incorporated approximately 6,500 gallons of swine finishing manure per acre to provide all the sidedress nitrogen needed. The fields received 10 gallons per acre of 28% UAN as row starter. Harrod Farms plants their corn fields at an angle to make the drag hose work best for the commercial manure applicator.
In addition to providing the sidedress nitrogen, the manure application also provided almost precisely the amount of phosphorus and potash needed for both the corn crop and the soybean crop the following season.
Source: osu.edu