Fertilizer

[Bearhtr67]

While we have been planting food plots on our farm for over 30 years now and learning new techniques along the way, the one thing that we haven't experimented with is different fertilizers. Standard synthetic ag fertilizer and pulverized ag lime for 30+ years now. What other options (manure, milorganite, etc) (pellet lime, liquid lime, liquid bio calcium, etc) have you guys tried and either had good success with or not. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BuckSutherland]

There is NOTHING that compares to manure. NOTHING. The next closet benefit to the soil in my part of the word would be drain tile.

 

[Freeborn]

There is NOTHING that compares to manure. NOTHING. The next closet benefit to the soil in my part of the word would be drain tile.

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How do you measure/manage the nitrogen level in manure? If you need 100Lbs of nitrogen how do you figure the input of manure? Can you burn seed?

Have you seen/used pelletized manure, like pelletized chicken litter? I don't have a way to handle or a source of regular manure but have thought if I could buy pelletized manure I would consider it.

Thanks.

 

[BuckSutherland]

How do you measure/manage the nitrogen level in manure? If you need 100Lbs of nitrogen how do you figure the input of manure? Can you burn seed?

Have you seen/used pelletized manure, like pelletized chicken litter? I don't have a way to handle or a source of regular manure but have thought if I could buy pelletized manure I would consider it.

Thanks.

I currently use some bedded pack cattle manure on a few acres. I also run another farm that used to get quite a bit of pig and cattle manure, but the livestock have been gone for about 12 years. Soil test are still really high in P and K. I really dont have enough acres covered with manure each year to worry about how much N I am getting from it. You can get manure sampled to check the N content though. I have been trying to get some chicken shit for a couple years, but we have quite a few organic guys around that they give preference to. Its usually all gone by the time they could get to a small grower like me. They just recently built 7 HUGE barns a few miles from where I farm so it might get a little easier to get some.

If I can get my hands on it either this fall or next spring I would send a sample of the manure off and figure my N needs off that. My neighbor is raising organic corn and soybeans and has been using pelletized poo, but the drawback is the cost. Its working good for him. You can burn seed/roots with manure. I think its most likely to happen with hog manure from a finisher barn with few water leaks, followed by a high rate of chicken shit. Burning is most likely to happen on coarse textured soils (sand/ gravel types). Pretty tough to burn the seed in our heavy, fine-textured soil with cattle manure. My goal for my corn ground next year is to get 5 tons of chicken litter per acre. It smells awful.

 

[Bearhtr67]

I've wanted to try manure for years but just didn't know how to get started. First trying to find a source for the manure then the expense of a manure spreader and a tractor with a loader both of which I don't have. Maybe a new tractor with a loader in our future!

 

[yoderjac]

While we have been planting food plots on our farm for over 30 years now and learning new techniques along the way, the one thing that we haven't experimented with is different fertilizers. Standard synthetic ag fertilizer and pulverized ag lime for 30+ years now. What other options (manure, milorganite, etc) (pellet lime, liquid lime, liquid bio calcium, etc) have you guys tried and either had good success with or not. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

None, for a number of years now. Seems to be working very well. http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/wildlife-openings.12184/

Soil health is the key. It has taken a number of years, but min-till and no-till techniques along with a smart mix of crops are restoring the soil microbiology and nutrient cycling.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[SwampCat]

I also dont use any fertilizer on my clover/wheat deer plots. I wish my duck and dove plots were as easy as deer plots - but I havent figured out a way to do without fertilizer on them and provide the same attraction.

 

[Freeborn]

I currently use some bedded pack cattle manure on a few acres. I also run another farm that used to get quite a bit of pig and cattle manure, but the livestock have been gone for about 12 years. Soil test are still really high in P and K. I really dont have enough acres covered with manure each year to worry about how much N I am getting from it. You can get manure sampled to check the N content though. I have been trying to get some chicken shit for a couple years, but we have quite a few organic guys around that they give preference to. Its usually all gone by the time they could get to a small grower like me. They just recently built 7 HUGE barns a few miles from where I farm so it might get a little easier to get some.

If I can get my hands on it either this fall or next spring I would send a sample of the manure off and figure my N needs off that. My neighbor is raising organic corn and soybeans and has been using pelletized poo, but the drawback is the cost. Its working good for him. You can burn seed/roots with manure. I think its most likely to happen with hog manure from a finisher barn with few water leaks, followed by a high rate of chicken shit. Burning is most likely to happen on coarse textured soils (sand/ gravel types). Pretty tough to burn the seed in our heavy, fine-textured soil with cattle manure. My goal for my corn ground next year is to get 5 tons of chicken litter per acre. It smells awful.

Do you have a source of pelletized manure? I'm doing a much smaller area then you and even though it might be a high cost per acre I might try it.

 

[Northbound]

Horse manure I use frequently. Granted I have 16' dump trailers parked at my house most weekends. Don't think id bother if I didn't have a easy way to haul it.
Most of it is also treated with lime which can be a benefit if you need that. I always throw a few shovels around new trees mounding up the tube a few inches. Keeps the critters out. Fair warning your bringing alot of 'weed' seeds with the manure, however if you're growing for deer and not impressive pictures it's generally not a issue since the deer eat whatever it was that the horse ate

 

[Bearhtr67]

I also dont use any fertilizer on my clover/wheat deer plots. I wish my duck and dove plots were as easy as deer plots - but I havent figured out a way to do without fertilizer on them and provide the same attraction.

We don't fertilize most of our fall plots but I do with all of my spring plantings. Even with TNM on some of our fields for the past 8-9 years, we have such dense clay with almost no top soil on most of our fields. With our spring plantings there is a big difference between fertilized and non-fertilized.

 

[jsasker007]

Food plots don't have to get fertilized---cash crops do for maximum production. Replacing what you take from the soil makes a difference.

 

[Telemark]

I use pelletized manure-based fertilizer in my garden. Mostly chicken manure and bone meal. It works great, but it's expensive.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Do you have a source of pelletized manure? I'm doing a much smaller area then you and even though it might be a high cost per acre I might try it.

https://www.cropfertilityservices.com/chicken-manure-pellets-minnesota/

 

[BuckSutherland]

I've wanted to try manure for years but just didn't know how to get started. First trying to find a source for the manure then the expense of a manure spreader and a tractor with a loader both of which I don't have. Maybe a new tractor with a loader in our future!

I would drive around your land and find the closest guy with some beef cows. Stop in and ask what it would cost to haul and spread a few loads on your plots assuming he can get around on your land. Still plenty of small cattle guys out there that would probably gladly work with you.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

I grew sugar beets again this past year as big as a Junior high foot ball (if your familiar) zero fertilizer, Just smart crop rotation. If I had more time and an easier way to spread it I would use manure in a heartbeat.

If I had a cone spreader I'd get a couple dump trailer loads and haul over to the farm. I would dump it on a pile and compost it all summer long turning it a couple of times (killing most of the weed seeds and making it a light consistency that I could spread) Actually a buddy of mine just got a spreader. Might have to thing about getting a load or two.

 

[roymunson]

The big dairy farm where we hunt some has put corn in every year for the last 12-15 that I've been hunting it, on 1 field, But as soon as they cut the corn, they plaster it with manure so heavy that we can't hunt the field anymore.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

The big dairy farm where we hunt some has put corn in every year for the last 12-15 that I've been hunting it, on 1 field, But as soon as they cut the corn, they plaster it with manure so heavy that we can't hunt the field anymore.

If it's a dairy farm they have a huge need for alfalfa. Seems strange that a dairy farm would do corn on corn for more than 2 years.

 

[roymunson]

If it's a dairy farm they have a huge need for alfalfa. Seems strange that a dairy farm would do corn on corn for more than 2 years.

Its a 1300 acre farm and they do silage. We have to help throw tires to cover the silage.

They have some alfalfa, but they don't rotate much on that 40-50 acre field. Not sure why, but they dont

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Its a 1300 acre farm and they do silage. We have to help throw tires to cover the silage.

They have some alfalfa, but they don't rotate much on that 40-50 acre field. Not sure why, but they dont

Round here once the alfalfa reaches about 16" tall in the spring it is chopped. After that it is chopped every 28 days. Corn is generally chopped sometime between the first and second week of September. Lots of big dairy farms in my area. The bigger farms generally dont leave the same field in alfalfa more than two years.

 

[SD51555]

While we have been planting food plots on our farm for over 30 years now and learning new techniques along the way, the one thing that we haven't experimented with is different fertilizers. Standard synthetic ag fertilizer and pulverized ag lime for 30+ years now. What other options (manure, milorganite, etc) (pellet lime, liquid lime, liquid bio calcium, etc) have you guys tried and either had good success with or not. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

What are you growing?