Last year the Harrod’s worked with OSU Extension’s Glen Arnold, Manure Nutrient Management Specialist, and me as we did our manure side dress plots using a liquid manure tanker and applicator tool bar to place swine manure in standing corn. We used a replicated plot to compare the corn that was side dressed with swine manure to the corn that was side dressed with commercial fertilizer.
2013 Tanker Side Dress in replicated plots at Harrod’s
2013 replicated plots at Todd Schmitmeyer’s
The Harrod family was happy with the results and set out to design and have a tool bar built that they could pull a drag line and do the treatment large scale.
On Wednesday, the Harrod’s and Tom Heckel (commercial applicator who supplied the pump, dragline and expertise), began the process of side dressing the corn using the new equipment. Glen Arnold and I were there to observe and to offer our thoughts and advice as the system was fine tuned.
Side dress manure application at Harrod’s this week
Tom Harrod explained that he planted the 60 acre field in two sections. He planted one half of the filed perpendicular to the road as he would traditionally do. The other half was planted on a diagonal which would be the typical pattern used by a commercial dragline manure applicator. We were fortunate to dodge the rains and were able to complete the first half of the field on Wednesday.
The diagonally planted part of the field was completed on Thursday morning. I am happy to say that things were going well enough that the Harrod’s were going to move to another location and side dress another filed using the new system.
So why go to all the trouble one might ask? We are working to increase profitability while being good stewards of the resources we have been provided. Both the tanker system used last year and the dragline system goal is to place the manure between the rows of corn and to cover it with closing wheels to reduce the loss of nutrients and odor.
Glen has replicated plots across the western side of the state including additional plots here in Darke County as we work with farmers to place the manure in a more timely fashion at an ideal location. This will meet the need of the growing crop while reducing the chances for loss of the nutrients thru run off or volatization.
For more information about OSU Extension, Darke County, visit the Darke County OSU Extension web site at www.darke.osu.edu, the OSU Extension Darke County Facebook page or contact Sam Custer, at 937.548.5215.