Iowa Extension to Host Buying and Selling Manure Workshops

Fertilizer prices have nearly doubled in the past two years, causing more Iowa farmers to consider the value of manure for maintaining high-yielding crops.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host two educational workshops for farmers and landowners who are considering buying or selling manure. These workshops are designed to provide timely topics for farmers looking to find agreeable ways of working together to utilize manure as a nutrient resource.

The first will be held on Feb. 27 at the ISU Extension and Outreach Grundy County office, located at 703 F Ave., Suite 1, in Grundy Center. The second workshop will be held at the ISU Extension and Outreach Mitchell County office, located at 315 Main St. in Osage. The workshops will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on their respective dates. There is no cost to attend; however, pre-registration is required.

“Fertilizer costs tend to follow the energy market due to transportation and the high need for energy in manufacturing and refining of fertilizer,” said Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer with ISU Extension and Outreach, who will lead the workshops. “Livestock manure is almost a perfect match for corn and soybean soil nutrient needs. But manures are also heavy and contain a lot of water, so transportation is an issue again, just like with fertilizer.”

The workshops will be co-hosted with Kelvin Leibold, farm management field specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, and Russ Euken and Mark Storlie, swine specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Attendees will be provided with:

• A spreadsheet on how to convert fertilizer prices to manure test equivalent so that buyers and sellers have a good starting point on what the value is now, and where it might be in the future.
• Information on what to test for when selling manure and typical agreements that are required if the manure comes from a site that requires a manure management plan.
• Information on soil compaction and application timing to protect the soil and maintain optimal yields.
• Information on the effect of diets on manure nutrient concentrations.

To register for the Feb. 27 event, call the ISU Extension and Outreach Grundy County office at 319-824-6979, or email at sellbakk@iastate.edu. To register for the Feb. 28 event, contact ISU Extension and Outreach Mitchell County office at 641-732-5574 or at daolson@iastate.edu. There is no cost to attend this workshop, but pre-registration is required. Refreshments and reference materials will be provided to all attendees.