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Western Ohio manure field day July 31

July 25, 2013 – Livestock producers and others interested in learning more about manure application technology are encouraged to attend the Western Ohio Manure Application Technology Field Day being held on July 31st (rain date August 1st) at the corner of Stelzer and Olding Roads in Mercer County.

The field day is being organized by the Mercer County Extension office, the Grand Lake St Mary/Walbash River Watershed Alliance, and the Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation office. Participants will have an opportunity to see cutting-edge manure application equipment being demonstrated.

The newest manure application tool being demonstrated will be the Nutrient Boom. This tool has been developed for the application of dairy manure to standing corn. The toolbar is pulled across the field by a Cadman hose while manure is being pumped through the system. Manure can be applied multiple times during the growing season to increase silage or grain yields while making excellent use of the dairy manure nutrients. The tool could also be used to apply manure to wheat in the spring or to forages during the summer with minimal crop damage.

Several farmers in Ohio have started side-dressing corn with livestock manure using a manure tanker and incorporation toolbar. Manure tankers can be adapted for corn rows by utilizing narrow wheels and wheel spacers. At this field day corn will be side-dressed using a tanker and Dietrich toolbar.

The field day will also discuss cover crops as a second forage. Presenters will discuss cover crops that livestock producers can utilize that make great use of the nutrients in livestock manure and can be also harvested later in the season. While cover crops are great for soil erosion control, they can also be a good source of additional livestock feed.

The field day has been approved for Certified Crop Advisor Credits (one in nutrient management and two in soil & water) and three Certified Livestock Manager credits.

There is no cost to attend the Western Ohio Manure Application Technology Field Day and preregistration is not necessary. Participants are asked to sign-in upon arrival to the site. Feel free to bring a lawn chair.

For more information contact the Mercer County OSU Extension office at 419-586-2179 or the Mercer County SWCD office at 419-586-3289. A flyer can be found at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ocamm/images/ManureAppFildDay_flyer_2013.pdf.