Surface Spreading on Frozen and Snow Covered Fields

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Surface Spreadingon Frozen and Snow Covered
Fields

• Minimize, Prioritize, Strategize

Dann Bolinger, Dr. Tim Harrigan, Dr. Lee Jacobs,
Natalie Rector, MSU Extension Vicki Anderson,
USDA NRCS Cmanure teaching/Nov 2003/surface
spread
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Goals

• Manage manure storage to maintain freeboard
• May need to spread on frozen and snow covered
  fields to maintain freeboard
• Obtain greatest economic value from manure
• Recycling manure nutrients for crop
• Add micro nutrients to crops
• Improve soil quality
• Be environmentally responsible
• Protect waters of the state
• Sustain livestock operations

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Surface spreading in general

• Winter spreading is prevalent on many dairy
  farms, for at least a portion, if not all, of the
  manure.
• Many of the same concerns for spreading on frozen
  and snow cover soils are the same for any time
  manure is surface applied
• Winter spreading adds the concern of frozen
  soils, no immediate infiltration, snow melt,
  thawing of soils and eventual rain.

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Michigan, Part 31-Water Resources Protection of
Public Act 451 of the Natural Resources and
Environmental Protection Act states

• A person shall not directly or indirectly
  discharge into waters of the state a substance
  that is or may become injurious to any of the
  following a) to the public health, b) to
  domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural,
  recreational or other uses that are being made or
  may be made of such waters, c) to the value or
  utility of riparian lands, d) to livestock, wild
  animals, birds, fish, aquatic life, or plants or
  to the growth propagation, or the growth or
  propagation thereof be prevented or injuriously
  affected or whereby the value of fish and game
  is or may be destroyed or impaired.

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In Short. . .

• Keep manure, and all other nutrients and
  pathogens out of surface waters, ditches, streams
  and wetlands.
• Includes runoff from land applied manure, open
  lots, bunker silos, compost piles and spoiled
  feed.

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Why?

• Its the law
• It makes sense
• Nitrogen
• primarily groundwater, but surface water problem
  too
• Phosphorus
• algae bloom
• Organic Matter from manure or other
• Increases BOD results in fish kills

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Winter or not. . . .

• If any size producer has a direct discharge to
  surface waters, they will come under DEQ
  enforcement
• Will develop a Comprehensive Nutrient Management
  Plan
• Expensive but beneficial
• Potential for fines and penalties
• If over 1000 animal units will fall under the
  Permit
• Peer Pressure to do the right thing for all of
  Michigan livestock producers
• Winter spreading could be regulated in the state

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Right to Farm

• Manures should not be applied to soils within
  150 ft. of surface waters or areas subject to
  flooding unless
• a) manures are injected or surface-applied with
  immediate incorporation (48 hrs)
• b) conservation practices are used to protect
  against runoff and erosion losses to surface
  waters

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Right to Farm

• As land slopes increase from zero percent, the
  risk of runoff and erosion also increases,
  particularly for liquid manure. Adequate soil
  and water conservation practices should be used
  which will control runoff and erosion for a
  particular site, taking into consideration such
  factors as type of manure, bedding material used,
  surface residue or vegetative conditions, soil
  type, slope, etc.

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Right to farm, specific to winter

• Application of manure to frozen or snow-covered
  soils should be avoided, but where necessary,
• A) solid manures should only be applied to areas
  where slopes are 6 or less
• B) liquid manures should only be applied to soils
  where slopes are 3 or less.
• In either situation, provisions must be made to
  control runoff and erosion with soil and water
  conservation practices such as vegetative buffer
  strips between surface waters and soils where
  manure is applied.

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Factors that influence runoff

• No single factor causes manure to reach surface
  waters it is generally a combination of
  circumstances related to application rate and
  timing, soil conditions, crop residue, moisture
  content of manure and weather.
• Likewise, no set of circumstances guarantee
  manure wont reach surface waters.
• Weather changes day to day and so does risk

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Factors can control
Cannot control

• Rate
• Timing
• Field selection
• Proximity to water
• Inject/incorporate

• Weather
• Topography
• Can prioritize fields
• Can split fields

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Who knows the fields and risks the best?

• Who is ultimately responsible?

YOU!
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Winter time manure can be done responsibility
with careful planning and attention to detail,
prior to making applications.
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Assessing Risks

• How close, if at all, are surface waters?
• Normal pathways that surface runoff follows when
  heavy rains or spring melt occurs.
• Slope of field
• Erosive areas already carrying solids offsite
• Soil type, tillage, rotation

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Gradual slope
Options Select another field Set backs during
spreading Permanent buffer Rates, types of
manure Tillage, surface roughness Plant rows on
the contour Incorporate when possible
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Steep slope and water close
gt6 slope, no spreading on frozen or snow
covered gt3 no liquid manures Divide field and
spread on flat areas Find a lower risk
field Conservation practices may help but not a
guarantee Inject/incorporate whenever soil
permits.
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Concern Nutrient movement with eroded soil
during summer could also happen in winter.
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Steep slopes, low crop residues
concentrated water flow
Whats across the fence?
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Assess fields in the spring and fall to indicate
risks for winter
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Areas that are prone to wash are generally not a
surprise to producer
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Clean tilled next to ditch increases chance of
concentrated flow into ditch.If this happens in
the summer, what about winter?
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Surface drainage is often necessary, but remember
it was designed to move flow to a surface water
area.
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Even flat fields have flow to them during
spring thaw
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Surface drainage is designed to carry water to
the inlet and carry it to an outlet. What will
happen to manure during a thaw?
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Assessing Risks

• Use maps to locate water
• Use your knowledge
• Drive the perimeter of all fields, investigate
  areas of trees, grasses, untilled areas
• Assess proximity to water
• Distance
• Whats in between?

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Standing water
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Right to Farm Guidelines

• Liquid manures should be applied in a manner
  that will NOT result in ponding or runoff to
  adjacent property, drainage ditches, or surface
  water.

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Soil conditions

• Soil type
• Loosen soil to increase permeability
• Increase surface roughness
• Decrease application rate
• Maintain appropriate set-backs
• Inject/incorporate whenever possible during
  winter

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Conservation Practices

• Manage for residue
• Plant cover crops
• Install permanent buffer strips and grass
  waterways
• Never spread manure directly over a grass water
  way
• Strip crop and contour plant

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Weather

• Past, current and tomorrow, next spring
• Make actions based on assuming the worst
  conditions will occur, with prevention in mind

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Human options

• Assess and plan ahead
• Prioritize fields from least to most vulnerable
  and utilize the plan
• Application rates
• Increase storage capacity
• Keep records
• Evaluate your actions
• Have a plan in place,make daily decisions
• Know how many acres are needed for winter
  spreading and PLAN them ahead of time

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Determine how many acres need for 6 months if
apply at 2 years of P2O5 per application

• Assume 100 cow dairy generates approximately
  18,000 pounds of as excreted, P2O5 per year
• Spreading at two years of crop removal for corn
  silage and hay is approximately 60 lbs. per acre
  P2O5, or 120 lbs. for two years
• 18,000 120 150 acres,
• half in winter 75 acres.
• (worst case, realistically 4-5 months)

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Assumes a soil test and cropping plan where the
goal is to apply manure at a rate that supplies
two years of P2O5 crop removal
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• The previous are just some rough assumptions
  Utilize your livestock numbers and soil tests to
  determine the acres needed for spreading on
  frozen and snow covered fields on your farm

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Tools to help

• Your knowledge
• Maps FSA, soil survey
• Work with NRCS, SCD, 5 MAEAP technicians or
  professional consultants to run a Manure
  Application Risk Index (MARI)
• MAEAP technicians in Ottawa, Clinton, Cass,
  Huron and Kalamazoo Counties SCD offices

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• Plans are only good if they are followed
• Communicate to family and farm employees who are
  doing spreading
• Keep records
• Evaluate your actions
• Have emergency plans in place and known by
  everyone

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Minimize

• Longer storage know acres needed for winter
• Decrease potentially clean water that goes to
  storage so storage fills up slower, less to haul

Prioritize

• Know your fields and how many acres needed
• Assess fields and rank them for risks, selecting
  least risk areas adjust daily

Strategize

• Plan for all conditions between application and
  spring
• Setbacks, buffers, cover crops, rates, inject
• Keep records and evaluate your actions

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With so many choices, Scruffy only wishes he
drank all the water in his bowl.
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