Roadside Guide to Clean Water: Manure Storage and Application
Manure Storage and Application
Manure Storage and Application at a Glance
Manure is a normal product of agricultural animal production. Manure is a great resource for farms because it contains valuable nutrients that benefit growing crops. Manure storage structures are carefully designed and engineered to enable farmers to contain manure in an environmentally safe manner until the appropriate time to apply it to their cropland. Every farm that produces manure must follow state guidelines that ensure the nutrients can be used for crop production in a way that also protects the environment.
How Manure Storage and Application Works
Manure comes in both liquid and solid forms. Both should be stored properly to protect the environment because manure nutrients can become water pollutants. Manure storage structures are built with rigorous standards to protect against leaks. There are many different types of manure storages—from earthen structures with liners made of concrete, bentonite, or plastic membranes, to aboveground steel or concrete structures. Storing manure allows it to be used as a crop fertilizer at times when weather conditions are better for keeping the nutrients on the cropland. Regulations state that a plan is to be used for manure application. The plan ensures manure nutrients stay where they were placed and includes items such as the maximum manure application rates for each type of crop and setback maps that highlight areas near streams, lakes, ponds, wells, and sinkholes. Setbacks are places where manure application cannot occur so the risk of polluting water is minimized.
Community Benefits of Manure Storage and Application
- Pollution: Reduces pollution
- Savings: Provides cost savings
You can expect to find manure storage and application in rural settings.
How to Recognize Manure Storage and Application
This beef farm stores manure behind a gate in a concrete barnyard. Manure liquids and any contaminated rain runoff drain to an engineered liquid containment system. Photo by Robert Meinen. Learn more at "Stream Bank Fencing: Green Banks, Clean Streams."
This solid manure spreader is loaded and heading to the field to place the manure nutrients where the crop can utilize them for growth. Photo by Robert Meinen
All applications, like this liquid manure application, must be conducted within the guidance of regulations that allow economic crop production while protecting water. Photo by Robert Meinen
Liquid manure is being transferred to a manure spreader from this aboveground manure storage. Photo by Robert Meinen
Dogs and cats may be smaller than cows, but pet waste can impact our waterways, too. Visit the Proper Pet Waste Disposal webpage to find out more.
Photo by Jennifer Fetter
