Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #174511
Title: PREDICTING THE NUMBER OF SUITABLE DAYS FOR MANURE SPREADING ACROSS WISCONSIN

Author
item MCCRORY, D - UW-MADISON
item SAAM, H - UW-MADISON
item Powell, Joseph
item JACKSON-SMITH, D - UTAH STATE UNIV
item Rotz, Clarence - Al

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2004
Publication Date: 10/31/2004
Citation: McCrory, D.F., Saam, H., Powell, J.M., Jackson-Smith, D.B., Rotz, C.A. 2004. Predicting the number of suitable days for manure spreading across Wisconsin [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. Paper No. 6277.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A recent survey of Wisconsin dairy farms indicated that farmers in the southwest (SW) region of the state spread manure on 44% of cropland, whilst farmers in the northeast (NE) use 23%. This study used the 'suitable days for farm field operations' component of the Integrated Farm System Model to evaluate if regional differences in climate and soil properties may influence the ability of farmers in the SW to utilize more land for manure application. A day was considered suitable when soil moisture conditions supported the tractability of the manure spreading equipment. A typical Wisconsin dairy farm with, 60 (lactating) Holstein dairy cows, 70 acres of cropland comprising, 30 acres of alfalfa, 30 acres of corn and 10 acres of small grains, was constructed and used for simulations. The herd was housed in a stanchion barn and manure was applied to fields using a medium sized (7.9 ton capacity) V spreader. Simulations were made for 17 counties across Wisconsin using appropriate long-term weather and soil survey information. Suitable days for manure spreading are reported at an 80% probability level as a series of digitized maps. Results indicate that on average farms in the SW have approximately 15 more spreading days per year than farms in the NE. In Wisconsin, regional differences in soil rather than climate appear to dictate the number of available days for manure spreading.