Technical Abstract: A better understanding is needed of how conservation practices affect the concentration of soil N resulting from winter application of manure. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of manure applications on the mineralization and concentration of N during the winter. The experiment was established in fields that were previously under conventional and conservation tillage with and without manure application. Dairy composted manure was applied annually in the fall prior to planting of a winter cover crop. The quantification of N released from composted manure and the amount of N uptake by plant tissues of the cover crop during winter months was determined. The concentration of N was higher in the conventional tillage plots at the beginning of the study and quickly diminished throughout the growing season. The conservation tillage plots with manure retained the most N compared to the other treatments. This treatment also had the highest plant biomass compared to the other treatments, indicating much more was retained in the plant tissues. These results show use conservation tillage in conjunction with cover crops when applying manure in winter months could potentially minimize the amount of N lost.