The Rural Voice, 1987-05, Page 54ADVICE
MANURE IS RATED A
VALUABLE PRODUCT
The manure from one dairy cow for
a year will replace about $50 worth of
fertilizer, says Eric Beauchamp of the
Ontario Agricultural College.
Dr. Beauchamp, after measuring
the amount of manure produced and its
nutrient content, converted the value to
dollars. Some of the nutrients in
manure are not immediately available,
he noted. The nitrogen in manure,
which combines with organic sub-
stances and is released as they decay,
will be available depending on the
time of year and application method.
In practice. between 25 and 60 per
cent of the nitrogen is released quite
quickly, the remainder persisting for
quite a long while in the soil. Phos-
phorus also combines with organic
matter, leaving slightly less than half
of the total phosphorus quickly avail-
able to crops. Most of the potassium
in manure is accessible.
Taking into consideration the avail-
ability of N, P, and K in manure, Dr.
Beauchamp arrived at a total value of
$42 to $55 per cow per year: one
dairy cow would produce 77 kg of
actual N, valued at $38.50 (1987
prices), but as only 25 to 60 per cent
of the nitrogen would be available, the
value of available N would be $10 to
$23.
The amount of phosphorus pro-
duced would be 36 kg, valued at
$25.20, but as only 40 per cent of the
P would be available, the value of
available P would be $10.
And 81 kg of K worth $24.30
would be produced. As 90 per cent of
the potassium would be available, the
value of available K would be $22.
Some of the nutrients in the
manure that are not available this year
will become available over the next
few years, Dr. Beauchamp adds, and
the study results also don't include the
value of micronutrients and organic
matter in the manure.
Even without considering organic
matter and micronutrients, the value of
the N, P, and K in manure makes it
worth storing and applying correctly.0
Judy Hone
Farm Management Specialist
Wellington OMAF
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MAY 1987 53