Manure Master Decision Support System
This simple screening tool can help assess the relative potential for the
nutrients contained in the animal manure on your farm to meet the crop uptake
and utilization requirements for those crops that receive applications of
manure.
Manure Master is an onfarm manure balance tool.
It allows you to compare the nutrient content in the animal manure produced on
your farm with the quantity of nutrients used and removed from the field on
which you apply manure.
Manure Master calculates a
balance between the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content in the manure
and the quantity of these nutrients used by crops. This balance can be
calculated based upon recommended fertilizer application rates, when known or
upon estimated plant nutrient content, when recommended fertilizer application
rates are not known. For nitrogen, the balance is calculated taking into account
expected losses from leaching, denitrification, and volatilization.
Manure Master produces a report that includes the
balance for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for these fields. The balance
will advise you of whether the quantity of nutrients in your animal manure
exceeds the quantity removed in harvested plants or the quantity of nutrients
recommended.
There are many assumptions in Manure Master that make it too general to use for detailed nutrient management
planning. It is intended to be used as a decision support screening tool to
allow you to make a quick evaluation as to whether the quantity of nutrients
applied to the land on which you spread manure exceeds the quantity of nutrients
used by crops. When the nutrients exceed nutrient utilization, potential
increases for nutrients to leach or runoff from fields and become pollutants of
ground or surface water.
Since Manure Master is
NOT a nutrient management planning tool, do not assume you have
met the total nutrient requirements of your crop management system, even when
the nutrient content in the manure exceeds crop utilization. Regardless of the
balance you calculate with this program, continue to use university extension
soil test and nutrient application recommendations or the expertise of
professional nutrient management specialists to determine application rates of
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
To move to various program screens,
choose the application you desire and click on the appropriate button. The first
step is to input the number of animals and the amount of land and type of crops
intended for spreading manure. The program needs to know the
type and number of animals, the
acres of each crop where manure is to be spread, the crop
yield, and the method of manure application.
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