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Green Acres Guy

Posted 2/18/2024 18:17 (#10629264)
Subject: good weather, spreading biologicals and feeding soil

Latimer, Iowa (north central)

Its been very nice so spreading manure. Did get hung up with the semi at the cattle lot in a rut and had to push a semi out. Fields are dry and working well. Went with the names/pics of our past dogs on the semis this time to help tell the semis apart. Can just tell the guys take "Lucy" to the field.... Upgraded spreaders to a Tebbe 240 and loving the 850/30.5 tires and the spreader. Case finally got smart and included a pin for smaller stuff with the tractors too.
Pics 1-4

Seems like there are 100 different companies selling 100's of products from traits, biologicals, micro blends, fancy fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides. I have been sucked in too a few times but have always come back to old standby of animal manure and crop rotation. By the time we spend money on everything that is recommended to add bushels, poop looks pretty cheap. My feeling is feeding the soil with a blend of manure really makes for healthy soil and yields. I guess call me a environmentalist**** that thinks livestock are great for the environment. Does it seem crazy that town people don't understand that livestock make for the most diverse environmentally friendly farms? Seems like manure gets a bad rap from many people. My goal is to cover every acre we farm with manure this year, only 500 acres to go... I don't figure all of the N is manure is available the first year but seem to do well having a cycle going.

Are we better to spend money on all of the fancy stuff or just spreading manure?

My fertilizer costs are basically the cost of spreading and hauling the manure. Seems to be a good use of tractors, semis, and labor during the off-season so actual out of pocket is pretty minimal. We sell some chicken litter too which gets my actual cash flow cost to about nothing or even a positive. Spreading 25,000 or so tons of dry and 3 million gallons of liquid ourselves after tractor is done with row crop work.

Typical program ahead of beans, following corn: 3 ton of composted cattle manure. About 18-18-20. No-tilled into green Cereal rye, with radish, turnips (winterkilled) as a cover. 2160 case with no row cleaners and sharp disk openers. Rye is starting to green up under the stalks. Pics 5-6

Ahead of oats, following beans: 2200 gallon liquid hog manure. About a 110 units N with the P,K, and other micros. No-tilled

Ahead of corn following oats: 2200 gallon hog manure and 1 ton of chicken litter, litter is 70-48-40. No-tilled with 2160 with no row cleaners but brand new openers. Sidedress 50 units 32% at knee high. Cover of volunteer oats, peas, radish, turnips, clover. Pics 7-10

Ahead of corn that don't get hog manure get 2 ton composted beef and 3 ton chicken litter and sidedressed the 50 units 32%.
Grazed a field this year of sorghum sudan this year after oats so trying that too.

Edit to add pics from phone from today

Edited by Green Acres Guy 2/18/2024 19:37