4 Responsible Pasture Manure Distribution Practices
What do responsible pasture manure distribution practices look like?
1. Spending enough time in the pasture to notice where the concentration of manure is within your grazing area.
According to the University of Missouri Forage Systems Research Center, if the pasture areas are too large or the cattle are being left in them for an extended time, your manure concentration will be near the shade and water areas. This is not necessarily harmful, but your pastures miss out on the free nutrients packed into the manure if it is not concentrated within the grazing area.
2. Not needing many additional fertilizers for your pastures.
Less fertilizer purchases, means less expenses. Typically the less expenses you have the more opportunity for profit the ranch has. With the help of pasture rotation, your manure should be evenly distributed across the grazing area and giving nutrients lost through grazing back to the pasture. Manure is composed of recyclable nutrients for the pasture from the pasture. When livestock consume grass and greens from the pasture, 60-90% of the nutrients remain in their manure due to the high level of nutrients that pass through their digestive tract.
3. Uniform pasture landscape for rotational grazing program
Bradshaw Cattle Co. has access to ponds on each pasture as well as a similar acreage between pastures. What this helps with is the uniformity of the manure distribution through our pastures. It is easier to manage your pasture nutrients and growth when you have a similar structure between your paddocks. It also helps us to know on a estimated time schedule when our next rotation should be. Remember it is key to stay flexible on this schedule because the goal is to maintain optimum grass growth rate, not be overgrazed to "stay on schedule".
4. Allowing pastures to rest after spreading manure before returning a herd for grazing.
Spreading or raking manure is a great practice to ensure an even distribution of manure especially if pastures are not uniformed in landscape. The manure is not necessarily harmful for the cattle in any chemical manor unless parasites exist (sick cattle or lack of vaccination program), however, it does make it less palatable for the livestock if grazing is expected directly following raking. The reason why this could have a negative effect on production is simply weight loss or decrease in weight gain per day with risk of lower profit gains at the end of each year. Resting a pasture also allows your forage to regrow when using a rotational pasture program.
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