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King City, Mo | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363236/manure
"A ton of manure from cattle, hogs, or horses usually contains only 10 pounds of nitrogen, 5 pounds of phosphorus pentoxide, and 10 pounds of potash. But manure is rich in organic matter, or humus, and thus improves the soil’s capacity to absorb and store water, thus preventing erosion. Much of the potassium and nitrogen in manure can be lost through leaching if the material is exposed to rainfall before being applied to the field. These nutrient losses may be prevented by such methods as stacking manure under cover or in pits to prevent leaching, spreading it on fields as soon as it is feasible, and spreading preservative materials in the stable. A green manure is a cover crop of some kind, such as rye, that is plowed under while still green to add fertility and conditioning to the soil."
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/276408/humus
humus, nonliving, finely divided organic matter in soil, derived from microbial decomposition of plant and animal substances. Humus, which ranges in colour from brown to black, consists of about 60 percent carbon, 6 percent nitrogen, and smaller amounts of phosphorus and sulfur. As humus decomposes, its components are changed into forms usable by plants.
What they left out of the article is that manure has macro, micro and secondary nutrients in it not just n-p-k which is the standard application practice on a lot of farms. Stuff like zn, b, mn, ca, s are all very important too.
If you watch cows graze a cover crop mix they sniff and sort out what they need to balance their belly. I love to eat a good ribeye and Pepsi but I can't live only eating ribeye and Pepsi.
Edited by lawfarms 4/28/2014 22:34
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100 lb nitrogen minimum
