Poultry Litter as Fertilizer Brian C Pugh Area Agronomy Specialist Poultry Litter Manure feces Urine and bedding material sawdust wood shavings rice hulls etc Excellent low cost fertilizer ID: 761861
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Poultry Litter as Fertilizer? Brian C. PughArea Agronomy Specialist
Poultry Litter • Manure (feces + Urine) and bedding material- sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls, etc. • Excellent low cost fertilizer• Returns soil nutrients and organic matter• Builds soil fertility and quality• Slowly releases nutrients• Liming effect
Types of poultry litter • Breeder: High moisture - med. - low nutrient • Layer: High moisture – med. - low nutrient• Pullet: Low moisture – med. - low nutrient• Turkey: Low moisture – high nutrient• Broiler: Low moisture – high nutrient
Regulations
Oklahoma Land Application Regulations • Must have a current soil and litter test • Must be spread by a licensed litter applicator • Must follow NRCS Waste Utilization Standards • Poultry producers must also follow AWMP• Contact OK Dept. of Ag. Food and Forestry for more info. (405) 522-4659
Soil and Litter Testing (as required by state law) Must obtain recent soil and litter tests: - Once every year in Nutrient Limited Watersheds OR Nutrient Vulnerable Groundwater - Once every 3 years otherwise
I9 Chapter 3: Understanding the Nutrient Management Plan NRCS Waste Utilization Standards
I9 Chapter 3: Understanding the Nutrient Management Plan Full rate: 200 lbs P 2 O 5 / acreOutside Nutrient Limited WatershedInsideNutrient Limited Watershed NRCS Waste Utilization Standards
Full Rate – Not to exceed the Nitrogen requirement of the crop and the following P 2 O 5 rates: 1. 200 lbs P2O5 per acre when surface applied.2. 300 lbs P 2 O 5 per acre when application is by sprinkler irrigation and managed to prevent runoff from field. 3. 400 lbs P 2 O 5 per acre if injected below the soil surface or surface applied and incorporated within 7 days. Half Rate – Not to exceed the Nitrogen requirement of the crop and the following P 2 O 5 rates: 1. 100 lbs P 2 O 5 per acre when surface applied. 2. 150 lbs P 2 O 5 per acre when application is by sprinkler irrigation and managed to prevent runoff from field. 3. 200 lbs P 2 O 5 per acre if injected below the soil surface or surface applied and incorporated within 7 days. Split Application – Not to exceed the Nitrogen requirement of the crop
Poultry Litter vs. Commercial Fertilizer
Poultry Litter Nutrients (“not all nutrients created equal”) • Not equal to commercial fertilizer nutrients • Not all nutrients available to crop in 1st yr. Poultry litter N availability Year after application Surface application Soil Incorporation 1 st year 50% 60% 2 nd year 15% 15% 3 rd year 6% 6%
Litter to CF Yield Ratio (PL/CF) Year 60-60-45 120-120-90 180-180-135 240-240-180 AVG 2007 0.85 0.88 1.09 1.02 0.96 2008 0.70 0.72 0.72 0.82 0.74 2009 0.77 0.63 0.71 0.81 0.73 0.77 0.74 0.84 0.88
2012 Carryover †Application timing; 1 yr = annual, 2 yr = every two years, 3 yr = every third year, OTA = One time application.‡Nutrient rates are indicated as lbs nutrient applied/Acre in terms of N-P-K, with PL = poultry litter and CF = commercial fertilizer.1.05 PL:CF
Low rate High rate Low rate High rate pH Sufficiency Range for Bermuda – 5.7 Ideal pH – 6.8
Application Rate • Based on nutrient requirement of crop • Excess P may cause water contamination • Requires soil & litter tests and yield goal estimate • Supplement with commercial fertilizer if needed
I9 Chapter 3: Understanding the Nutrient Management Plan We typically discuss litter nutrient content in lbs /ton instead of percentage (%). Dry Basis or As Received? Litter is normally spread at the moisture tested, so the “As Received” value is used. Producers may ask, does wetter litter effect costs or quality? Only if they are buying actual scale weight of litter vs buying a load volume. Litter Analysis
What app. Rate will the P Index allow? 0-250 = Full Rate (200 lbs P2O5) 251-400 = Half Rate (100 lbs P2O5) Over 400 = No ApplicationAs Received P2O5 from the litter analysis showed 67.8 lbs/ton200 lbs (Full rate)/67.8 lbs per ton2.95 tons Max Legal Rate!This is if producers surface apply following NRCS standards I9 Chapter 3: Understanding the Nutrient Management Plan Soil P Analysis
Now determine application rate to meet N needs from yield goal. As Received N from the litter analysis showed 66.3 lbs /ton 133 lbs N required/ 66.3 lbs per ton2.0 tons for Optimum yieldThis assumes 100% N available! Let’s estimate 70% N in 1st year2 tons/ 0.7 = 2.86 tons/AcreDoes our N based recommendation exceed the Max Legal Rate? Soil N - Yield *Do not exceed 2.95 tons/Acre, the maximum legal rate. Apply 2-2.75 tons/A for optimum yield.
Value
What is the Value of Litter? Littermarket.okstate.edu Select “Litter Calculator” from the tabs at top
What is the Value of Litter?
What is the Value of Litter? Littermarket.okstate.eduOn the bottom of the homepage is updated commercial fertilizer prices for NE OK.
What is the Value of Litter? 340 400 340 60 60 50$15.52$17.41$14.17$47.10 Nutrient only has value if deficient in the soil!
Using Poultry Litter Poultry litter is a good alternative to commercial fertilizer if available.A producer must consider:Value of nutrients needed for his operationCost of transportation and spreading vs. value of nutrients Meeting state regulations
Questions?