Last week on Facebook I asked readers what they wanted to learn about, when it came to the farm. One of the readers asked a very time appropriate question. She asked:
Local dairy farmers are working around the clock here to spread manure. Why the rush? Wouldn’t it be easier while the sun’s shining?
What a great question! There are a lot of factors that play into spreading manure and fertilizing fields. First, what we are planting. Some crops need more fertilizer than other. In my part of Michigan we plant wheat. Specifically, we plant what is called winter wheat. This wheat we plant in the fall, allow it to grow enough to get a decent sized plant going, and then when it gets cold this winter it goes dormant. When spring comes it then begins growing again and in July we harvest it. We were working the last couple of days on hauling manure onto the fields we are going to plant wheat. We want to fertilize the soil first to make an ideal environment for that plant to grow. It’s imperative the wheat grows enough so it won’t get killed by the snow and cold we will have this winter.
Another reason why farmers rush to get manure spread is because of the weather. We do not want it to rain in the middle of that job. We want to make sure we can get the field work and incorporate the manure before it rains or snows. Ultimately, this time of the year weather plays a huge part in everything we do. Time starts to become a huge factor and we are trying to beat old man winter.
