Swine Extension

By Diane DeWitte, UMN Extension swine educator Written for submission to The LAND - as March 2, 2026 Swine & U column Last week, for a minute, it seemed like spring was here; then it rained, and the next morning we were shoveling a path to the barn. Never fear! March is around the corner, and with it an opportunity to get manure hauled out of the barns. Maybe your manure plan involves fall application, but as the soils thaw and the tiles begin to run, it’s a good idea to review a few environmental protection habits which will help keep nutrients where they belong. University of Minnesota Extension provides good resources for nutrient application calculation and groundwater and shoreland protection at its manure management website . Extension manure management specialist, Melissa Wilson, and manure management crops educator Chryseis Modderman provide the latest best management practices for manure application in our Land of Ten Thousand Lakes and Nine Million Pigs. APPLICATION TIM...

 By Diane DeWitte, UMN Extension swine educator Originally printed in The LAND - as March 1, 2024, Swine & U column Spring’s coming and a young farmer’s heart turns to …..manure?!? Maybe your manure plan involves fall application, but as the soils thaw and the tiles begin to run, it’s a good idea to review a few environmental protection habits that will help keep nutrients where they belong.   University of Minnesota Extension provides good resources for nutrient application calculation and groundwater and shoreland protection at its manure management website. Extension’s manure management specialist Melissa Wilson and manure management crops educator Chryseis Modderman provide the latest best management practices for manure application in our Land of 10,000 Lakes and 8.9 million pigs.   APPLICATION TIMING The best time to apply manure is dependent on farm logistics, weather, soil conditions and a producer’s willingness to take risks. UMN Extension recommen...

By Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure management educator When applying manure, the main goals are to apply at an accurate rate and to avoid nutrient pollution. But this isn’t always easy because manure, in general, is complicated. There are five main factors that make manure complicated; often, more complicated than commercial fertilizer. Following a manure management plan will help combat these challenges. ​​​​​​​Read the blog post for the five challenging factors.

By Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist and Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure management educator Writer Carol Bishop Hipps spoke of fall as “the mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.” How could she forget to include “manure-slinging” in her list of fall descriptors? Since the manure application season is upon us, it’s time to consider best management practices. When it comes to fertilizer, everyone promotes the “4Rs” for nutrient stewardship - the Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place. These also apply to manure! Proper manure management will help you get the most fertilizer value for next year’s crops and avoid runoff and leaching that could pollute waters. Continue reading about the “4Rs” for nutrient stewardship.

Fall manure application is quickly approaching. Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure management educator and Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist provide some reminders on best practices for manure applications and avoiding nutrient loss. Read the blog post on the Minnesota Crop News blog.

By Nancy Bohl Bormann, UMN Graduate research assistant; Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist; and Erin Cortus, Extension engineer Why do we care about manure? Manure is an organic fertilizer that contains essential plant nutrients. However, it can be a variable product, making it a challenge to match plant nutrient needs to the amount of nutrients in the manure. Like commercial fertilizers, we also need to be aware of the risk of losing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and affecting water quality. Read more .

By Diane DeWitte, UMN Extension swine educator Originally printed in The LAND as April 29/May 6, 2022 Swine & U column . Spring’s here and for some swine producers, moving manure is an important step as the crop gets planted. UMN Extension Nutrient Management Specialist Melissa Wilson provides good information for farmers who need to make both nutrient management decisions and who may need to get manure out of the way. When is the best time to apply manure? That depends on the logistics of each farm, weather, and soil conditions. It is also influenced by what risks you are willing to take. Those risks include: losing nutrients if the manure is applied too early running out of storage for the manure reducing time for nutrients to release if the manure is applied too late having a wet and/or cold spring which could delay manure application and then planting. As producers consider planting season activities, they’re encouraged to take a look at potential Spring or Summer applicatio...

By Chryseis Modderman, University of Minnesota Extension manure educator and Melissa Wilson, University of Minnesota Extension manure specialist Livestock owners have long known the immense value of their manure. Now, with soaring commercial fertilizer prices, some crops-only folks are starting to see what all the hype is about and are seeking to buy manure from their livestock owner neighbors. Luckily, livestock and crop farmers teaming up can prove to be mutually beneficial. Read the blog post for more .

Fall manure application is quickly approaching. Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure management educator and Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist provide some reminders on best practices for manure applications and avoiding nutrient loss. Read the blog post on the Minnesota Crop News blog .

In a short video, Extension manure management specialist, Melissa Wilson gives an update on her manure sidedressing research project.  Wilson tested whether sidedressing liquid swine manure into standing corn is a viable practice in Minnesota. Watch the video.

Recently Extension Manure Management Specialist Melissa Wilson and Research Manager Scott Cortus created a video on how to take a representative manure sample for nutrient analysis and how to build a manure sampler. The video, along with additional resources, can be found on the Minnesota Crop News blog.

During this busy time, it is necessary to consider the health and safety of everyone working in agriculture, including those who pump manure pits and apply manure to fields. The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) has a Manure Safety Toolkit providing farmers and their family members, manure haulers and agricultural workers with specific resources to have on hand during manure agitation and land application. Be sure to check out this great resource.

Manure: Waste or Valuable Agricultural Resource? Stories about manure often illustrate two opposing sentiments. Is manure a "Waste" that pollutes our water resources and creates undesirable nuisances for communities? Or, is manure a "Resource" that reduces the demand for importing greenhouse gas intensive inorganic fertilizers and improves the health of our soils? Both statements contain some truth. However, the balance of the truth lies in the management choices made during the storage and utilization of animal manures. When using manure in cropping systems, "How can manure's benefits be maximized and undesirable traits minimized?"

Extension manure specialist Melissa Wilson recently completed research on sidedressing swine manure into corn with a dragline hose system. Her research concludes it appears to be a viable nitrogen source. Watch her video on sidedressing corn with liquid swine manure to learn more about her research on this topic. 

With this fall being wet just like last fall, Extension Manure Educator Chryseis Modderman has put together a list of tips from commercial applicators for applying manure in adverse weather conditions. Check out her article on the UMN Extension Minnesota Crop News blog.