Hog Manure Might Be Corn’s Next Sidedressing Option

By: Sara Brown

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are looking at new ways to use hog manure for fertilizer.

In a recent podcast, University of Minnesota Extension specialist Melissa Wilson talks about one of her research initiatives to compare the use of liquid hog manure in sidedressing applications.

“One of the big things I like to focus on is trying to find, like I said, the best ways for farmers to use manure as a resource,” Wilson says. “Our seasons to apply manure seem to be getting shorter.”

This past fall was a case in point—Minnesota was really wet in the southern part of the state, preventing many farmers from applying manure in the fall. So how can we extend this application window?

“One of the ways that we’ve thought about that we’ve seen others doing this, in Ohio especially, is using the manure as a sidedress nutrient source,” Wilson says.

This could help farmers have another opportunity to move that resource if they were busy in the spring with fieldwork, were prevented from getting applications done in the fall because of weather, etc.