Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Plant Sciences

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Crop Performance And Soil Properties Of Sites Previously Used For Production Of Beef Cattle Manure Compost, Daniel Ginting, Bahman Eghball, Daniel T. Walters, Charles A. Francis, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Casey Wilson, Galen E. Erickson Jan 2004

Crop Performance And Soil Properties Of Sites Previously Used For Production Of Beef Cattle Manure Compost, Daniel Ginting, Bahman Eghball, Daniel T. Walters, Charles A. Francis, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Casey Wilson, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was established on sites that had three or seven years of compost production history. Corn, wheat, barley, sorghum and alfalfa were planted in 2001. In the first year, wheat, barley and sorghum performed better than corn in the windrow areas while alfalfa did not even establish because of excessive salt in the soil. Soil electrical conductivity, K and Na in the 0-6 inch depth under windrows were high and caused soil crusting and poor germination and crop yields. Growing salt tolerant crops, such as barley, can rehabilitate sites used for composting and the process can be accelerated by …


Composting Of Feedlot And Dairy Manure: Compost Characteristics And Impact On Crop Yields, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Walker Luedtke, Mark Schroeder, Charles A. Francis, Gary Lesoing Jan 2001

Composting Of Feedlot And Dairy Manure: Compost Characteristics And Impact On Crop Yields, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Walker Luedtke, Mark Schroeder, Charles A. Francis, Gary Lesoing

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Since 1993, approximately 17,600 tons of beef feedlot and dairy compost have been spread on 1,100 acres. Crop yields were measured to determine the impact of a one-time compost application by using no-compost check strips in large-scale production fields. Adding compost to irrigated corn, irrigated soybeans, and dryland corn acres significantly increased yields, with four-year average increases of 2.3, 1.5, and 2.7%, respectively. For all crops measured, the response to compost was greatest the first year following application and declined linearly in subsequent years. The increased yield from compost application offsets spreading costs using average prices for crops.