1994 Annual Report for FS94-004
Nutrient Evaluation and On-Site Composting of Poultry Litter
Summary
Impending regulations in the Coastal Nutrient Management Zone are making it necessary for poultry farmers to adopt more efficient waste management programs. Lack of information about the proper use of poultry manure is a constraint to poultry farmers who wish to apply it to their own land and to other farmers who would like to purchase it from the poultry producers. The information gap includes basic questions concerning rates and methods of application for different crops.
The project coordinator grows tobacco, soybeans and market vegetables near the environmentally sensitive Okefenokee National Park. The area is also home to an increasing number of poultry operations. The project is generating information that will enable farmers located near poultry operations to precisely apply chicken manure to their crops, thus providing poultry operations with an outlet for their litter while offering farmers a local source of fertilizer.
Objectives
1.) Establish a demonstration illustrating the effect of rate and application methods of poultry litter applied to corn, soybeans and/or tobacco.
2.) Utilize soil, plant tissue, manure and water tests to compare the effect of different poultry litter application rates and methods on crop and soil properties.
3.) Conduct a field day to demonstrate the use of poultry litter as a nutrient source in corn-soybean-tobacco production systems.
Approach
In 1994, a corn demonstration was established in nine plots using three treatments each of uncomposted chicken manure and commercial nitrogen. Each plot consisted of 16 rows that measured 36 inches by 75 feet. The treatments for poultry manure were none, one truck load per plot and two truck loads per plot applied prior to planting. The treatments for side-dressed fertilizer were none, 70lb. N/A, and 90lb. N/A.
One truckload of manure per acre produced slightly lower yields (43bu.) as compared to the yield produced by 70lb. of N fertilizer (51.8bu.). Two truckloads of manure per acre produced 76.3bu., which was higher as compared to the 63.4bu. produced by 90lb. of N fertilizer.
The results indicate that poultry manure can reduce the amount of N fertilizer without reducing yield. One truckload of manure plus 70lb. of N fertilizer produced 85.1bu. as compared to 85.3bu. from 90lb. of N fertilizer, indicating that in this circumstance 20lb. of N fertilizer per acre could be replaced with a truckload of chicken manure with no reduction in yield.
The highest yield (96.2bu.) came from the plot treated with two truckloads of manure plus 70lb. of N fertilizer per acre. Increasing the N fertilizer to 90lb. per acre plus two truckloads of manure resulted in lowering the yield to 87.9bu.
By testing manure, soil, plant tissues and local surface/ground water supplies, the investigators hope to track and record nutrient amounts and transfer throughout the 1996 growing season. The data will be used to help farmers determine the nutrient content of manure and the best application rate and method for a particular crop.
Outreach
A field day was held in September, 1995 with eight farmers and three Extension agents attending. An Extension corn specialist and soil specialist conducted a tour of the plots and presented written and oral explanations of the results.
December 1995.