The weather this year has benefited livestock producers by preventing overflows caused by rainfall that fills up manure storage areas, but Dan Anderson, an Iowa State University expert on manure management, says dry weather also has its issues.
He says farmers can get anxious and want to spread manure too early.
Once the crops are out of the fields, he says the dry ground gives farmers less concern that manure would run off of rain saturated ground.
Anderson is associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at I-S-U, and the creator of the “Talkin’ Crap” podcast that discusses all aspects of manure management. You can find his podcast and other information on how to manage manure in wet and dry weather on the I-S-U Extension website.