Managing Nitrogen in Swine Manure for Efficient Corn Production

Purdue Universtiy 1996 Swine Research Reports. Although swine manure is a valuable nutrient resource for crop production, there is a reluctance to manage manure as a fertilizer resource because of a lack confidence in its value and the difficulty in predicting nitrogen (N) availability throughout the growing season. As a result, excessive rates of manure are often applied, which can create imbalanced nutrient ratios for crop growth and pose an environmental concern. Regulatory agencies are threatening stricter manure management policies which could force producers to obtain more land for manure application and increase the cost of manure systems.