The costs of pumping and land applying manure is affected by many factors including type of handling systems, distance manure is to be moved, rate of application, and quantity of manure to be moved, among other factors. We would suggest three resources to review for this topic:
1. Jon Rausch, Ohio State University, has presented a comparison of transportation costs for three manure-handling systems. It can be found at http://ohioline.osu.edu/ae-fact/0005.html. Actual costs will differ from those presented in this publication, but it does give insight into the different types of equipment needed and illustrations of their different costs.
2. The University of Missouri Manure Distribution Cost Analyzer allows individuals to estimate the costs of different systems that they specify. Users enter the various information about specific application systems, and the program computes operating and ownership costs and the amount of time needed to distribute manure. It can be downloaded at http://agebb.missouri.edu/commag/crops/massey/downloads/index.htm.
3. A team from the University of Missouri and the University of Nebraska has developed a software tool called the "Feed Nutrient Management Planning Economics (FNMP$)." It is a comprehensive program connecting feed ration characteristics, manure storage type, and cropping system impacts on the value of manure as a fertilizer. FNMP$ estimates: 1) manure nutrients, 2) land requirements, 3) labor and equipment application time, and 4) costs and value for land application. It is a spreadsheet-based program. This tool can be found at http://www.extension.org/pages/Software and Web-Based Resources for Nutrient Management.
Authors: Rick Koelsch, University of Nebraska, and Ray Massey, University of Missouri
