Released March 7, 2008
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- I always got a kick when hearing the "Used Cow Dealer" advertisement. The animal by-product company no longer operates in the area, but their ad served to put a more pleasant twist on what was previously called "the dead wagon."
This reminds me of another old topic, often perceived as unpleasant to some. A number of western writers have noted that our forefathers placed value on cow manure and buffalo chips, whether used as fertilizer or firewood. Try out the idea of cooking a pan of biscuits over a cow-chip fire and then tell me your ancestors weren't tough!
Along came commercial fertilizer, and for decades we learned to dance the dance. Now the price has stepped on our toes and soured the stomachs of everyone.
But what goes around eventually comes around and in the case of used hay, more commonly referred to as manure, a new level of importance is in the works. Manures have always had fertilizer value and what they lacked in concentration, as compared to commercial products, they made up in volume.
It was brought to my attention by Washington County Extension Agent Johnny Gunsaulis that fertilizer value of some hay sitting around the country is possibly higher than the asking price per bale! His guesstimate is based on the fact that one-third of the nitrogen and all of the phosphorus and potassium contained in hay is excreted in manure.
Using current unit prices for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) you can check the fertilizer value generated from a 1000-pound bale! Average hay will contain 0.3 and 2.0 percent P and K, respectively. Since higher quality protein hay will result in more N being excreted, the N-P-K fertilizer value will range from $16 - $20 per bale. Other nutrients contained in hay will simply add more to its fertilizer value.
This should cause us to reconsider methods utilized to capture value from a by-product often viewed as something that just gets in the way each spring when moving bale feeders.
No, this information is not new since producers who practice controlled grazing try to capture the value of manure throughout the year. However, based on new fertilizer economics, I'd say that cell-grazers feel a lot more comfortable about making their bottom line work this year while continuing to grow forage at minimal cost. Til' next week!
For more information about fertilizers, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Forage/Pasture. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/march2008/0307seay.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207, ljames@uaex.edu
