OTTAWA, Ohio — Warm winter days the past two months have been a blessing for most people. Farmers who are trying to get into their soggy fields may not agree.

“The wet fall we had combined with the warm, wet winter we’re undergoing is playing havoc with farmers who want to get out in those fields and apply much-needed manure,” said Glen Arnold, Ohio State University extension nutrient management field specialist and researcher.

“As a result it is piling up, and storage becomes an issue and then there’s the problem of having excess manure on hand. Farmers need a 10-day or two-week stretch where they can really get done in terms of manure hauling.”

Arnold and his associates at OSU offer a solution, one that has proven successful: “Livestock producers have been pressed for manure storage because they’ve been unable to get out and apply it to saturated fields, They may be able to turn the unplanned excess into opportunity by using it as a field crop fertilizer.

“In northwest Ohio we’ve conducted plots where we’ve sidedressed corn with livestock manure and had success,” he explained. “We’ve also put manure on wheat in late March and early April when farmers have traditionally put urea or 28 percent nitrogen on wheat. We can do the same thing with swine manure and get very similar yields.

“That’s a window that farmers maybe this year more than most might be willing to look at a little bit. Right now, they have more manure than they want to have at this time.”

While manure has long been a viable fertilizer, the time and high costs associated with transporting it, coupled with the convenience and efficiency of other fertilizers, have limited its application to summer and fall months post-harvest. But as commercial fertilizer costs have risen sharply in recent years, Arnold said more farmers might now be interested in applying manure as wheat and corn crops are growing, especially since the nutrients are in their manure storage facilities waiting to be used.

“A relatively small percentage of farmers apply manure to growing crops at this time, but we think that will increase once more people see the benefit and cost savings,” he said. “Farmers are creative businesspeople, and when they see how well manure works, they’ll come up with innovative ways to make it work for their operations.”

Arnold, whose field research includes use of livestock manure on growing crops, said he has found farmers can benefit financially by using it. He also has found more of the nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus, in particular) are better used when applied to the crop while it’s growing instead of when fields are bare.

“Incorporating manure into growing crops is a great way to keep phosphorus from escaping into surface waters,” he said.

Arnold said that had farmers been able to work on frozen ground, the abundance of manure would not be an issue. Unfortunately, the warm days of December and January have created this manure dilemma.

“Most farmers are going to have to make a choice when it comes time to plant this spring, whether they want to apply that manure and delay planting their corn and soybeans, or do they have enough storage to get through July when we traditionally harvest wheat,” he said.

“Most farmers are likely going to set aside a few fields they want to apply manure to and delay their spring planting. Hopefully we’ll get a favorable spring to really get caught up on their manure application and get their crops planted in a timely manner.”