Nutrient Management Planning and
Manure Management
Section 1 Nutrient Management Planning
1. What is a nutrient management plan?
2. What is the starting point for any nutrient management plan?
3. How often should soils be tested to provide information for an accurate nutrient management
plan?
4. Name three common on-farm nutrient sources.
5. What nutrient do legumes generally supply to the following crop?
6. What action will reduce your commercial fertilizer bills and protect the environment?
7. What two things need to be known to properly credit nutrients from manure?
8. This component of a nutrient management plan contains information about field slopes and
crop rotation.
9. An accurate manure inventory involves these two things.
10. If soil test results are high, planned manure applications should be at rates that exceed/do not
exceed (circle one) the crop nutrient need.
11. What component of the nutrient management plan is where the plan gets implemented on the
farm?
12. List six pieces of information included in a crop plan.
13. Two maps are necessary for a nutrient management plan. What are they?
14. List three prohibited areas where manure should never be applied.
15. List two types of restriction for manure application.
16. What map is important if using a professional custom manure applicator?
17. What nutrient management standard needs to be met in order to participate in state and local
farm and conservation programs?
Section 2 Nutrient Management Regulations
1. What are the two elements of nutrient management?
2. Why are nutrient management regulations in place?
3. What USDA agency oversees the 590 nutrient management standard?
4. List three purposes of the 590 standard.
5. What is an instance when state agencies might get involved in nutrient management?
6. In most cases, how many animal units will a farm have to enter CAFO/AFO status?
7. Give an example of a local manure management regulation.
8. In agricultural watersheds, what are two nutrients causing impaired waters.
Section 3 Impact of Nutrients on Ground and Surface Water
1. What water source is nitrate a major threat to?
2. When is nitrate at greatest risk to move?
3. Define leaching.
4. What can farmers do to prevent using excess nitrogen?
5. Why is manure application in winter an environmental concern?
6. Explain what hypoxia is? Where is it occurring?
7. What problem is phosphorous in runoff causing?
8. What two things are critical to ensure proper phosphorous fertilization?
9. Applying manure based on crop nitrogen need will generally result in more/less (circle one)
phosphorous being applied than the crop needs.
10. Where is most of the phosphorous found in surface water coming from?
11. List three practices to reduce the risk of phosphorous reaching surface waters.
Section 4 Manure Storage, Agitation, and Handling
1. List three types of manure storage structures.
2. What type of soil is needed for an earthen manure storage structure?
3. What two materials can be used to line the pit if the soil type in not suitable for an earthen
structure?
4. List three factors which can influence the odor from an open manure storage structure?
5. List the four gases which can cause health risks when working around manure storage
structures.
6. What should be inspected routinely to prevent manure from flowing back into livestock
housing?
7. How many inches of freeboard space are required to prevent overtopping?
8. Explain why crust forms in a manure storage structure.
9. What two types of agitation equipment are available to properly mix manure in storage
structures?
10. What is the benefit of building a platform into the manure storage unit?
Section 5 Safety around manure gases and confined spaces
1. This gas is lighter than air and irritates the eye and lungs.
2. Is ammonia concentration higher in warmer or cooler conditions?
3. This gas is explosive if in high enough concentrations.
4. How long can explosive concentrations of methane remain around a storage structure after it
has been emptied?
5. This gas can cause, rapid breathing, dizziness, and fatigue.
6. Levels of this gas can increase a thousand-fold during agitation.
7. This gas is the most dangerous of the manure gases.
8. List three areas where hydrogen sulfide can increase rapidly during agitation.
9. These two gases are not highly toxic to animals or humans but rather displaces oxygen.
10. These two gases are heavier than air and can pose health threats in and around buildings.
11. The typical range of CO2 concentration in well-ventilated livestock buildings is?
12. What is a confined space?
13. What are two things you need to know before entering a confined space?
14. What is the best way to determine if manure gases are present?
15. Using ventilation, how many air exchanges should take place before someone enters a confined
space?
16. What should be used to enter a confined space if a gas monitor and ventilation is not available?
17. List three precautions which should be taken before entering a confined space.
Section 6 Liquid and Solid Manure Application
1. List four benefits of manure application to land.
2. What should be tested before applying manure to cropland?
3. How many pounds of phosphorous would be applied per acre if liquid dairy manure is spread at
12,000 gallons per acre?
4. How many extra pounds of nitrogen are gained by incorporating liquid dairy manure compared
to unincorporated manure?
5. What four factors need to be considered to determine the manure application rate?
6. What is the environmental risk of applying manure to cropland in the fall when crops are not
growing?
7. Why should manure be incorporated into the soil within three days?
8. Based on Wisconsin’s phosphorous management strategy, how many pounds of phosphorous
can be applied if the soil test phosphorous results are 54ppm
9. If fields are frozen or snow covered, how far away from a lake or pond should you apply
manure?
10. If fields are contoured, how steep of slope can manure be spread on frozen or snow covered
soil?
Section 7 Manure Spreader Calibration
1. List the three steps to manure spreader calibration
2. Complete the following manure spreader calibration activity and compute application rate.
Your manure spreader delivers a pattern 12 wide and 1320 feet long.
Full
Rear axle tractor
Front axle spreader
Rear axle spreader
Sub Total Full
Total Full
Empty
Rear axle tractor
Front axle spreader
Rear axle spreader
Sub Total Empty
Total Empty
Left wheel
10500
3450
3810
Right wheel
11250
3575
3750
10250
700
1060
10980
830
1000
Section 8 Manure Spill Response
1. What needs to be working properly to limit the risk of a manure spill or release?
2. Define a spill?
3. Who should know what to do when a manure spill or release occurs?
4. How often should a manure storage structure be inspected to reduce the risk of a release?
5. What should be inspected on manure tankers to prevent an accidental release of manure?
6. List four contact numbers you should have to be prepared in case of a spill emergency.
7. List the steps in their proper order to respond to a manure spill.
8. How would you control the spill if it occurred while using a dragline or hose system?
9. What can be used to prevent manure from entering tile line inlets?
10. What agency generally has jurisdiction during a manure spill response?
Building Environmental Leaders in Animal Agriculture (BELAA) was funded by the USDA National
Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under award #2009-49400-05871.