Dairy Manure is an excellent fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients. Sourced from pens and stalls of dairy cows that contain some wood fiber, the manure has been aged and heat treated to kill of most foreign plant contaminates and seeds. Also rinsed to leach salts to prevent leaf and root burn when applied to growing plants. We have also amended gypsum to prevent clumping and promote drainage. Manure’s nitrogen generated warmth helps to promote continued germination during the cooler winter months where its elevated temperature protects germinating seeds at night. Manure also has great moisture retention properties and can hold up to eight times its weight in water.
Steer (male) vs. Dairy (female cow) Manure?
A legitimate question to ask, why choose to use one over the other? The information that I found listed Dairy Cow Manure at 25 – 15 – 25 and Steer Manure at 70 – 30 – 40 (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) ratio). That’s quite a difference between the two.
It is important to discuss the source of manure. Most packaged steer manure is from last-stage feedlots or slaughterhouse stockyards, while commercial cow manure tends to be from larger factory-type dairy farms. This has a direct impact on the type of hormones and medications found in manure.
Steer manure is going to have more of the steroid-type hormones in smaller quantities, while cow manure is going to have more estrogen-type hormones in higher amounts. If the manure is from factory-type farms then more of the synthetic hormone, rBGH, will be present.
Cow manure might show more medications (antibiotics, etc.) than beef because stockyards are required to withhold all medications for 72 hours before slaughter. Although, dairies are under the same obligation to withhold milk for the same period, they certainly don’t separate the manure.
It used to be true that “steers are generally fed a diet higher in grains than dairy cows”, but not necessarily now with the factory-type dairies. The big reason cow manure is lower in nitrogen is because it is diverted into milk production in the cow. On the other hand, most of the “modern” cow manure is usually much higher in phosphorus.
In the end, it probably doesn’t matter all that much if we are talking about a few bags of commercial manure in a small vegetable garden. It ultimately is organic matter which is always a good addition to any garden.
SANM – Steer Manure
Manure Mulch Blend is a high quality lawn top dressing and over-seeding fertilizer is a 2:1 blend of 66% 1/4″ Pine Mulch and 34% Dairy Manure. The nitrogen content in Dairy Manure helps keep grass seed warm and promotes germination during the cool fall nights. MMB provides the warmth and nutrients of manure and the moisture retention of the pine mulch.
MMB – Manure Mulch Blend
