A Manure Management Survey of Minnesota Swine Producers: Effect of Farm Size on Manure Application

There is a national trend for swine enterprises to increase in size due to cost efficiencies associated with economies of scale. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of farm size on manure application management for a survey of 391 swine producers in Minnesota. There was a statistically significant effect of farm size on almost all of the variables evaluated. As farm size increased: a) more manure was handled in the liquid form; b) more farms analytically tested their manure; c) more farms calibrated their application equipment; d) less manure was applied in the summer and winter months; e) broadcast manure applications decreased while injected manure increased; and f) more farms kept records of manure applications. However, while the management practices associated with the larger farms were better correlated to recommended practices, the ratio of animal units to the number of acres owned and available for manure application increased steeply as farm size categories went from small to large.