Bazooka Farmstar partners with Iowa Soybean Assn.’s On-Farm Network to conduct liquid swine manure sidedress project.

June 18, 2018

1 Min Read
Side-dressing liquid manure may extend handling window

Bazooka Farmstar, in conjunction with the Iowa Soybean Assn.’s On-Farm Network, led a series of corn plot trials in early May in Washington County, Iowa, to illustrate the advantage side-dressing emerging corn plants with liquid livestock manure has over commercial applied fertilizer.

The project highlighted Bazooka Farmstar’s Phantom toolbar that has been redesigned specifically for sidedress applications in standing corn, the company said, noting that the units on the toolbar were spaced to accommodate the width of planted rows to ensure that the units do not damage any emerged plants as manure is applied. With this, the units deliver manure 6 in. below grade, which is ideal for nutrient uptake of the corn plants roots.

Despite initial concerns regarding dragline applications, past research indicates that dragging the hose over plants that are in the V1-V4 vegetative growth stages has little to no effect on the overall population/stand count, Bazooka Farmstar said. All plots associated with the project in Washington County had manure applied during the V-3 stage of growth.

This type of application increases yields, lowers inputs as well as expands the manure handling season, the company said. Iowa is the largest swine-producing state in the U.S., and Washington County ranks number four within Iowa, which led the company to believe the manure handling capacity is bound to be reached. The expansion of the manure handling window, even by a few days, will be beneficial to producers and applicators alike, it said.

As a manufacturer of manure handling equipment for 40 years, Bazooka Farmstar provides long-lasting, innovative products to the agricultural market. Bazooka Farmstar provides equipment and service to customers through an extensive dealer network that spans the nation.

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