Applying manure to frozen ground should never rank high on a farmer’s nutrient management list. There are criteria that come from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Practice Standard 633. Applications should be made on land with at least 90% surface residue cover and the application rate must be limited to 10 wet tons per acre for solid manure of more than 50% moisture, and 5 wet tons of manure of less than 50% moisture. For liquid manure the application rate is limited to 5,000 gallons an acre. It should not be applied to more than 20 contiguous acres; there should be a break of at least 200 feet. When applying near waterways, ditches, etc, an increase in the setback distance is 200 feet and even further if there are high slopes or high quality streams. For fields with slopes of more than 6%, manure should be applied with alternating strips, 60-200 feet wide. Those fields exceeding 6% slope should be part of a comprehensive nutrient management plan.
There are attempts being made to continue to allow the application of manure in winter because it appears that days are numbered for winter application. The Ohio government does not allow permitted farms to routinely apply manure in the winter and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Livestock Environmental Permitting Program must be notified prior to application. In order to reduce the amount of winter manure application farmers should establish cover crops after harvest, use no-tillage whenever possible and incorporate manure directly into the soil.