Introduction
Application of livestock manure to land has been conducted for centuries to increase agricultural productivity by providing nutrients and organic materials that improve overall soil tilth and fertility. Manure is a valuable source of crop nutrients and organic matter provided that it is used as a nutrient amendment based on sound agronomic principles. Soil and water quality deterioration following manure addition may occur when agronomic principles are not adhered to or when manure is simply disposed of as a waste on agricultural land. It is important for the land manager to understand the pros and cons of manure application to land as well as understand the limitations of the land base to which the manure is applied. One of the factors that influences the fate of manure applied to land is the variability of the soillandscape. Unfortunately, the variability of soils within a given landscape is generally not well appreciated and manure (or fertilizers) is applied uniformly across a given field with little consideration given to the variability in soil and hydrologic processes within the field. This paper presents the concept of the soil-landscape and describes how an understanding of this concept is important for managing manure on agricultural land. What is the a