ManureDB: Understanding the Variability of a Critical Soil Amendment

Partner Profile

ManureDB: Understanding the Variability of a Critical Soil Amendment

By Paul Schrimpf, Director of Marketing and Communications

AgGateway’s work toward standardizing laboratory analysis of soil data after assuming stewardship of the Modus standard by releasing the v2 method codes and current work on the Version 2 schema is important, but only one aspect of overall industry work to understand and improve nutrient use and soil health.

The variability of manure is driven by a host of factors including regional differences – animal species, application practices, and more – which creates significant challenges for managing manure, be it in nutrient management plans, calculations for new or expanded animal operations, or for use in crop production.

ManureDB, a USDA-funded project hosted by the University of Minnesota, has been coordinating the work of several universities and agricultural organizations to amass a database of nutrient analysis results of manure samples tested by labs. The tests provide a wide range of data, including current average values by region, animal species, growth stage, bedding type, and more.

A stats tab on the ManureDB website shows the number of samples, regions, and states where the data originated. “We have over 550,000 samples currently from 22 labs and data collaborators,” says Nancy Bohl Bormann, Researcher in Manure and Nutrient Management in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

“We continue to add data collaborators, especially ones in areas with less representation or that have more detailed sample metadata. The Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast regions have supplied the majority of samples so far.”

ManureDB offers:

  • Benchmarking opportunities for producers and comparisons across different geographies and managements
  • A resource for new livestock and poultry producers or manure buyers to get an idea of manure characteristics
  • A data source for agricultural and environmental researchers and modelers
  • Updated information for the upcoming revision of ASABE's manure characteristics standard D384.3
  • Simple queries that can be used to create tables and graphs form the ManureDB Dashboard. Sample quantities and the ability to download sample results can be found on the Data Explorer tab.

Ben Craker, AgGateway Portfolio Manager, sees a lot of value in ManureDB for AgGateway members with a stake in soil evaluation, animal agriculture, or nutrient management. “From researchers and industry professionals working to improve nutrient management planning to livestock operations building new or expanded capacity, agriculture is seeking data beyond the outdated, decades-old ‘book values,’” he says.

He encourages labs and other organizations to share manure sample data that could be anonymized and contributed to the database.

“ManureDB has the potential to help many AgGateway members that use manure analysis data for nutrient planning, compliance, and decision support,” says Craker. “By aligning ManureDB’s methods and metadata with Modus, we’re helping create a more consistent, interoperable, scalable foundation for the database while also improving Modus.”

The updated, more detailed "book values" about manure nutrient content can help improve a wide variety of decisions when direct samples and analysis may not be possible or practical,” he adds. “This also exercises the v2 Modus manure list to make sure everything is accurate and the AgGateway working group captured the relevant lab test methods.”

For more information about Modus or to get involved in current Modus improvement projects, contact (CRAKER) ….For more information about ManureDB, visit https://manuredb.umn.edu/.