That depends. What is the ratio of manure to sawdust and straw?

I would take the composted manure and use what ever you have at home for mulch. But that is just me.

That is a good question. I don't know what the ratio of manure to sawdust is.
I know that they keep sawdust on the cement floor to help clean up the manure and add more sawdust when they are sweeping it up to put outside.
How would I go about figuring something like this out?

Don't worry about ratios! Composted manure mixed with sawdust, straw and barley will make a great mulch and soil amendment. I use fresh manure in the compost pile and also in veggie beds (covered with leaves and grass) a couple of months before planting time. enjoy your poop!

Because of the potential on diseases from manure putting fresh, or even aged, manure on your garden beds is never a good idea, even thought people have done this for eons. Manure should always be composted with a mixture that is 3 parts vegetable waste to each part of manure. Ratios are important because that is what gets the bacteria that will digest that material working most bestest. A 3 to 1 ratio of vegetative waste to manure means you would not easily see the manure so if the manure from that farm can be seen when mixed with the sawdust and straw there is not enough vegetative waste mixed with the manure and more needs to be added.
If manure is added directly to soil there should be a minimum of 6 months between application and planting, except for a green manure, or cover, crop.

"Along with tons of already composted manure."

Already composted manure is fine for mulching and soil amendment, especially mixed with sawdust and straw, no matter what KimmSr claims.

Hello sewing enthusiast...Reading your OP brought a few questions and thoughts to mind.

First of all, what would your compost be used for? Vegetable gardens, flower beds, lawn rejuvenation etc etc. Depending on application there could be different answers.

Secondly, how does the farmer make his compost, actively (turning monitoring temps etc), pile it up and let it sit a long time, or some other method? As well, has he by any chance had his compost tested? Although I doubt he would have (speculation on my part), it might be worth asking.

Is your homemade compost better? No way for us to know, but, and this is a big but, YOU know what you put into your piles. Modern day farms and especially dairies have very valuable animals that may or may not be supported and enhanced by modern day chemicals. Not to say that for sure there is anything to be afraid of, I just don't know. Frankly, all the "boosters" we give our farm animals scares the crap out of me. (no pun intended)

Now I like to make compost, it's fun, so getting it from someone else wouldn't do anything for me. But then I like bowling over golf because in bowling, the ball comes back so some consider me a little eccentric at times!

:)

Lloyd

P.S. New composter or not, a day does not go by without me learning something different about compost.

What I "claim" about manure is well supported by good, solid research, it is not an off the wall statement. Unless you have a farmer that does not give his animals any antibiotics and only feeds a low grain diet to these animals the manure they produce is known to contain disease pathogens that are very harmful to humans, and some research today indicates that feeding those animals what is left over after making Ethanol from corn is worse. Unless Joytosew's neighbor is Amish or organic the manure needs to be handled with lots of care.
pt03 what would you have compost tested for?

Kimm, It appears you do love to read about all that "good, solid research" so just type in "compost tests" or "compost testing" into good, solid google. I guarantee you there will be lots and lots of entries that will more than satisfy your apparent curiosity about what compost could be tested for.

Glad to help. Enjoy.

Lloyd

There does seem to appear that there are as many opinions about what makes good compost as there are ways to use it.

If one believes that 'planting time' is spring, then we must assume Melon adds her poop to a cold, lifeless compost pile waiting for warmer tempratures to again start the composting process and thereby she is taking the compost with the cold manure directly to her gardens. In such state, the manure has had no impetus to break down and therefore, what is being given to the garden is still fresh.

Let's assume animals ---all different animals---have a way to digest their food in their own way. Hence, dogs and cats are no different than any other animal...including us humans. Yet, we know that we should not add such feces of dogs and cats to our compost pile.
So let's assume as well that other animals have a certain goodness to their offerings in different ways.

We know too that Bugs Bunny's can go directly to the garden...even the vegetable garden without any danger of transferring disease.
Others, like Chicken Little, Lamby Pie, Porky Pig and Elsie Cow's contribution is more valuable in nutritive value than is Mr Ed's.

I live in a rural area and all around me are farms--different use farms and one of them is a very large sheep operation. The farmer regularly puts out a sign "for sale".."AGED sheep manure". He doesn't specify just what 'aged' means but it infers he puts aside such manure for a specified time before offering it to the public.
WHY?

If we believe that a farmer knows only too well the importance of using only 'aged' manure, then it follows we should use the same common sense to other manures.

I've never seen advertized "horse manure" for sale.
There are many horse farms around me as well. A large riding stable is down the highway and such numbers of animals would constitute a large supply of manure if such could be collected. No signs are ever seen offering such manure. WHY?
It could be it would be just a big bother to separate what is also in the manure and not good for the garden.
Or it could be that such manure would have to be stored for such time before it could be offered and as such, would be a bigger bother that is not worth the effort.

Sensing some opinions here it might be suggested that such horse manure could be added directly to our vegetable gardens. Evidently, the horse owner does not believe that insanity.

Commercial manure production is seen regularly in garden centers. But always advertized as "composted cattle manure"...or "composted sheep manure". Others might offer composted rabbit or fowl manures. A bit further down the highway near me is a farm that has llamas, ostrich and emus. One has to believe these animals are kept for their meat and yet, would also contribute to a source for the manure pile.
No signs along the highway offers such for sale. I wonder why.

Not suggesting that horses don't give their all to compost piles---they do...but they serve their offerings for use at a later date.

Different strokes for different blokes, there are as many different offerings to compost piles as there are animals and people who feed them.

If you had 200 cattle, you would try to sell the manure. If you had 6 horses, you would give it away. It's just not worth the effort.

If Kimmsr had something to say that is practical then he/she should post. If Kimmsr had 6 horse he/she should offer opions as if it was opinions rather than fact.

I love the neighbors 4 horses. My 2 DGD go over and muck out the stables every once in a while and we put the manure in our compost pile and in the lasagna beds. It is light and fluffy with a few horse "apples" here and there. The "apples" go into the compost pile and the rest goes into my lasagna beds or I use it as mulch. I guess I should take over some more goodies for the horses. Sometimes my girls get to ride the horses. What a deal!

Thank you all for responding. I have learned a lot from your conversations.
It seems I have run into a black gold mine with this Amish milk farm.

thank you,

"If one believes that 'planting time' is spring, then we must assume Melon adds her poop to a cold, lifeless compost pile waiting for warmer tempratures to again start the composting process and thereby she is taking the compost with the cold manure directly to her gardens. In such state, the manure has had no impetus to break down and therefore, what is being given to the garden is still fresh."

Jeannie: why must we assume such nonsense? I never have a cold, lifeless compost pile(actually, by definition a compost pile can't be lifeless.) All of my compost heaps are always active. I also challenge you to find any trace of manure in my beds two months after I add fresh manure. By the way, temps were in the low 70's today, with more of the same forecast for tomorrow....

KimmSr: once again - before you make your usual blanket statements read the original post and my original post. We're talking about already composted manure, and as it turns out, it's Amish manure!

"it's Amish manure!"

That...is...just...too...funny!

Lloyd

We may, or we may not, be talking about composted manure. If the owner of the production facility adds to the manure enough vegetative material so that there is a 3 parts vegetative material to 1 part manure and leaves that it will compost, but if the ratio is closer to the normal 1:1 that I see at the farms around here, this does not include the CAFO's where the ratio is even lower, piling up that manure and leaving it sit for a period of time is not composting that manure.

It's aging the manure. It composts to the point where it is no longer heating or smells. It is now organic matter than can be applied to the garden. Apply it freely! The only thing you need to worry about is the salt content. Yes, it would be better compost if you used 3 parts brown to 1 part green. Then you would have more! Kimmsr, please try to be realistic. We know you enjoy composting things but please try to provide realistic advice if you provide any.

Greetings, everyone! I've been lurking this forum and soaking up the amazing wealth of knowledge for a few weeks now. I now have a question of my own, pertaining to the topic of this thread:

I plan to start an organic vegetable garden in several raised beds (to be constructed) over this fall and winter. Since the beds are not constructed yet, there is no rush on the project (other than that they should be ready for my next planting season).

I originally started composting to dispose of my own yard waste (Bermuda grass clippings, leaves, fruit and vegetable peels, etc), and I planned to use it to topdress my lawn and amend the soil. I've since caught the bug, and I have lots of plans for the compost. I want to also amend and mulch my 4 citrus trees, and I'd like to create the gardens.

I've been composting in 3 bins I've received from my city. They were 90 gal. garbage cans, but have had the bottoms cut off and holes drilled in the sides. I've been successful in creating about 60 gallons of compost since May. Not too bad for a novice, eh? ;)

Anyway, to finally get to my question:

There are several places nearby that will gladly provide free manure, from either cow, horse, or even goat. I've been considering "mass producing" composted manure for the afore-mentioned purposes. I think I can have a free steady supply of browns. The landscapers who service my HOA will give me the leaves weekly if I ask. My question is: would this be suitable for my purposes? I could continue composting in the bins, but I oould instead fabricate a larger bin from some free pallets (which might be a better choice, since I plan to build a garden in that site anyway).

Would the browns(leaves) be enough "vegetable material" to innoculate the pile?

Oh, and by the way...I'll continue to compost my kitchen scraps...with worms indoors! Sorry for the neverending post!

Thanks in advance!

Please advise everyone you sell to that it has Bermuda Grass clippings in it.

Citrus trees do not like to have their soil amended or to be mulched .
Direct your energy towards your vegetable garden and in ground flowers and shrubs . They will adore improved soil and mulch !
Good luck to you and keep us posted .

Very amusing thread.

By the way, I did once bring home llama manure, contributed by Howie the Llama. And therefore I can definitively respond to jeannie7's query about why llama manure is not offered for sale.

I took that manure from Howie's farm to my small town backyard compost pile and immediately the small town smelled like the stinkiest zoo you can imagine. It was embarassing and not a good advertisement for composting. It made lovely stuff though, in the long run...

Love these discussions. So, might as well subject myself to some "feedback learning" here.

I have chickens - in a fairly ritzy suberb. The place actually sits next to a canyon - with a not-so-ritzy wild animal preserve - critters - possums, coyotes, skunks, rats, hawks, etc. The big concern is trying to keep the odors at home, from my own critter chickens - like flies, etc., and use the manure healthily in my back yard filled with fruit trees, and vegetable planters.

As I clean the chicken "offerings" every day - then put this into a garbage can of water as fly deterrant - works OK. This in turn is added to a freshly made compost pile. I shred as much of my waste as possible with a large, old, but very efficient home shredder (Kemp). As a result of such finely ground material, and the added watered-down chicken manure, the pile heats up and decomposes FAST.

I'm still wondering if the added fresh manure has had time to age - when the rest of the compost decays so rapidly. Normally, I would accept the fact that a hot compost pile would neutralize most everything, but in this instance - particularly with reading so many postings on the subject - I am now wondering - again.

Would appreciate your in-put.

Bejay