Feedlot manure would not be my first choice. I should say though... there are a lot of grazing cattle where I live, so I've never had to make the decision.

When I planted an orchard of over 150 trees I used about 1700 pounds of dairy and feedlot manure per tree in a circle around the newly planted tree. The soil became teeming with worms, it drained well, and the trees thrived. This was in an area with very limited precipitation, so the manure helped greatly to increase the water holding properties of the soil, and fostered an active soil web. I was somewhat concerned about potential issues associated with the salts in the manure, but never did see an issue. over the years, the orchard became a thriving microcosm of soil and plant life triggered by the large organic input.

I'd personally not be concerned about any antibiotics or other medications. In my experience, the active and healthy soil web deals with any residues in a timely manner. I also talked to the managers of the lots where I got my manure and found that they rarely used any such medications anyway. They were also quite knowledgeable about the effects of their medicine choices on the manure. After all, it was their responsibility to dispose of the manure properly; if it was contaminated it would lead to disposal problems.

I was generally able to get composted manure from the lots. This product usually had a few rocks from being scraped off the ground, but generally no other foreign matter. Cost was always free: they need to dispose of the material. For $5 they would load a pickup with as much as you wanted with a tractor.

Renais

you need to be concerned about the pesticides surviving in the manure. It has happened to thousands. The antibiotics and hormones will be degraded.

glib is right about residues in the manure. Persistent herbicides in some feed have contaminated some piles of manure for years after feeding. In our area there are several large sources of manure which cannot be used in gardens because of the herbicides.

There are some fairly easy tests that one can do at home to test for the problem herbicides. If you have any doubt, these simple tests are well worth it. Once the problem manure is mixed in the soil, it may be years before the residues are gone.

The feedlots and dairies in our area are pretty careful not to buy feed with these herbicides because they would be left with manure they could not readily dispose of. The standard disposal method for their manure is to spread x tons per acre of manure in the fall over nearby fields. Horse stables and llama facilities are a different story: they seem to still be using problem feeds.

Renais

There are some very good materials available on the web regarding the value of manure as a fertilizer and organic addition. http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/Cattlemen'sConference/gainingvaluefrombeeffeedlotmanure.pdf has data on production and nutrient content. http://animalwaste.okstate.edu/nutrient-availability/f-2250web.pdf from Oklahoma has good management guidelines.

If I had the time, money and energy, I would mix the manure with plant materials and compost the resulting mix. However, it would mean a huge increase in labor to do so. I prefer to put the organic materials in the soil and let nature take its course. The soil food web is more than able to handle the load. An additional composting operation for me would mean I would not be able to amend as much as I do.

Renais

There is a big difference between dairy manure and feedlot manure. One is from fertile unaltered cows and the other is from fixed steer. One effect from gelding males to then raise as fast bulking meat animals is it tends to cause a narrowed urethra. Heavy proportions of grains supplied in feedlots tend to cause calculi to form. They can completely block urination (see: waterbelly) and fatally affect the valuable little beasts.

Fortunately, cattle will kill for salt, so they mix it in their food as well as post salt licks everywhere. Thus they drink a lot and urinate a lot, which ameliorates the calculi/urethra problem. A lot. Salt won't really metabolize in such amounts so where does it all go? Into that thick layer of packed anaerobic manure on the ground. Then to the compost maker company. Then into bags. Then into your garden.

Which shouldn't be a problem, except that sometimes people will overdo it and plants sensitive to salt can suffer; a little bit or a lot.

Odd fact: Marion Robert Morrison once owned a feedlot just north of Tucson.

Commercial feedlots regularly include large amounts of antibiotics in the animal feed to aid in disease prevention because of the very unsanitary conditions of having large numbers of cattle in small areas and to aid in weight gain. The amounts of antibiotics are large enough to cause concern about development among the disease pathogens from the Center for Disease Control and Food and Drug Administration that they have started studies about that.

For many years using animal manure from feedlots has not been acceptable to true organic growers.

kimmq is kimmsr

For years, while our horses were alive, we had an endless supply of manure. Now I rely on compost, aquarium water from the goldfish tank, and leaf litter, grass clippings, and rabbit, deer, and bird droppings that nature provides.

I wouldn't touch feedlot manure with a ten foot pole. It is anything but organic. I don't eat meat from animals that have been fed antibiotics, growth hormones, and GM corn grown in a chemical bath of pesticides and herbicides (both for health and humane reasons) and I won't use the toxic manure from these poor animals on my land. I also don't want to reward the factory farm industry by buying any of their products

Thanks to everyone for replying with such useful and informative info, I really appreciate it.

I contacted the compost company and they swear blind that, despite what it may say on the packaging, the manure is in fact sourced from a local Zulu chief / landowner's herd. This means the cattle range far and wide all day and are only herded into a secure enclosure overnight. Good news.

It also means the cattle are probably a South African breed called Nguni. Nguni are renowned for their toughness and survival skills, so I wouldn't expect them to get much extra feed at all.

If anyone's interested, here's some info:

http://www.nguni.info/nguni_facts.htm

Thanks again to everyone who commented.... I learnt a lot from reading through your replies.

This is a good example of why it is important when posting a question here to include your location.

kimmq is kimmsr

devin, if you don't mind me asking...

Here in the U.S., almost all manure-borne parasites and pathogens have been eradicated - or are, at least, extremely rare. We have a few pathogens that are still around (e coli, salmonella,) but there are other countries where manure-borne disease is much more prevalent. Because of the much higher prevalence, people in other countries need be far more aware of such problems than are Americans. How good is your country at awareness programs, and are worms/parasites/pathogens a persistent problem?

This is just a theory, I can't prove or disprove it, but I tend to believe it is possible: Feedlot cattle are bought to weight much quicker now through growth hormones and other practices, this changes the chemistry in the cows stomach both PH wise and micro bio activity wise. It supposedly makes pathogens like E-coli and Salmonella more likely, especially when the waste is not properly handled and composted.

rgreen48,

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I've had endless computer troubles.

Yes, we do have some critters here in SA. So hot composting chicken litter, etc. is a pretty good idea. As far as awareness goes, I'm not really sure.... There was a splash in the national papers a few years back about a chef dying from liver fluke after harvesting wild watercress. But that kind of infection is super, super rare.

I do know some permaculture types who run chicken 'tractors' over their veg beds before planting, and I haven't heard of anyone coming a cropper from pathogens.

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the update devin, I hope you have your computer issues sorted. I'm glad S.A. has fewer problems with disease organisms than much of the continent. I only have biology class, and what little news we get about the conditions to go by. But like the presence of the Fluke worm, I know Africa has a wide range of climates, and many areas with sanitation trouble that does little to prevent soil, or manure borne organisms. It's good that S.A. has better conditions than some of the other places. Enjoy your Winter months!

Thanks for the well wishes. Yes, my computer's sorted and I am very much
looking forward to some cooler weather. Just to mention that we do have
river pollution problems - between mining waste and communities
with poor sanitation, it can be pretty serious. All this is accentuated by the
"worst since records began" drought we're going through at the moment.
That being said, I do need to mention for team SA's sake that our
commercial agriculture sector has very high food safety standards. Thanks again.