The fair is over. Now what are you going to do with all that manure?

The fair is over. The show box is finally unpacked. The show clothes are headed for the laundry. The animals are back home. And, if you're the one responsible for cleaning the barn, you're probably looking at one thing with a mixture of satisfaction and dread: a whole lot of manure.

For 4-H and FFA families, the end of summer fair season is something of a rite of passage. After weeks of washing, feeding, bedding, practicing showmanship and getting animals ready for their big moment, it's time to turn everyone's attention back to the barn. And while cleaning out pens may not be the most glamorous part of livestock ownership, there is a silver lining: that manure is a nutrient resource.

Fall can be a great time to put it to work. Whether you're farming hundreds of acres, raising a few head of livestock, or helping a 4-H or FFA member care for a couple of animals, the goal is the same: get that manure out of the barn and onto the land in a way that benefits the soil instead of becoming a problem for nearby water.

It's tempting to look at a freshly cleaned-out barn and think, “Where can I get rid of this?” A better question is, “Where can my soil actually use this?” Manure contains valuable nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. But not every field—or every part of a field—needs the same amount.

That's where a soil test can make a big difference. A soil test can help you identify areas that need additional nutrients and, just as importantly, areas where adding more manure isn't necessary. After all, the goal isn't to put as much manure on the ground as possible. It's to put the right amount in the right place.

The same goes for the manure itself. Manure nutrient levels can vary quite a bit depending on the livestock, bedding, storage and handling. A manure analysis can give you a much better idea of exactly what you're working with and help you make smarter application decisions.

When you're deciding where to spread, put yourself in the shoes—or perhaps the tiny webbed feet—of a raindrop. Where would you go?

Avoid areas where manure could easily move downhill into a stream, ditch, pond or other waterway. Stay away from sensitive areas and follow required setbacks. Choose fields with good soil conditions and lower runoff risk whenever possible.

And pay attention to the weather. A nice fall day with dry, workable soil can be an excellent opportunity to get manure applied. A saturated field with a major rainstorm headed your way? That's probably a good day to leave the spreader parked. Frozen, snow-covered or saturated soils present a much greater risk of runoff, so don't wait until you're desperate to empty the barn before thinking about where that manure will go.

And yes, this applies to the little guys, too. Good manure management isn't just for large livestock farms. 

Maybe your family raises a few market hogs for the county fair. Maybe there's a steer standing in the barn, a handful of sheep in the pasture or a couple of horses behind the house. You may not have a semi, a 6,000-gallon tanker and 500 acres—but you still have nutrients to manage. 

That's where Ashland SWCD can help. Ashland SWCD offers soil testing to help you figure out what your soil needs. We can even help connect you with cost share opportunities to help cover the cost in many cases. We also offer manure testing, so you can better understand the nutrients you're working with.

And if the words “manure spreader” make you picture a giant piece of equipment that definitely won't fit in your barnyard, we've got you covered there, too. Ashland SWCD rents a small, ground-driven manure spreader that's perfect for small farms, hobby livestock owners and those post-fair barn clean outs. It can help turn that mountain of manure sitting behind the barn into a useful source of nutrients for your soil.

So, as the last ribbons are tucked away, the fair photos are posted and everyone finally gets a little break from the summer livestock routine, don't forget about the less glamorous part of the season finale.

Clean out the barn. Test the soil. Know your manure. Pick the right place. Watch the weather. And keep nutrients where they belong—in your soil, not in your streams.

Because the fair may be over, but your animals' contribution to the farm doesn't have to be. That pile behind the barn isn't just something to get rid of. It's next year's fertility waiting to happen.

And if you're not sure how to put it to work, give Ashland SWCD a call. We're happy to help—whether you've got 500 acres or five.