Northwest Iowa — The wet weather and delayed harvest has created problems for area livestock farmers who want to apply manure to fields this fall.
Ken Hessenius of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Field Office in Spencer says the rainfall has also helped fill manure storage areas, and finding a way to draw them down hasn’t been easy.
He says there’s one easy solution they can hope for.
He says there are some other things that can be done to keep full lagoons from overflowing.
He advises livestock producers to take a look at their options and do something before it becomes a crisis.
That can end up doing environmental damage and be costly for producers. Hessenius says there will be issues even if the weather allows crops to be cleared out of fields that are targeted for manure.
Hessenius says the DNR can help farmers figure out a solution for their individual operation.
Hessenius says the dry days will hopefully stretch out awhile and help ease some of the problems.
