Calibrating and Operating Manure Spreaders

D etermining the agronomic rate of manure and wastewater application is important for nutrient management planning. However, manure and wastewater application equipment must also be calibrated to insure that nutrients are applied at agronomic rates. The purpose of this guide is to outline simplified methods to calibrate manure spreaders. The methods described in this guide are based on determining the load (or amount of manure in the spreader) and area covered by the load. This guide can be used alone or as a companion guide to the video titled Calibrating Manure Spreaders.