Comments on: Garden Amendments: Composted Cow Manure and The Commando Garden

By: Adina

Adina — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:14:40 +0000

Thanks for your comment Ckim.

By: Ckim

Ckim — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:07:15 +0000

Thanks for this article, but you should state more information about the value of cow manure compost(we know that the value is related to the raw material be producing compost). I hope this information is very usefull for our scientists in agriculture and natural resurce development.

By: Adina

Adina — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:34:11 +0000

Thanks for your comment Kim. Cow manure is awesome. I prefer mine off of pasture though. I wouldn’t refuse feed lot manure, but I would compost it for a very long time. When cattle are confined off of pasture and fed grains like corn they tend to get ill as their rumens are not designed for primarily grain diets, and especially high sugar corn. If they are not dosed with antibiotics then the E. coli flourish and you wind up with either lots of antibiotics or lots of E. coli in your manure. Both of which over time the myriad compost organisms working on the manure will eventually destroy. This is why I would compost feed lot manure for a very long time.
I would not be as worried about dairy cow manure off of the milking lot if the cows are otherwise on pasture.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:39:18 +0000

I thought I would just add a comment about cow manure. Stockyards and feedlots both have a large amount of cow manure that is just waiting for someone to compost (sometimes it has even been stacked for such a long time that it has turned into the ideal black soil). Often times, the feedlot or stockyard owners do not even charge for someone to come pick up a truck full. I just recently put in a new garden bed, and did not want to spend a small fortune on soil; the stockyards was willing to load my truck twice with cow manure, and even invited me to come back.

By: Adina

Adina — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:43:28 +0000

Chuck, Your neighbor’s offer seems reasonable, and it is a pretty trouble free opportunity to be done with the whole thing for you. I guess I am wondering if your neighbor is going to use and or share it all or resell it.
You might try going on to Craig’s List in your county or area to get an accurate idea of what local people are paying for manure by the truck load.

By: Chuck Southerland

Chuck Southerland — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:04:12 +0000

Thank you for your comment, I had a neighbor aproach me and is willing to buy the whole lot of it. Do you think $1000 is reasonable or is ther an organization or company that i could get an accurate price per yard. delivered. I would like to put an add in the suburban papers. I have a 6yrd dump trailer.

By: Adina

Adina — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:22:52 +0000

Hi Chuck, It sounds like you hit gold twice. If you are in a purely rural area, the manure may not be worth much, because your neighbors may be giving it away. However if you have a resource for advertising the cow compost to urban or suburban dwellers, and you are willing to deliver, I think you can get whatever people are willing to pay. Bagged and labeled for sale at a green market you could get from $4 to $16 for a cubic foot and a half. I have no idea what to tell you about the yard price except that I have noticed that anything by the truck load is much more costly if delivered. Given that it is the by product from your timber project you have the opportunity to make some quick cash and make some people and some gardens very happy. It sounds like a win/win proposition.

By: Chuck Southerland

Chuck Southerland — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:54:17 +0000

I just toojk down a 120yr old barn for its timbers and descovered 800 yrds. of cow compost. I am not a farmer but i have many people inquiring about the product. How much shoul I sell it for by the yrd?

By: Adina

Adina — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:19:54 +0000

Thanks for your comment Danny. It is obvious that my article does not make it clear what the commando garden is. The commando garden is the garden you plant and grow right into the bag of composted cow manure on the ground or on a raised surface.

By: Daniel R. Lehrman

Daniel R. Lehrman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:33:12 +0000

Very interesting and useful info. What is a commando garden? Can you do a post on one with some pictures?

By: Adina

Adina — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:59:30 +0000

Thanks for your comment Dorothy.

By: Dorothy Weinstein

Dorothy Weinstein — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:23:49 +0000

Interesting about cow manure and commando gardens. Learn something every day! Thanks, Adina!