The 2017 Nutrient Management Record Keeping Calendars are now available from Nebraska Extension. Tracking manure application rates, part of the calendar’s record keeping tools, is important for getting the maximum crop nutrient value from manure and documenting one’s environmental stewardship.

This easy-to-use record-keeping calendar tracks manure-related records for livestock and cropping operations. Designed to be used by all sizes of livestock operations, it includes all records required for operations permitted for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). It has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a valuable resource for livestock producers. Derek Schreiter, NDEQ inspector, says, “…it’s a simple and organized way to keep monthly records in one place.”

The calendar is free and available by contacting Leslie Johnson, Animal Manure Management Coordinator, or NDEQ.  If you have a 2016 calendar, you may also mail in the postcard found at the end of the calendar to get your 2017 calendar.  It can also be ordered on-line at http://go.unl.edu/nm. To view an electronic sample of the calendar, go to http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec136.pdf.

One example of the kinds of records the calendar will help you maintain are illustrated below. Records of rainfall, storage depth gauge levels, and storage and equipment inspections are an important aspect of required manure and runoff storage records for a NDEQ permit.  These and other records will help you gain value from manure nutrients and document your management of manure.