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Pinedale, WY

I need 120 cubic yards of cow manure, I have a guy that can bring me 2-2 1/2 tons of it. Any idea on how much that is? How much does 1 cubic yard of manure weigh?
Thanks!

11/26/2007 10:29:10 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

I would imagine the weight can differ quite a bit depending on a few factors. If it's fresh it's going to weigh more than composted. Also depends if it is mixed with sawdust etc. or just pure manure.

11/26/2007 11:12:46 PM

Colorado

my friend has a large dump truck.when its full of horse manure (thats on the dry side) his load is 18 yards and it weighs around 20,000lbs.Wet manure is probably 50% heavier than that.

11/27/2007 12:00:54 AM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I'd just like to point out that there are very few places in life where people can have a converstation about the weight of poo and not be insane or intoxicated. I love BigPumpkins.com! :-)

11/27/2007 12:35:21 AM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Well, I don't know about the intoxicated state of everybody here but I have read on this sight quite a few times that we are all definitely insane! lol

11/27/2007 1:35:59 AM

Pinedale, WY

this stuff is coming straight from the dairy, so it will be fresh. Interesting, if 18 yards is 10 ton, and I need 120 yards, and it is going to come 2 ton at a time, then I will need about 35 truckloads, can that be right, it seems like an awful lot of poo? I am filling a space 75'x75' and another spot 25'x25', both will be 12"s deep. Is my math right, that is about 120 cubic yards right?

11/27/2007 3:45:00 AM

use this to check your math:
http://www.mycalculators.com/ca/landmatm.html

Joe is right on with weights/yards,,,fresh to me means wet and heavy.

More important though IMO is why would you add 12" of fresh manure at one time? Hard to incorporate that much and you will be getting that dirt "fat" fast. My suggestion is use a maximum of 4" in any given app and only that much after a soil test and some serious discussion with an agonomist.

11/27/2007 5:35:48 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Create piles that will sit for several years starting your "Compost Bank" .....If I had land thats what I'd do....

Compost piles here are against the law in the city..dang laws..if someone complains anywize......

11/27/2007 9:16:43 AM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

For 12" deep on 75'X75' and 25'X25' you need 231.5 cubic yards. That is an awful lot of poo.

11/27/2007 9:29:42 AM

southwest MO

Do like unkadan says... 12" of fresh manure and you will have a muck pie for a patch...I've hauled many pick up loads of fresh manure.. The weight is extreme... Could go 1,500 pounds per yard or more!!! Do like wiz says and pile the extras...

11/27/2007 9:45:25 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

If you put completely fresh manure, 12" down, you will be trying to grow pumpkins in manure, not soil. You need more than just manure. You would experience some kind of N burn from that much fresh manure. It couldn't break down enough over the winter.

Your OM would be very high (16-20%) that you would likely have major problems holding a pumpkin together until weigh-off.

In general I would say this is a bad idea. For every 1000 square feet, I wouldn't add more than 7-10 yards of manure.

Have you gotten a soil test done? Why do you want to remove the old soil? That is the million dollar question.

11/27/2007 10:11:49 AM

Pinedale, WY

I talked to craig at C&J, after he did a soil test, and he told me to add 3"-5" of fresh in the fall and then let the rest start to compost. If it had broken down enough, then add another 3"-5"'s in the spring. Plus if I have some extra then it can keep composting for the future. No I wasn't going to add 12"'s at once.

11/27/2007 10:23:56 AM

Pinedale, WY

Using unkadan's calculator it comes out to 116 cubic yards. You have to do 50x50, then 25x25 to get the total. If you do 75x75 it comes out 231.5

11/27/2007 10:28:36 AM

North Smithfield, RI USA

Pumpkin Pastor,,, How much area do you have ? 120yds should take care of 40 plants on average.

11/27/2007 5:55:46 PM

Pinedale, WY

I've got 320 acres, but I am only doing about 4 plants. Obviously, I am new at this and still trying to figure things out.

11/28/2007 10:16:51 PM