Manure production rates by finishing cattle in deep-pit cattle barns for the Northern Great Plains

Abstract. Deep-pit cattle confinement buildings are increasingly popular in the Northern Great Plains. For manure storage capacity design, there is a need to update manure production values, accounting for the size and type of modern finishing cattle in the region. Working with producers, monthly manure depth measurements will be collected from four pens in each of three barns, and the manure production volumes calculated. Supplemental data include animal size and type, feed ration, and weather data (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity). These production estimates will inform nutrient and environmental modeling efforts for cattle production in the Northern Great Plains and beyond.