OFI 868: The Fascinating Business Of Manure Spreading | Chadd Schmidt | 4 Bar S Inc.

Off-Farm Income

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES KEY IDEAS: I have a list of businesses that I like to revisit and get different perspectives from different business owners on. The business of manure spreading is on that list. There is a wide range of complexity in this business. Everywhere that anyone raises livestock there is the need to deal with manure. If you live in the Northeast you might just be dealing with small farmyards. A tractor with a bucket and a PTO driven manure spreader might be all the equipment you need for your business. And then there is the Midwest and all of the cattle on feed plus the massive fields of crop ground that are there. To run a manure spreading business in this region you need big equipment and a lot of it. In today's interview I get to speak with Chadd Schmidt, one of the owners of 4 Bar S Inc. 4 Bar S is a manure spreading and pen cleaning business that Chadd's parents started in the 1980's. Today they are running top of the line, triple axle, manure spreaders that can haul up to 48 ton. And they have four of them! Chadd manages this business with customers ranging from Oklahoma to Nebraska. They are located in Kansas, so they spend a lot of time on the road and staying in hotels during their busy season. There are a lot of cattle on feed all throughout this region, and there is a lot of crop ground supporting this. Chadd and his crew help to turn what would otherwise be wasted nutrients into fertilizer for the next growing season. Chad is very knowledgeable about the nutrient composition of manure as well as the volatility of the different components. And, he talks about the different methods of dealing with manure, including composting on a large scale to cut down on weeds. It is a fascinating interview, and you are really going to enjoy it! CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CHADD: Website: LINK Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard: Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters