In pits that are not mixed, manure solids, which contain most of the phosphorus, tend to settle to the bottom. If you apply manure throughout the year, you may want to take samples several times during the year to see if the manure nutrient content changes. Ship samples early in the week to avoid having them sit over the weekend. Freezing or refrigerating the samples prior to shipping helps preserve the samples during transport. Do not place manure samples in glass containers .
Gas expansion creates pressure that can cause glass containers to explode.
Contact the laboratory for further information. Once a baseline of manure nutrient information has been established, you probably only need to send in one or two samples per year. Have additional samples analyzed if you make significant changes in livestock feeding, watering, or housing. With this sampling method you may be done spreading before you receive the laboratory manure nutrient analysis report. You can still credit the nutrients in manure applied after you get the test results if you know the manure application rate.