By the time we are ready to spread it onto the pasture, it has a very sweet and pleasant smell and is ready to do great things for the pasture. We sprinkle a one pound coffee can full of our preferred pasture grass seed on top of every spreader load of composted manure before it is applied to the pasture. This way, each grass seed sticks to a clump of compost and has the optimum conditions for germinating. It also reduces the number of times we drive over the pasture. The timing of spreading manure on the pasture is quite critical.
Many farmers consider the best time to spread manure is whenever the spreader is full.
We feel that the best time is after the worst heat of summer has past and early enough so that the new grass can germinate and establish itself before the cold weather of winter sets in. We have determined that the third week of August is the best time for our farm on a mountain in central Vermont. We always pray for a lot of snow to insulate the grass from the coldest weather we get. We usually concentrate on improving a couple of pastures each year. They are taken out of the rotation after being spread and are grazed lightly the following year.