KCD maintains a list of livestock owners who provide surplus manure for free to people seeking aged manure and/or mulch. Manure Match is a simple, free way to recycle valuable nutrients and organic matter. Here is some general information on how the program works.
How do you get started with Manure Match?
- Review the program notes below for tips on sharing manure.
- Make arrangements for a vehicle to haul the manure (a regular full-sized pickup truck will work for most people).
- Review the current manure available table below to find a convenient source material that meets your needs.
- Contact the farm you have selected and arrange a time for collection of manure.
- Compost the material at your site. See the links at the bottom of this page for information about composting.
- Once composted, apply as needed to your garden or landscape.
How does the Program Work?
- Determine Your Needs
What quality and mix of material do you need? How much do you need? - Arrange for a Truck
Make arrangements for a vehicle to pick up the manure (a pick-up truck works great). - Select a Source
Review the table of sources to find material that meets your needs and is conveniently located. Scroll down this page to see the embedded table of listings. - Schedule the Pickup
Contact the listed farm to arrange a time. - Compost at Your Site
See the links at the bottom of this page for information about composting. - Use as a Soil Amendment
Once composted, apply as needed in your garden or landscape as a soil amendment.
Questions to Consider When Selecting a Manure Source
- How much manure do you need?
Calculate volume needed ( depth x area). Convert to Cubic Yards (27 cubic feet in one cubic yard). Plan for the number of truck loads required for target volume. Note: most pickups can only handle ¾-1 yard at a time. If you are getting a lot of material, chose a farm with a Loader or plan to spend a lot of time with your shovel loading your truck. - Will you need to pick up the manure during the winter?
Some of the farms have manure piles that are not accessible during the winter (Check “Accessible” column on the source list). - Are you looking for “Aged” or “Fresh” material?
Older material may be closer to “finished compost” than newer material. See the “Age” column. If you want old material, be sure to tell the farmer. Often the oldest material is at the back of the pile and the material at the front of the pile is from yesterday. Let the farmer know what you want; s/he may be able to load the older material for you. It is worth asking on the phone. - What is your end use?
If mulch for landscaping, a manure pile with mostly bedding is a good choice. However, for composting for your garden, a material with little or no bedding is better. Know that some bedding types may compost faster (straw breaks down quicker and cedar shavings take a very long time). As a general rule, a manure to bedding ratio of 1:1 or higher (1:0, 20:1, 3:1, etc.) is more desirable for composting. - Control weeds!
Weeds can be a real problem with some manure piles. Contrary to popular belief, horses don’t “poop” out significantly more weeds than cows. Weeds present in manure piles are generated primarily from seeds of weed plants growing near the manure pile. Keep the pile covered with a tarp to prevent weed seed invasion and to help kick-start the composting process of the pile. Heat and time involved in composting will kill most weed seeds. Because we can’t vouch for the weed seed content of these manure piles, we highly encourage you to cover and compost this material for a month or two before applying it to your garden. - Find a farm.
If you would like to place a notice stating that you are looking for manure, please fill out the form below.
Sign Up to Request Manure or Add Your Farm to Share Manure
If you need manure for your yard or garden, or if you are a livestock owners in King county with surplus manure, submit a request to be added by using the form below:
Submit Your Manure Match Information
For landowners wishing to share their manure or compost more quickly, you may consider contacting the folks that have listed themselves on our “Manure Wanted” table below.
Manure Offered and Manure Wanted Listings
If you cannot see the embedded table below, please click here to view all Manure Match listings.
Note: The Manure Wanted tab shows those seeking manure, and the Manure Offered tab shows manure sources.
Composting Information
Manure Management Overview Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
King County Onsite Livestock Waste Options – External Link
King County Offsite Livestock Waste Options – External Link
Manure Management, King County Natural Yard Care – External Link
WSU Whatcom Soil and Compost – External Link
Horse Manure and Bedding: What Can I Do With It? – External Link
Equipment Share Program
KCD has a two-yard compost spreader available to landowners in our service area. Use of the spreader requires a manure and nutrient management consultation and recent soil test results. The spreader is available from April 1 to September 31.