Muck spreading turns a muck heap back into fertiliser. A contractor loads the heap into a spreader and spreads it thinly across your fields, so the heap goes and the grass gets the nutrients. It also suits anyone who wants farmyard manure or compost brought in and spread.
A loader, often a tractor with a front loader or a telehandler, fills a muck spreader from the heap. The spreader’s beaters shred the muck and throw it out behind in an even layer as the tractor drives up and down the field.
Well rotted muck spreads evenly and breaks down quickly. Fresh muck with a lot of straw or shavings in it is lumpier, takes longer to break down and can smother the grass if it goes on too thickly.
If there is no heap on site, some contractors can supply farmyard manure or compost and spread it, which they will price per load or per tonne.
Late winter and early spring, before the grass gets going, is the usual time, along with late summer after a cut of hay. The ground needs to be firm enough to carry a loaded spreader without rutting.
Don’t spread on waterlogged, flooded, frozen or snow-covered ground, or close to ditches, streams and wells. In a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone there are closed periods and limits on how much manure can go on each year. Check the current rules on GOV.UK if your land is in an NVZ.