Manure is animal waste, especially from farm animals like cows, horses, chickens, and pigs, that farmers use to fertilize their crops and gardens. While it might seem strange to spread animal poop on plants, manure is packed with nutrients that help vegetables, fruits, and other crops grow stronger and healthier.

Fresh manure is too strong and can actually harm plants, so farmers usually let it age or compost for several months first. During this time, it breaks down and becomes rich, crumbly material that looks more like dark soil than waste. When mixed into the ground, composted manure feeds the soil with nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients that plants need.

Before chemical fertilizers became common in the 1900s, manure was one of the most important resources on any farm. Farmers carefully collected and saved it, knowing that good manure meant good harvests. Even today, many farmers and gardeners prefer manure because it improves soil quality in ways that chemical fertilizers cannot.

You might also hear manure used as a verb, as in “to manure the garden.”