The evaluation of time and rate of manure addition to grassland agri-ecosystems was initiated after a manure management survey of Nova Scotia beef and dairy producers.  Results of the survey indicated that farmers tended to spread their manure on the same land, in close proximity to their barns, year after year.   The majority of the manure (~80%) was surface applied to forage land.  Among the respondents, it was noted that application of the manure was equally distributed among spring, summer (after 1^st cut), early fall (after 2^nd cut) and late fall (early November).   In many places, including Nova Scotia, the nutrient availability of manure is discounted if it is applied in the fall. The purpose of this trial was to determine the nutrient availability of semi-solid beef manure applied at different times of the year. Two experiments were established in 1995 on pure timothy stands on dykeland and upland soils at the Nappan Research Farm.  The experiments were arranged in a latin square split plot design with five replications.  The main plots of the latin square were manure surface applied in either the spring, summer, early fall and late fall each year for 10 yr and spring applied fertilizer N.  Within each main manure plot, application rates (0 , 75, 150, and 300 kg N ha^-1) of semi-solid beef manure  and one rate of liquid cattle manure (150 kg N ha^-1) were randomized.  This was compared to fertilizer applied in the spring at (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200kg N ha^-1).  A variety of weather conditions were encompassed during the 10 years of this trial. There was little effect of time of year of surface application of semi-solid beef manure on forage yield or uptake of N or P.