The use of various floating covers on commercial manure storage units to control odour and H2S emissions was evaluated and the management requirements to maintain the covers were identified. When applying the straw there were problems in covering the whole surface in certain sections and it was difficult to judge straw depth. The average cost of the straw used was $0.08/ft 2 ($0.80/m 2), not including application, while the cost of the geotextile was ~$0.40/ft 2 ($4.00/m 2), including application. The straw stayed afloat from two to four months and did not cause any problems when the storage units were agitated and pumped in the autumn. The geotextile cover was ‘peeled’ back during the pump out process in the autumn which did make the process more difficult and time consuming. It was concluded that straw offers producers at least a short term solution to odour and H2S emission problems while a geotextile cover offers a longer term solution but at a greater cost and requires more maintenance.