Well, first of all, thanks for reading my garden column. In general, if you buy compost in our area, then composted dairy manure, or sometimes called "washed" dairy manure from an organic dairy farm, is better than steer manure if you are concerned with the possibility of medications or other veterinary chemicals in your compost. Rabbit manure and worm manure, called "worm castings", are also preferred by some gardeners. The things to watch for if you are buying a compost or a mulch is material that is full of weed seeds, sometimes from horse manure or material that is still "hot" or full of strong nitrogen such as fresh chicken manure. Manures that have not had time to compost or cool down can burn plants, especially young and newly emerging seedlings. I cannot give specific recommendations for compost where you live, but I do recommend you talk to local gardeners, such as your Master Gardener association, to get their experience in finding local weed-free compost.  Keep growing, Marianne Binetti