Wisconsin Ag Connection - DATCP: Don't Let Harvest Rush Lead to Manure Runoff

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DATCP: Don't Let Harvest Rush Lead to Manure Runoff
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 10/18/2018

With farmers working frantically to get caught up with their harvest, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture is reminding producers to take advantage of the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast and follow their nutrient management plans. The agency says rainy planting and growing seasons have stretched into the fall season, making farmers eager to get crops off the fields and spread manure.

"We discourage spreading manure during high-risk runoff times, but if farmers must do so because of lack of storage space, they need to avoid high-risk fields," said DATCP Water Quality Leader Richard Castelnuovo. "We know manure pits may be getting full, especially with all the rain, but it's vital to spread manure when and where it will remain to fertilize crops, and protect lakes, streams and groundwater."

Farmers should contact their crop consultants, county land conservation offices or the Department of Natural Resources for help identifying alternatives to high-risk spreading, such as stacking manure away from lakes or rivers, drinking water wells, or areas with sinkholes or exposed bedrock. If farmers must spread manure, crop consultants and county conservationists can help identify fields where the risk is lower.

The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast is part of the online Wisconsin Manure Management System, which provides maps that are updated three times a day to show short-term manure runoff risk, taking into consideration soil moisture, weather forecast, crop cover, and slope. Farmers can check it to see how risky it will be to spread manure in their watershed basin.

Along with checking the forecast, farmers who have nutrient management plans should be spreading manure based on the plan.

Almost a third of Wisconsin's 9 million acres of cropland is covered by a nutrient management plan.

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