MADISON – With snow melting and rain falling on frozen soil, Wisconsin’s Runoff Risk Advisory
Forecast is completely pink today, meaning the risk of manure runoff is severe statewide.
DATCP encourages farmers to keep this in mind as they consider emptying manure storage that may be
full. Spreading manure while the risk of runoff is severe could cause manure runoff into streams,
threatening water quality.
At the click of a mouse, farmers can check the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast, available online at
manureadvisorysystem.wi.gov, for the latest information on spreading risks. The runoff forecast
provides maps showing short-term runoff risk for daily application planning, taking into account soil
saturation and temperature, weather forecast, snow and crop cover, and slope. It is updated three times
daily by the National Weather Service.
“It’s always a bad idea to spread manure during high-risk runoff times, and we strongly advise against
it,” says Richard Castelnuovo, chief of resource management with the Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Farmers should contact their crop consultants, county
land conservation offices, or the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 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. You can find contact
information for county conservation offices in the WI Land + Water Directory at
http://wisconsinlandwater.org.
Farmers should always have an emergency plan in place in case of manure spills or runoff. The plan
should include who to call and what steps to take if runoff or a spill occurs, how to clean it up, and
perhaps most important, how to prevent it from happening. Information about preventing and planning
for manure spills is available at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/agbusiness/manurespills.html.
