Michigan Farmers Have Been Banned From Spreading Manure During Winter

It's something people on farms don't really think about until the question is posed to them: What do farmers do with all the farm animals' manure during the wintertime? Considering it is below freezing for months at a time and there are multiple inches of snow on the ground, it's not like the animals are heading out to the fields to defecate.

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In fact, the status quo in Michigan has been that manure spreading was highly discouraged and subject to strict guidelines, with most farmers storing their manure until the winter months were over.

Now, a new change to those guidelines no longer gives farmers a choice about what to do with the manure, since Michigan has become one of the first states to ban the spread of manure during the winter altogether, including selling or transferring it elsewhere (manifesting).

Why Has Manure Spreading Been Banned?

According to Farm Progress, the ban comes straight from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). It is intended to "reduce the nutrient runoff into waterways during the winter months," aiming to prevent melted excrement-contaminated snow from reaching water sources. The ban makes it illegal to spread mulch from January to March 19th.

Previously, spreading manure was allowed in two instances: early winter, when the risk of sudden snowmelt was lowest, and on flat fields far from water sources. However, since the ground is frozen and no crops are growing to take advantage of the spread manure, the manure stays on the surface and contaminates the area.

Michigan's ban joins a growing list of states with restrictions on winter manure spreading. However, many farmers think the new rules are out of touch with the realities of owning a farm and caring for animals.