The annual winter manure spreading ban begins at midnight on Friday, December 15 and lastsuntil midnight on March 31st. This ban on spreading manure or other agricultural waste through the winter months is designed to protect water quality. The Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) also prohibit manure spreading on saturated, frozen or snow-covered ground before or after the ban.
By law, farmers need to ensure that their manure storage is drawn down enough for the duration of the winter spreading ban or that they can stack solid manure in a way that will not lead to water quality impacts. Medium and Large Farm Operations are required by rule to have 180 days of waste storage capacity.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is aware that farms across Vermont experienced unprecedented rainfall this summer, which has reduced manure spreading windows and stressed manure storage capacity. However, the winter manure spreading ban is still in place.
If you anticipate having an issue before or during the ban, please contact Nate Sands at 802-224-6850 or Laura DiPietro 802-595-1990 for assistance with manure management options. Reach out as soon as possible – the earlier you communicate with us, the more time we all have to engage in a solution.
Solutions often include helping to identify additional storage locations or other alternative options. An emergency exemption issued by the Secretary of Agriculture for winter manure spreading during the ban or on frozen or snow-covered ground may be considered for emergency situations. However, this emergency exemption is a last resort. The Agency will always seek alternative solutions where possible before issuing an exemption. Regardless of exemption, under NO circumstance can manure or agricultural waste ever make its way to surface water.
Please reach out now so we can help you resolve any manure storage and application concerns before they become an issue.