Description: This chart details manure management practices of Wisconsin dairy farmers in 1997. Dairy farmers were asked where manure was spread and on how many acres of different types of land (e.g., land to be planted to corn, land to be planted to hay or small grains, hayfields, other cropland, pastures). The potential intensity was determined based on total cropland acres operated per animal unit. Actual intensity was determined based on the total acres that were actually spread with manure per animal unit. These results were tabulated for different size classes of dairy farms. The black line (at 1.0 acres per animal unit) indicates University recommended standards for manure spreading, based on nitrogen limits. The graph indicates that most Wisconsin dairy farmers control adequate land for manure spreading, but that most farmers spread manure on a more limited portion of their fields, such that manure is concentrated at levels higher than recommended levels. It is also apparent from this graph that larger farms, in general, are inching closer to threshold levels (compared to smaller farms) in terms of having sufficient land for manure spreading.

Source: PATS Dairy Farmer Poll, 1997.