Satellite Monitoring Finds Winter Manure Spreading
A new detection system identifies over 1,000 instances of winter waste application across 17 Wisconsin counties.
Updated on Oct. 24, 2026 in Environmental
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The Environmental Law & Policy Center identified 1,094 instances of manure spreading on snow-covered fields across 17 Wisconsin counties. This analysis utilized a proprietary satellite monitoring system to detect agricultural waste patterns over the 2024-2026 winters.
Why it matters
Spreading manure on snow-covered fields creates a high risk for water contamination, as runoff from snowmelt and rainfall carries waste directly into local waterways. This monitoring approach provides a new mechanism for tracking large-scale agricultural practices in real-time.
The detection system operates within the Google Earth Engine platform, utilizing cloud computing to process satellite imagery for unique spectral signatures associated with manure. The system identified 1,094 individual instances of spreading across 17 monitored counties.
The players
Environmental Law & Policy Center
A non-profit advocacy organization that develops data-driven strategies to track agricultural practices and enforce environmental compliance.
Google Earth Engine
A cloud-based platform that hosts massive sets of satellite imagery and geospatial data for global-scale environmental analysis.
The details
The platform analyzes historical satellite data to isolate ground signatures that differ from snow-covered soil. Manure, which often contains high concentrations of organic matter, leaves a distinct visual profile when spread on a frozen landscape. This allows the system to distinguish between typical field conditions and instances where waste has been applied during restricted winter periods.
Timeline
The monitoring system analyzed data collected over two winters from 2024 to 2026.
The Tech Race
This effort represents a shift toward automated remote sensing for agricultural regulatory oversight. It moves beyond traditional manual inspections, which struggle to cover the scale of land governed by the Clean Water Act's nonpoint source pollution provisions.
This technology provides regulators and researchers with a scalable tool to identify winter runoff risks in Wisconsin's agricultural corridors. The system shifts the burden of monitoring from localized, reactive inspections to automated, continuous surveillance across large rural areas.
The takeaway
The Environmental Law & Policy Center has demonstrated that satellite monitoring can effectively identify agricultural waste applications during restricted winter months. Stakeholders should watch for whether these detection findings result in new regional water quality regulations or changes to state-level manure management enforcement.
Further reading
Learn more about the state's efforts to track and manage regional ecology in Environmental.
Source note: This article includes information reported by BGR.
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