What defines a violation of the manure application law?

• A. Surface application on saturated soil without incorporation, injection, or being applied to a growing crop
• B. Surface application during drought
• C. Surface application on dry soil
• D. Applying fertilizer without a label

Answer: (A)

Understanding manure application rules centers on protecting water quality by reducing runoff and nutrient loss. The scenario that constitutes a violation is when manure is surface-applied on soil that is saturated or flooded and not incorporated into the soil, injected, or applied to a growing crop. Saturated soil can't take in more manure effectively, so surface application without one of those protective methods greatly increases the risk that nutrients will run off into waterways or leach underground. The law requires one of those practices to minimize environmental impact, so this situation is a violation.

Applying on drought or on dry soil isn’t automatically a violation because the key issue the rule targets is preventing runoff and nutrient loss when conditions make incorporation or immediate uptake necessary. And applying fertilizer without a label is a separate regulatory violation tied to product labeling, not the specific application method described by the manure law.