Over the next few years, most livestock producers in the US will be required to develop and implement whole-farm nutrient management plans that include an accounting of where, when and how much manure is land-applied. During the period April 2002 to October 2004 manure land-spreading practices were determined on 54 typical dairy farms located in the hilly southwest, undulating south-central and relatively flat northeast regions of Wisconsin. Manure management on dairy farms depends on (1) the amount of manure actually collected, and therefore that needs to be land-spread; (2) the presence of manure storage; (3) labor availability and machinery capacity for manure spreading; (4) variations in the manure spreading window, or days that manure can be spread given regional differences in weather and soil conditions; and (5) distances between where manure is produced and fields where manure is applied. Although Wisconsin dairy farmers face these and other challenges, most appear to be adhering already to proposed manure management standards. For example, most (80-90%) of the cropland area operated by Wisconsin dairy farmers is not situated in Surface Water Quality Management Areas (SWQMA). Of total annual manure applications, only 10-25% occur during winter, most (75-95%) of which are outside the SWQMA. Data variability suggests that relatively few farms have to change current practices to comply with proposed manure management standards. A follow-up survey revealed that many farmers who winter-spread manure in SWQMA would be willing and able to change the timing and location of manure application to comply with proposed standards. Others, especially farms having small to medium herd sizes would require special assistance in managing manure in SWQMA to reduce the risk of impairing surface and ground water quality.