The livestock manure that ran from farm fields into Wisconsin streams earlier this year has caught the attention of state officials.

As a Dane County task force prepares its recommendations for handling manure runoff, two state departments are bringing together industry and environmental experts to look at the problem around Wisconsin.

The state task force will look at short-term fixes as well as long-range strategies for transforming manure from a threat to state streams into a source of sustainable profits for farmers, said Rod Nilsestuen, secretary of the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

"These (runoff) incidents are not acceptable, and solutions are needed for farmers across Wisconsin," Nilsestuen said.

In recent months, there have been 30 cases of manure spills and runoff. They have killed fish, contaminated wells and racked up cleanup costs of millions of dollars, said Scott Hassett, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources. Most farmers responsible for the incidents have cooperated with the state agency over spills, but six cases have been handed to the state Department of Justice for prosecution, he said.

"We had a bad spring for this," Hassett said, pointing to a series of thaws and freezes.

The 16-member state task force includes representatives from groups ranging from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation to Midwest Environmental Advocates, a law firm that has criticized big farms for their manure handling.

Meanwhile, Dane County is moving ahead with efforts to become the first county in the state to adopt its own manure- spreading regulations. A task force of farmers, environmentalists and local officials created by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk will present its recommendations to the County Board on June 16.

Those recommendations, according to Brett Hulsey, task force chairman, will include regulations aimed at controlling the spread of manure during winter months when the manure can't be worked into ice-covered fields. The proposal calls for graduated restrictions that would limit spreading on fields with slopes of more than 12 percent. No spreading would be allowed within 300 feet of streams or within 1,000 feet of lakes.

"My sense is this would serve as a model for what the state wants to do," Hulsey said.

Nilsestuen said the state task force will be looking at those same issues and several others:

• Education and licensing of manure haulers.

• Financial liability for farmers and manure haulers.

• Using technologies like methane digesters to generate bio-energy and other products from manure.

Agriculture Department spokesman Jane Larson said manure management might see the same changes as the handling of whey, a product from cheese-making that 20 years ago had to be spread on farm fields like manure. Now new techniques make whey more valuable for use in other products - a welcome change for both businesses and the environment, she said.

Contact reporter Jason Stein at jstein@madison.com or 252-6154 and Ron Seely at 252-6131 or rseely@madison.com.