On Farm Assessment Environmental Review Program

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On Farm Assessment / Environmental Review
Program
Dale Ricker OSU Swine Extension
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Why Are We Here Today?

• Agriculture has been identified by the
  Environmental Protection Agency as the leading
  source of water quality impairment in the
  Nations rivers.

(National Water Quality Inventory 1994 Report
to Congress)
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Sources of Agriculture-Related Water Pollution

• 1. Non-irrigated Crop Production
• 2. Irrigated Crop Production
• 3. Rangeland
• 4. Pastureland
• 5. Feedlots
• 6. Animal Holding Areas

(National Water Quality Inventory 1994 Report
to Congress)
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1996 Ohio Water Resources Inventory

• Ohio EPA goal Full support of aquatic life uses
  in 75 of Ohios rivers and streams by 2000
• About 1/2 currently meet the criteria now
• Good News Point Source Pollution is decreasing
• Bad News Non-Point Source Pollution is now
  leading cause and target

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882 Impaired waters in Ohio highest number in
region 5
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Understanding Water Quality

• Ohio uses 12 billion gallons of water every day
• Surface Water
• Ave. annual rainfall 38 inches
• Each acre receives 1 million gallons annually
• Most returns to atmosphere, while about 30 runs
  off ---gt rivers, streams, lakes

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Water Quality

• Groundwater
• small amount filters through the earth to the
  water table
• gt 98 fresh water on Earth is ground water
• Drinking water supply for 1/2 U.S. population
• Hydrologic Cycle

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By What Pathways Does Manure Contaminate Water?

• Pollutant
  Pathway
• Nitrate N Leaching and Runoff
• Ammonium N Surface water runoff
• aerial
  deposition
• Phosphorus Surface water
• Pathogens Surface water
• Organic Matter Surface water

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Protecting Surface Wateri. e. not getting from
here to there

• Direct discharges
• Carry-on Nutrients
• Dissolved Nutrients

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Protecting Water Quality

• Groundwater - A moving target
• Soil texture
• Time of the year
• Rain
• Demands
• How Sensitive are you?
• Determine depth to groundwater, well test

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On-Farm Assessment and Environmental Review
(OFAER)

• Why???
• Concerned Citizen groups have organized to sample
  water in streams around livestock operations.
• Its time to evaluate your risk and exposure on
  environmental issues. Do you agree?
• Why not have trained professionals do an
  environmental audit of your operation. What would
  it cost?

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On-Farm Assessment and Environmental Review
(OFAER)

• Documentation of an Environmental Review.
• Funding provided by Americas Clean Water
  Foundation.
• Confidential tracking numbers
• 1600 swine operations have been assessed.
• Expansion of the program to multi-species.

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On Farm Assistance Program

• The on farm assessments provide producers with a
  neutral, third party, comprehensive evaluation of
  water quality risks, odor risk, and other
  environmental challenges.
• Logical partner with EAP and Odor Solutions
  Initiative Endorsed by the USEPA
• Funding provided by the Americas Clean Water
  Foundation.

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Development

• Initial assessment developed by a coalition of
  private, NRCS and Extension engineers
• Pilot tested at ISU Research Farm
• Assessment further refined
• Pilot tested on 24 farms in 4 states in fall of
  1997

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Assessment Components

• The producer initiates participation by
  contacting the state pork producer organization
• Producer completes a detailed form
• Location of operation
• Neighboring land use
• Type of production
• Nutrient management plans
• Land application practices
• Biosecurity measures.

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Assessment Components

• A two-member assessment team of technicians who
  have been trained, tested and certified are
  assigned to complete the on-farm visit.
• On-farm pre-assessment meeting
• Assessors walk through all buildings
• Assessors check all manure
  storage and handling structures
• Assessors review manure
  management plans

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Assessment Components

• Assessors conduct exit interview
• Final report prepared and delivered
• Follow-up phone call or visit may be conducted to
  verify recommendations and implementations
• Random statistical follow up data gathering

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Major Assessment FindingsStrengths and
Challenges

• Five Risk Areas - EAP
• General Site and Location
• Buildings
• Manure Handling and Storage
• Land Application
• Mortality Disposal

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1. General Site Location

• No emergency action plan.
• Rodent and insect control is lacking.
• Site and its drainage ways are not adequate.
• Grading of the production site.
• Used equipment, construction debris, and weeds
  are around the site.

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Emergency Action Plan

• Basic, yet thorough, plan to help you make the
  right decisions during an emergency
• Develop a workable plan.
• Train all farm employees.
• Post emergency numbers by each phone.

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Emergency Action Plan Site Inspection

• Address situations before they become problems.
• Regular inspections
• Application sites
• Storage structure/lagoon
• Liquid level
• Drainage tile

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So whats the big deal if its not a showplace?
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Windbreaks
Reduce lagoon effluent and odor drift from land
application sites
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Grading of the site
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Norway Rat
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House Mouse
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Routine inspection of attic space.
Fecal matter on ledges
Holes in curtains
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Establish buffer zone of gravel
Prevent holes in doors
Bait Stations
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Rodents can serve as vectors/ reservoirs/sources
of diseases

• Salmonellosis
• Leptospirosis
• Swine dysentery
• Brucellosis
• Tuberculosis
• Sarcopitic mange
• Toxoplasmosis

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2. Buildings

• Ventilation fans have dust or dirt that may
  reduce air handling capacity.
• There are no gravel strips around buildings.
• Pen floors and aisles have excessive manure.
• Interior surfaces and equipment have excessive
  dust accumulation.
• Erosion is present around the production areas.

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Is this your pit fan?
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Confinement Buildings

• Dust traps odor and increases odor emissions.
• Feed drops should extend into feeder, add fat to
  feed, wet-dry feeders, pellets.
• Dust on fan motor can increase motor temperature
  by 15 degrees and results in shorter motor life
  and decreased electrical efficiencies.
• Dust on shutters, blades and fan housing can
  reduce rating output by 30.

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Mosquito control will become a much bigger issue
due to West Nile Virus. (29 Ohio Counties In 2001)
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Confinement Buildings

• Stocking density will reflect pig comfort and
  cleanliness of pigs and slats.
• We want the manure to be in the pit as quick as
  possible.
• Clean aisles presence of manure can give flies
  a place to hatch. May 1st 1 fly, June 30 ?
• A fly will lay from 600 to 800 eggs and requires
  from 8 to 14 days to complete the cycle.
• Flies will travel several miles, especially if it
  is windy.

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Management of Flies

• One of the most common neighbor complaints is
  flies. What are the other two?
• Exclusion
• Perimeter chemical sprays
• Repellents
• Remember from where they came

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Health EnvironmentalConcerns for Workers
Animals

• Gases in swine buildings usually include
  ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon
  dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Do these gases
  exist in your facilities and at what levels?
• Dusts contain molds, bacteria, insect parts,
  pollen, grain particles, mineral ash, feed,
  dander, and manure.
• Ammonia dust interaction

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What a Livestock Producer Must Do

• Test air quality before entering a storage or
  treatment facility.
• Portable testing devices are readily available.

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Windbreak May be Needed to Divert Air Up and Away
Ammonia is being exhausted by fans.
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3. Manure Storage and Handling

• There are no appropriate safety signs around the
  access points to manure storages.
• Access to manure storage structures is not
  restricted. No fence or inadequate cover.
• Manure containment berms are not mowed.
• Influent to the manure containment exits the
  transfer pipe above the liquid level of the
  storage.

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What is good and what needs improvement?
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Loading the Lagoon
Maintaining the Lagoon weeds, animal
burrows, and erosion, etc.
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Manure storage is compromised when rain water is
allowed to get in the pit.
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4. Land Application

• The operation has no nutrient management plan and
  or manure management plan. Bulletin 604
• Land application is conducted with big-gun
  irrigation.
• No written records are kept regarding land
  application.
• Soil tests are not conducted to determine land
  application rates.

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Manure Management Plan

• Formal plan that balances the application of
  stored manure to farmland
• Major component of farms CNMP or manure
  management plan
• Do you have a written plan?

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Manure Testing

• First step of Manure Management Plan
• Manure applications are based on samples
  collected on the farm.
• On-farm manure database

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Swine Manure AnalysisVariability of 9 Samples

• Total N 21-52 lbs / 1000 gallon
• NH3-N 11-34 lbs / 1000 gallon
• Phosphate 6.5- 24 lbs / 1000 gallon
• Potash 11-27 lbs / 1000 gallon
• You Have to Test to Know!!!!!
• Source Menke Consulting, Greenville, Ohio

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SWINE MANURE VALUE
NUTRIENT LBS/1000 GAL POTENTIAL
VALUE MOISTURE 8141.70 (96) TOTAL
NITROGEN 43.76 7.88 NH3 - NITROGEN 27.35
(62.5 of N) NO3 - NITROGEN 0.07 PHOSPHORUS -
P 12.68 PHOSPHATE - P2O5 29.05
7.26 POTASSIUM - K 22.29 POTASH - K2O 26.85
3.35 1,000 GAL. TOTAL (N-P-K)
18.49 1,000 head finisher up to 8,000 / yr.
nutrient value
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• Spreader Calibration
• Do you know the rate?
• How about the spreader pattern?

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Equipment Calibration (continued)

• Irrigation
• Verify application rates, travel speeds, and
  precipitation rates.
• Application uniformity
• Verify irrigated area.
• Use 0.01-inch rain gauges.

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Soil Testing

• Monitor soil pH and nutrients.
• Fine tune Manure Utilization Plan.
• Take representative samples.
• Review analysis with technical specialist.

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Stream Bank Management

• Buffers filter/treat
• Sediment
• Nutrients
• Pathogens

Before
After
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Runoff Control
Field borders can reduce the surface movement of
nutrients into nonagricultural land.
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Runoff Control (continued)
Buffer between field edges and ditches can reduce
nutrient movement offsite.
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Runoff Control (continued)
Grassed waterways can reduce nutrient movement to
ditches, streams, and rivers.
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Manure Injection/Incorporation

• Manure is applied directly or tilled into the
  soil.
• Conserves nitrogen
• Minimizes manure runoff
• Minimizes odor

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YOU GOTTA HAVE A PLAN!(Developing a Manure
Nutrient Management Plan)

• Soil test
• Manure test
• Calculate nutrient budget
• Develop a manure nutrient management plan
• Determine the amount and type of commercial
  fertilizer needed to balance the crop diet.

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If you put on to much, there can be big
problems!!!
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Hazards of Manure Handling

• More nutrients than the crop can utilize.
• Too close to waterways, wells, etc.
• Application on frozen ground.
• Leakage or discharge.
• Do you check tile after manure application?

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5. Mortality Management

• Access (human or scavenger) to the mortality
  management area is not controlled.
• The mortality management area is not screened
  from public view.
• The mortality management area is generating
  strong odors.
• The compost pile does not have adequate cover.
• The compost pile is situated on bare ground
  without any infiltration controls.

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Moisture content of 45-60 Temperature of 110 -
150
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Maintain adequate cover
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Summary

• Proactive, non-regulatory approach to
  identification of water quality and odor risk
  areas at your operation.
• Identification of practical, low-cost steps to
  lessen or eliminate environmental risks.
• Producer anonymity and confidentiality
  maintained.
• Free of charge to producer (estimated value of
  2500-3000).

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Change is still an option We resist change
because of the effort it takes. Glenn Grimes
Univ. of Mo.
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Be a winner!!!!!!