Why CNMPs?

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Why CNMPs?

• Rich Koenig
• Soil Specialist
• Utah State University

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Situation

• You are out on the farm telling a producer he/she
  needs to develop a CNMP
• He/she asks
• Why?

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How do you respond?
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Response message

• You have to do this to qualify for government
  cost-share money
• This is just another government program. Develop
  the thing, put it on the shelf, and you will be
  okay
• (if its done properly) A management plan (of
  which a CNMP is part) might help you and your
  operation be more profitable, run smoothly, be
  sustainable

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Consider...

• How you respond and the message you send will
  determine the success or failure of this program
• This may very well be the most important step
• Convincing the producer of the need and value of
  a CNMP
• Getting producer buy-in or ownership

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Consider

• The success of this program will not be measured
  in the number of plans prepared but in the
  impacts
• Implementation and documentation
• Water quality impacts

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Why CNMPs?

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Why CNMPs

• Many complex issues driving livestock industry
  regulations
• The National Strategy does a poor job of making
  the case for CNMPs

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Why CNMPs?

• Water quality issues
• Social/political issues
• Government regulation issues
• Environmental stewardship issues
• Economic issues

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Water quality issues

• Pfisteria
• Eutrophication
• Nitrates, phosphates,
• pesticides, bacteria
• State 303d lists
• Public experience and perception
• Direct proof of agricultures contribution to
  water quality problems

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California Dairy example

• 5 San Joaquin Valley Dairies, 1000 AU and 125
  acres each
• 44 shallow groundwater monitoring wells around
  facilities
• Nitrate-N levels frequently as high as 100 mg/L
• Why?
• Sandy soils
• Residual soil nitrogen levels as high as 1000 lb
  N/acre
• No credit given for manure and wastewater N

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Social/political issues

• The world is becoming more crowded, putting more
  pressure on limited resources
• What once was okay now may not be
• Generally, greater environmental awareness on the
  part of the public
• Farmers comprise less than 5 of the U.S.
  population
• Third party lawsuits
• Point source industries point to farmers and say
  clean up your act, we did

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Government regulation

• Clean Water Act
• Cant pollute water
• State regulations
• Cant pollute water
• National AFO Strategy
• Voluntary program or
• Last chance for animal agriculture to clean up
  its act

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Environmental stewardship

• The role and image of farmers as environmental
  stewards
• Need for documentation or proof of environmental
  stewardship
• If you dont know, cant document, cant
  prove, etc., why should I believe you are an
  good environmental steward?

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Economic issues

• Managing agricultural wastes (manure, etc.) is a
  net cost
• Cost of livestock waste management is not
  accurately reflected in the price of the
  commodities
• Dairy example (B. Godfrey, USU)
• Cost 200 per cow per year
• Cost 1.10 per 100 lb milk

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CORE 4 Data
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Economic issues

• Managing agricultural wastes as a resource can
  reduce the cost, but there is still a net cost
• Dairy example
• N and P value 56 per cow per year
• N and P value 0.31 per 100 lb milk

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Why CNMPs?