Feedlot factoid
Jim and Connie Stannard, Olmsted County, raise what type of livestock? ____________
Answer appears in one of the articles below, and following the Calendar
The MPCA manure management plan (MMP) spreadsheet is among the displays scheduled for the Nutrient Efficiency and Management Conference, Feb. 15, at Jackpot Junction, Morton. The spreadsheet was developed to assist all livestock producers in developing a manure management plan. It describes for the pending crop year how manure can be used in a way that protects surface and groundwater quality, maintains economic benefits, and meets state and federal requirements.
The planner is free, and can be downloaded from the MPCA feedlot program manure management webpage. A manure management plan is required for all feedlots that have or are required to obtain a feedlot permit. Questions or comments about the spreadsheet can be sent to George Schwint, MPCA feedlot engineer, george.schwint @state.mn.us, 320-441-6971. The conference is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Extension, NRCS, MN Ag Water Resources Center, and several commodity groups.
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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency feedlot program is in the process of seeking personnel for five
vacancies in regional offices. Anyone interested in pursuing state
agency employment can search for jobs and enter a resume' on the State
of Minnesota careers webpage. The most recent vacancy occurred when Courtney Ahlers, who had been working in the feedlot program from the MPCA St. Paul office, took a new position
within the MPCA. She is now a water monitoring crew
Leader in the Lakes and Streams Monitoring Unit, Water Monitoring
Section, Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division. In the feedlot program, Courtney helped coordinate staff training, and handled compliance and inspection duties in the counties surrounding the metro area.
Non-NPDES inspection form spreadsheet available for CFOs
An Excel spreadsheet version of the feedlot non-NPDES inspection form is now available as a template on the CFO Toolbox webpage for county feedlot officers. It can be
customized for each and every feedlot inspected. Rather than include all items such as open lots, barns, manure storage areas, feed
storage areas, etc., the checklist can be pared down to only the items
applicable to the individual feedlot. It also includes a feature
that will make electronic data entry much faster by summarizing the inspection
results in a concise way. The entire package is very intuitive and therefore
users should have little trouble adapting to it. Training for county feedlot officers via WebEx on how to use the template will be scheduled in the near future.
WebEx training schedule being developed
The feedlot program training and communications team is working on a
regular schedule of WebEx training for county feedlot staff. The next
training is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 29. A notice
confirming the time will be sent to county feedlot officers prior to
that date. The training topics will include how to use the Delta
database, and the new electronic version of the non-NPDES inspection
form. For future WebEx training, the proposed time is the last Wednesday
of the month at 1
PM for 1.5 hours. On-site CFO meetings are being planned for May
and September in Owatonna, Redwood Falls, Detroit Lakes and Brainerd.
Interagency communication helpful for NPDES inspections
While the delegated county program does not include responsibility for
feedlots with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits,
nevertheless, there are occasions when county feedlot officers conduct
inspections at such sites. These are usually related to county permits,
such as conditional use permits. The current policy allows these
inspections to be counted among the minimum number of inspections that
are required for delegated counties. The joint MPCA-MACFO county
programs team has agreed to continue the policy through 2013; however,
discussion will continue regarding the future. For the time being, good
communication is important, and either state or county staff should
contact the other when planning a NPDES site inspection.
Wabasha County CFO vacancy in discussion
The county feedlot officer vacancy in Wabasha County is still under discussion, according to planning and zoning administrator Kevin Krause, and feedlot program temporary contact. Kevin started in his position in Wabasha County two weeks ago. Previously, he was P and Z administrator for more than 11 years in Price County, Wisconsin. Contact information: kkrause@co.wabasha.mn.us, 651-565-3062.
SE counties host producer meetings
Information meetings hosted by six southeast counties drew 39 livestock producers to meetings in Dodge Center and Faribault recently. Topics included timing of manure application, nitrogen stabilizers for manure, application setbacks
and record-keeping, and closure and abandonment procedures. A third meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 27 in the Fairlane building on the Freeborn County fairgrounds. The programs
were sponsored by county feedlot officers in Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Rice and Steele counties. For more information, contact Dan Vermilyea, dan.vermilyea@co.steele.mn.us, 507-444-7479.
Goodhue: Virginia Westlie
Virginia
Westlie started Jan. 17 as the new county feedlot officer in Goodhue County,
working from the SWCD office. Along with orientation to the feedlot program,
she's already conducted several inspections, and participated in the producer
information meetings conducted jointly by six counties: Goodhue, Dodge, Rice,
Steele, Freeborn, and Mower. A native of Rosemount, Virginia is a 2009 graduate
in animal science from the University of Minnesota. Following graduation, she
went on a dairy tour of Australia, worked as a dairy herdsman, and worked at a
day care center. Contact information: vwestlie@goodhueswcd.org,
651-923-5286.
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Dodge: Chad Knudson
Chad Knudson has been named feedlot program technician in the county environmental services department. Chad joined the department in January 2010, working in the water quality and SSTS areas. Following the retirement of Ken Folie, last summer Chad began doing feedlot inspections. With feedlot technician duties being half-time, Chad continues with SSTS and planning and zoning work. Chad is a 2005 graduate of St. Cloud State University majoring in environmental studies. Following graduation he worked in the gypsy moth program of the Dept. of Agriculture, and for more than four years with the Minnesota Conservation Corps supervising crews working on natural resource projects in southeast Minnesota state parks. Chad is currently enrolled at Colorado State
University in an online degree program, working on a Masters of
Agriculture in Integrated Resource Management. Integrated Resources Management. IRM addresses economic and
environmental variables oriented toward a more sustainable production.
Changes in rural America require agricultural managers to manage land, animal,
human, and natural resources, ensuring both long term profitability and
sustainability of farms, ranches, and rural communities.
Contact information: chad.knudson@co.dodge.mn.us, 507-635-6283.
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In
Olmsted County, Jim Stannard is planning on
retiring in April. For the past 12 years Jim served as county feedlot
technician, working out of the SWCD office. More background is available
in the county profile feature of the October 2010 issue
of Feedlot Update. "It's been a fun job, certainly challenging at times
working with the agency and farmers," Jim says. Leaving full-time work
at the county will make more for helping his wife, Connie, manage their
160-acre farm and buffalo herd. It's a lot of work, Jim says, with a big fencing project
awaiting. "Retirement will also mean more time for Connie and I to do motorcycle cruising and
getting back to working on our '41 Chevrolet. The ultimate car project would be to sell the '41 and find a nice '54 Hudson
Hornet Club Coupe. And I'll probably spend a little more time
fishing the streams in southeast Minnesota as well."
The county likely will name a replacement, perhaps in
collaboration with the SWCD office, Jim says, although they won't be
able to immediately replace all the feedlot program knowledge and
experience that will be leaving with him. |
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A new web-based tool developed by Dr.
William F. Lazarus, Extension Economist and Professor in the Department of
Applied Economics, is now available. The web-based calculator may be used to
compare the economic value of manure from alternative manure application rates
and methods. The value is based on crop nutrient needs for a specific field and
crop rotation, fertilizer prices, manure hauling costs, manure type, and
application method.
In addition to assisting with management of current livestock and crop
operations, the calculator can be useful in budgeting new facilities or
evaluation of contract production through estimating the effect of manure and
manure management on cash flow. The calculations can also assist crop and
livestock producers estimate the value of manure that may be transferred or sold
from one entity to another. More
information is available on the manure economics webpage. - Jose Hernandez
Annual reports for all livestock or
poultry operations with coverage under a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System/State Disposal System (NPDES/SDS) General Permit are due
by March 1, 2012. The report is a requirement under Part V.B.6.
(Page 35) of NPDES/SDS General Permit #MNG440000.
Important Changes to Annual Report Form:
1)
This the new annual report form that must be used for the 2011 reporting year.
2)
The following are new reporting requirements:
- All land application records for non-transferred manure
and process wastewater applied during the previous cropping period.
- All manure transferred during the previous cropping
period.
- All emergency liquid manure applications during the
calendar year.
- All animal holding areas and manure storage areas that
were closed during the calendar year.
- All groundwater monitoring results obtained during the
calendar year.
3)
A 12-month cropping period for 2011 runs from Sept. 1, 2010 to Aug.
31, 2011.
An electronic version of the annual report form is available on the feedlot program forms webpage. The completed form should be sent to the MPCA regional office for the area in
which your facility is located. Do not include the $345 annual permit fee with the annual report. A separate invoice will be sent out for the annual fee.
A total of five comments were received by the Jan. 20 deadline on the process of rule-making for possible changes to the feedlot rule regarding a State Disposal System permit for feedlots. Comments can be received at any time, but those within the deadline are considered official. There will be another official comment period later this year when a draft rule change document is expected to be placed on public notice. Comments received within the deadline came from the Broiler and Egg Association of Minnesota, Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, Minnesota Milk Producers Association, and Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. A link to the complete text of the comments is located on the SDS rule webpage. For more information, see the fact sheet "State Disposal System permit for large feedlots."
MPCA news release, 2/13/12
MPCA news release, 2/9/12
Agri-News, 2/2/12
MPCA news release, 2/6/12
Agri-News, 1/26/12
The Farmer, 1/23/12
Feb. 16: Livestock producer workshop, 10 a.m., Cottonwood County SWCD, Windom DNR office.
Feb. 27: SE Minnesota livestock producers, 1 p.m., Freeborn County fairgrounds.
April 4: Gorans Discovery Farm update, 9 a.m., MinnWest Technology campus, Willmar.
Factoid answer
Buffalo
The MPCA Feedlot Update
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