The 10th annual convention of the Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers offered an interesting variety of topics, tours and discussion Oct. 18-20 in Winona. On Wednesday, a tour of the Bragger diversified farm in Wisconsin brought rave reviews. It showed how Wisconsin's first Discovery Farm was meeting the challenges of raising crops and livestock among the hills, valleys and streams of southwestern Wisconsin. Following the tour, Joe Bragger and several other local farmers held a panel discussion and took questions from the group of about 75 county and agency staff. The first day featured a legislative update from Sen. Jeremy Miller and
Rep. Gene Pelowski, followed by a livestock industry panel. They noted
the value of county feedlot staff who understand agriculture and provide
local contacts. Consistency, communication, and training need continued
emphasis, they said. Thursday wrapped up with presentations on nitrogen and crop nutrient needs. A slide show from the tour is posted on the MACFO webpage, along with slides from the county program update presentation.
|
|
 |
Several feedlot forms and fact sheets have been updated recently:
- The updated inspection checklist (wq-f3-45) for feedlots not required to have an NPDES permit is located on the County Feedlot Officer Toolbox webpage.
- The factsheet, "Proper Storage of Silage" (wq-f8-20), has been updated and will be posted on the feedlot program publications webpage, and other locations.
- A revised, updated version of the manure management planner spreadsheet has been posted on the feedlot program nutrient and manure management webpage.
- A new factsheet, "State Disposal System Permit for Large Feedlots" (wq-f3-48), addressing the recent law change governing the issuance of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits, will be posted on the feedlot program permit and application forms webpage.
Several Minnesota conservation and agriculture organizations have joined the Fishers and Farmers Partnership of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This is a group non-governmental organizations, state and federal agencies "united to add value to farms while protecting, restoring, and enhancing the 30,700 miles of streams and rivers in the Upper Mississippi River Basin." It is a partnership of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. Member organizations from Minnesota include: Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
On Oct. 14, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed that concentrated animal
feeding operations (CAFOs) submit a specific set of basic operational
information so the agency can more effectively carry out its CAFO permitting
programs on a national level and ensure that CAFOs are implementing practices
to protect water quality and human health. The proposal, which is part of a
settlement agreement reached with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Waterkeeper
Alliance, and the Sierra Club, will be open for public comment for 60 days
after publication in the Federal Register. The National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES), a part of the Clean Water Act, requires that CAFOs
obtain a permit from EPA or authorized states before discharging any pollutants
from their operations into a water of the United States. CAFOs that do not
discharge pollutants do not need a NPDES permit. EPA’s proposal does not change
which CAFOs need permits under NPDES. For more information: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/aforule.cfm
The December LPE Webcast will feature the proposed new EPA reporting rule for CAFOs, Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m. For
more information about the proposed CAFO reporting rule, visit the Ag Compliance
Assistance Center.
The Nov. 18 webcast focuses on moving manure nutrients out of vulnerable
watersheds. Researchers have
studied alternative storage systems that can make transport of poultry litter
more feasible and economical. Learn more about those systems as well as the
implications of moving nutrients out of the [Chesapeake Bay] watershed at the
Nov. 18 webcast. The presentation will start at 1:30 pm. More...
Publications about manure storage covers
The
LPELC Air Quality team has developed a series of three fact sheets about manure
storage covers. One is an overview, and the others discuss permeable and
impermeable covers. The air quality team is finishing a multi-year project
aimed at developing curriculum for classroom and extension educators to use in
programs for future professionals and in continuing education for current
industry professionals. More...
Both
in geographic and livestock terms, Stearns County can be considered the
hub of feedlot activity in Minnesota. With more than 2,000 livestock
farms over 10 animal units, and more than 1,500 required by state rule
to be registered, Stearns holds about twice as many feedlots as the next
in line, Fillmore and Todd counties. Dairy continues to lead the way as
the predominant livestock type, followed by poultry. The county's
Feedlot Review Committee meets monthly to review projects and feedlot
rule information. On Nov. 29-30, the dairy industry takes the spotlight
with Midwest Dairy Expo at the St. Cloud Civic Center. Visitors can
choose from a variety of educational sessions on production and management topics.
With
the comparatively large number of feedlots, the Stearns Environmental
Services Department has four staff assigned to the feedlot program:
Becky Von Holdt, Ron Peterson, Allison Remer, and Richard Gruenes. Becky
is supervisor of the Ag and Water Resources Division; Richard also
works with wetlands. Ron Peterson is on leave for health reasons. (Our
thoughts and prayers go out for Ron, who is receiving treatment for
pancreatic cancer. Ron's CaringBridge webpage.) More information about the Stearns County program is available on the County Ag and Water Resources webpage.
|
|
 |
Twin City Public Television's Almanac program Nov. 4 includes a section featuring Carver County CFO Lori Brinkman and Elmbrink Farm near Waconia. (Select segment No. 4)
Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, 11/6/11
St. Paul Pioneer Press, 10/31/11
Dept. of Agriculture news release, 10/6/11
Nov. 16: Minnesota Agri-Growth Council annual meeting, Minneapolis Convention Center
Dec. 5: Minnesota
Association of SWCD convention, Doubletree Hilton,
Bloomington.
The MPCA Feedlot
Update welcomes news submissions from partners about, projects, people, and
upcoming events. Email submissions to forrest.peterson@state.mn.us.
Please note that the MPCA has switched to a new service, called GovDelivery, to
deliver the Feedlot Update. To ensure delivery of these messages, please add mpca@public.govdelivery.com
to your address book or safe sender list.
|
