Feedlot Update - July 19, 2012

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Feedlot Update


July 19, 2012

Feedlot Program Q&A

Question: Which state agency is the primary authority for regulation of livestock carcass disposal?

Answer appears following the Calendar.


Dairy farm participates in water quality research project

A Stearns County dairy farm is a recent addition to the Discovery Farms program, which is working to gather field-scale data on water quality impacts of various types of farming operations. Nick and Tara Meyer opened their farm south of Sauk Centre to a tour of their project on June 28, sponsored by the Stearns Soil and Water Conservation District and other partners. The project measures and compares field surface runoff with drainage tile output. Monitoring equipment measures flow and takes water samples. The Sauk River Watershed District handles the sampling and data collection; samples are analyzed at Minnesota Valley Testing Lab in New Ulm. The Meyers milk about 140 cows, and raise crops for feed on 450 acres. "The key to our program is producer involvement," says Tim Radatz of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Center. So far there are eight Discovery Farms projects in Minnesota, with three more gaining recent approval. Other sponsors include the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service. 
Meyer Discovery Farm

County feedlot program updates

Crowell joins MPCA feedlot staff

Ben Crowell of Jackson County has accepted the MPCA feedlot staff position in the Marshall office, which was vacated when Steve Howey took a position with U of M Extension. Ben is scheduled to start July 30. He graduated from South Dakota State University with a B.S. in Animal Science in May 2000. After college he worked for Christensen Farms for 4½ years. He then worked in Lincoln County, and in 2006 he moved to the Jackson County Planning and Environmental Services Department as CFO. Ben has been active with the Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers, most recently serving as vice president, and member of the training and communications team.

ben crowell

Pipestone County hires Adam Ossefoort 

Adam Ossefoort started June 19 in Pipestone County, replacing Angie Raatz in the SWCD office. He is a native of Luverne, and graduated last May from St. Cloud State University majoring in environmental studies. In addition to feedlots, he will be working with SSTS and ag BMPs. Immediately after graduation he interned at the Rock County land management office, doing water sampling in the Rock River.
adam ossefoort


Douglas County interviewing CFO candidates this week

Douglas County will be interviewing this week to fill the county feedlot officer position. The vacancy was created when Andy Siira took a dairy inspector position with the Department of Agriculture. Land and Resource Management assistant director Rebecca Sternquist says they hope to fill the vacancy soon.

Training scheduled for new CFOs

Training for new county feedlot officer staff is scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in Rochester. Topics will include registration, permitting, land application, MinnFarm, and inspections. CFO regional meetings have been scheduled for: Sept.  5 - Owatonna Pizza Ranch, Sept. 6 – Redwood Falls, Sept. 19 – Brainerd, and Sept. 20 - Detroit Lakes. 

Summer Beef Tour visits north central area

The Mississippi Valley Cattlemen’s Association (MVCA) hosted the Summer Beef Tour July 10. The Morrison County Fairgrounds in Little Falls served as tour headquarters. MVCA membership comes from Crow Wing, Todd, and Morrison counties.Tour stops included Smude Sunflower Oil, HB Farms, Hanneken Angus-Virnig Farms, DLCC Ranch, Camp Ripley, Vince Waldock Farm and Rolling Thunder Ranch. The Summer Beef Tour is an annual event of the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association.
2012 summer beef tour

Board of Animal Health seeks comment on proposed rule changes

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health is proposing changes to the existing rules as they apply to animal health. The proposed rules have been posted online at www.bah.state.mn.us for you to review. The Dual Notice of Intent to Adopt Rules will be published in the State Register on July 23, 2012. The comment period will end on Aug. 23, 2012. If you have comments or questions on the rules or written requests for a public hearing, please contact Dr. Beth Thompson, 625 Robert St. N, St. Paul, MN, 55155, 651-201-6844, beth.thompson@state.mn.us

MPCA news

Applications due July 24 for ag rep on citizens' board

Applications are being accepted through July 24 for the position of agriculture representative on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's citizens' board. It was recently held by Don Schiefelbein, Meeker County farmer and cattle producer. The vacancy was announced recently by the Secretary of State, and the position is appointed by the governor. The nine-member MPCA board must include one member who is a representative of labor and one member who is a representative of agriculture. MPCA commissioner John Linc Stine is chair of the monthly board meetings. Application forms can be found on the Secretary of State webpage, by mail from Secretary of State, Open Appointments, 180 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1299, or in person at Room 180 of the State Office Building.

Website adding real-life stories 

Nearly 100,000 people visit the MPCA website each month. In coming days you will see some changes to the look of the MPCA home page. You will see an emphasis on storytelling—how one business is helping prevent water pollution, what a new MPCA report is telling us about our groundwater, what an air quality alert means, to name a few. The site navigation will still work the same, and previous bookmarks will still work. In the coming months, you’ll see changes to the primary landing pages that will make it easier for users to navigate our site. We invite your feedback and your story ideas. 

Feedlot Update newsletter notes 10-year anniversary

The first issue of MPCA Feedlot Update electronic newsletter appeared in July 2002, making this the 10th anniversary. The inaugural issue stated: "The purpose of this electronic newsletter is to provide another communication tool for the agency and county feedlot officers. It will attempt to provide accurate, objective, concise, and timely information about the feedlot program..." It was published about 10 times annually, with this issue being the 100th appearance. Distribution has increased from about 100, to nearly 1,000 today. Until this year, each issue carried a County Profile feature, focusing on an individual county and feedlot officer. In May 2011, the MPCA adopted a new web-based format using GovDelivery. Past issues through 2010 are available on the feedlot program publications webpage.  

Ag water quality panel starts work on certification program

The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program Advisory Committee held its first meeting on Monday, July 9 in St. Paul. The program is the result of an agreement signed in January by Governor Dayton and federal officials, with the goal of enhancing Minnesota’s water quality by accelerating adoption of on-farm water quality practices. The July 9 meeting was the first in a series of half-day meetings at which the advisory committee will provide input to Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson on the development and implementation of the program. Future meetings will be held approximately twice a month through October 2012. The committee will report back to the MDA, and implementation is planned for early next year.

EPA withdraws proposal to collect information about CAFOs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is withdrawing a proposed rule that would have required information to be submitted to EPA about concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). EPA will instead use existing federal, state, and local sources of information to gather data about CAFOs and help ensure that CAFOs are implementing practices that protect water quality. EPA also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association of the Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) to facilitate the exchange of information. This collaborative effort between the EPA and ACWA will focus on identifying CAFOs and obtaining pertinent information about CAFOs on a state-by-state basis for use by both ACWA members and EPA. In light of comments received from states regarding the amount of CAFO information states already have and include as part of the CAFO permitting process, the EPA is withdrawing the proposal to collect CAFO information by rule. More information.

LPE Learning Center news

The July 20 webcast will take a look at a project that aims to refine and improve an existing model that calculates the carbon footprint of pork production. How does increased efficiency affect the carbon footprint of pork? What are some of the factors being researched for the model? What tools are/will be available to farmers? Join us on July 20 at 2:30 pm (eastern) for an informative webinar on one of the hottest topics in animal agriculture today.  More...
Speakers are: Marty Matlock, University of Arkansas; Brian Richert and Scott Radcliffe, Purdue University. Karl Vandevender, University of Arkansas will moderate.

State Program Highlights
  • Wisconsin: Farmers are being warned about the dangers of spreading manure on dry, cracked soils. More...
  • New York: The Cornell small dairy farms team has released several new resources including one on deep pack barns. More...
  • Iowa: The Iowa Manure Management Action Group (IMMAG) has released a new publication for small beef open lot producers. More...
  • Nebraska: UNL Extension has released an irrigation home study (online) course. Continuing education credits are available. This course may interest certified crop advisors and livestock producers that irrigate using water from liquid manure storage. More...
  • Pennsylvania: The Penn State dairy team has developed several new tools for certified feed management planners. More...
  • North Dakota: The NDSU nutrient management team has redesigned their website to improve navigation and access to resources. More...
  • Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska: Pit foaming continues to perplex researchers. More...
  • Indiana: Purdue University offers updates on Indiana's new confined feeding operation rules. More...
  • Michigan: Michigan State University offers safety guidelines when pumping manure. More... and reports that manure application coupled with cover crops works well. More...

In the news

Omaha World-Herald, 7/19/12
News release, 7/12/12
St. Cloud Times, 7/5/12
News release, 6/26/12

Calendar

July 19: Food and agriculture national conference, Minneapolis Hilton. 
July 25: Nitrates and agriculture forum, 9:30-3, Rochester Event Center.
July 31: Rock River Manure Expo-Field Day, Wes DeKam farm, Edgerton. 507-283-8862, ext. 3.
July 31-Aug. 1: Conservation drainage field day, Prairies Edge Casino, Granite Falls.
Aug. 7-9: FarmFest, Gilfillan Farm, Redwood County.
Aug. 17: Manure management and strip tillage field day near Milaca, pre-register by Aug. 3. Mille Lacs SWCD.
Oct. 16-18: Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers annual convention, Willmar.

Answer: Board of Animal Health


Send us your news

The MPCA Feedlot Update welcomes news submissifrom partners about, projects, people, and upcoming events. Email submissito 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. Past issues of Feedlot Update are available on the feedlot program publications webpage.