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The MPCA feedlot program will be hosting two information meetings for draft revisions to the feedlot rule (Minnesota Rules Chapter 7020). Meetings will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, at the Mankato Public Library Auditorium, 100 E. Main St., and at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at the Stearns County Service Center, rooms 121 CDE, 3301 County Road 138, in Waite Park. The meetings are intended to provide information and opportunity for discussion, and are not part of the formal public comment process, which will occur later this year.

Several housekeeping updates are being considered for the 7020 rule, such as removal of outdated provisions, and some language clarification. In the wake of proposed changes to the existing large facility permit and related rules as the result of legislation enacted in 2011, an update is also necessary to clarify which facilities are required to have permit coverage. More information is available in the fact sheet: State Disposal System permit for large feedlots.

Douglas County has full time opening for a Feedlot Officer/Ag Technician in its Land and Resource Management department. Applications are being accepted through Aug.; 31. Apply at the Workforce Center, 303 22nd Ave W #107, Alexandria, MN 56308, (320) 762-7800, or online at www.co.douglas.mn.us.

Training for new county feedlot officers is scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in Rochester. Topics include: Program requirements, registration, permitting, inspections, MinnFarm, and MPCA-MACFO overview. The training will include an on-site inspection and MinnFarm training. The next Web-Ex meeting for all county feedlot officers is scheduled for Aug. 29. Following is the schedule for regional CFO meetings: Sept. 5 – Owatonna Pizza Ranch, Sept. 6 – Redwood Falls; Sept.19 – Brainerd, Sept. 20 – Detroit Lakes.

Several times during the panel discussion, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson emphasized that the program is voluntary. Ag representatives noted that more recognition is needed for conservation measures already in use. Agriculture is well-represented on the advisory committee. At its Aug. 20 meeting in St. Paul, the committee discussed the development of pilot projects, and heard presentations about conservation practices, water quality standards, and a similar program in Michigan. Meetings are open to the public; the next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 10, at the Veterans Service Building in St. Paul. The Oct. 29 meeting will be held at the public library in Willmar.

The program is the product of a state-federal partnership that includes the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In order to ensure timely issuance of feedlot National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, the MPCA feedlot program strongly advises applicants to contact the agency well in advance of submitting an application. We welcome and encourage advance discussion by phone or in person. This will greatly support timely permit issuance.

 

We understand that there might be some confusion about the laws that apply to the MPCA’s review of permit applications. Legislation passed in 2011 (MN Stat. 116.03, Subd. 2b) requires agencies to notify applicants for NPDES permits of all types (eg. wastewater, stormwater, feedlots), within 30 days whether or not a permit application is complete. If it is not complete, the application must be returned within 30 days. Currently there is also a law (MN Stat. 15.99, Subd. 3), which requires a 15-day notice whether or not a feedlot application is complete, and a 60-day deadline for issuance after a complete feedlot application is received. The MPCA feedlot program will continue to follow MN Stat. 15.99 and our practice of reviewing applications within 15 business days.

The MPCA feedlot program also will continue past practice for processing applications that are “component complete” (necessary plans included, check, signed application, etc.), but may be missing some information.  If an application is “component complete,” a technical review of the application is conducted and a letter sent to the applicant notifying them of any missing information. The 150-day clock will begin, and the missing information must be supplied within 30 days from when MPCA first received the application, or it will be returned. For updates on the permitting process and feedlot rules in general, periodically check the MPCA feedlot program webpage, and also sign up for the Feedlot Update newsletter via GovDelivery.

Qualifying producers would be reimbursed ten percent of the first $500,000 of investment, with a minimum investment of $4,000. Qualifying expenditures include the purchase, construction, or improvement of buildings or facilities for the production of livestock, and the purchase of fencing as well as feeding and waste management equipment. Producers who suffered a loss due to a natural disaster or unintended consequence may also apply. The grant will not pay for livestock or land purchases or for the cost of debt refinancing.

 

The deadline to apply for the grant program is January 14, 2013. More information on the Minnesota Livestock Investment Program can be found on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/livestockinvestmentgrant.

See: http://www1.extension.umn.edu/about/employment/

This Extension Educator will provide statewide educational program development and management primarily in the area of crop nutrient/manure management, with additional conservation topics addressed as needed. Livestock rations as they affect manure phosphorus content and farm phosphorus balance is a current focus area, with emphasis in southeast and central Minnesota. A minimum of M.S. degree in Agronomy, Soil Science, Animal Science, Environmental Science, or related field of science is required. 

The McKnight Foundation provided a grant to the Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation Development (SWCD) in August 2010 to hire a feedlot technician to work within a 12-county area (Benton, Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Morrison, Pope, Stearns, Stevens, Swift and Todd). This 12-county area, referred to as the West Central Technical Service Area, or WCTSA, has approximately 6,800 registered feedlots, about 2,300 of which have runoff problems. Through a partnership agreement between the SWCDs in the 12-county area and WCTSA, Luke Herkenhoff was hired as the feedlot technician. Herkenhoff works with county feedlot officers and provides one-to-one assistance to feedlot producers in the WCTSA area. Within a two-year period, Herkenhoff has visited more than 120 feedlot sites. Nearly 50 feedlot runoff problems were solved, which prevented an estimated 1,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering our water supply each year. - Reported Aug. 8 in the Alexandria Echo-Press. 

St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/14/12

News release, 8/7/12

News release, 8/6/12

Sept. 4-5: Animal science forum, MinnWest Techology Campus, Willmar.

Nov. 13: Agri-Growth Council annual meeting, Minneapolis Convention Center.

Nov. 26-28: Midwest Dairy Expo, St. Cloud Civic Center.

Dec. 7-8: Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association convention, Alexandria Arrowwood.

15 days.

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.