An agenda packed with interesting topics and tour await county feedlot officers planning to attend the annual convention of the Minnesota Association of County Feedlot Officers.
It will be Oct. 18-20 at the River Port in Winona. Following an MPCA
update, Sens. Dan Sparks and Jeremy Miller will give a legislative
update. The afternoon session features a panel discussion with
representatives from Land Stewardship Project, SE Ag. Alliance , Minnesota
Center for Environmental Advocacy, and Minnesota
State Cattlemen’s Association. On Wednesday there will be tour of a
Wisconsin Discovery Farm. Thursday morning there will be a panel on crop
nutrient needs.
Fall is a good time
to sample and analyze manure for nutrient content. Manure from all storage
areas storing manure produced by more than 100 animal units must be tested by
the feedlot owner for nitrogen and phosphorus content at least once every four
years, given the following requirements have been met:
1.
For
feedlots with 300 or more animal units that are not required to have an
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, three years of
annual testing have been conducted in the past and the results have been
consistent.
2.
Additional
samples are taken and manure tested whenever there are changes in manure
nutrient content due to unusual climatic conditions or changes in manure
storage and handling, livestock types, or feed.
Only the individual storage areas that
hold manure from more than 100 animal units must be tested. For example,
testing is not required for each small stockpile generated by less than 100
animal units
Laboratories certified by the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture (MDA) or MPCA approved on-farm sampling and analysis must be
used. A list of laboratories providing manure testing services can be obtained
at the MDA website.
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Keeping
records of certain manure application practices is required for all feedlot
facilities with 100 or more animal units, even when a manure management plan is
not required. Forms and spreadsheets for keeping required records are available
from the MPCA.
Good
records are important to account for second-year nitrogen from manure
applications. Records also allow better estimates to be made of total manure
nutrients generated at the farm, thus aiding in future planning efforts
Manure
application records must be kept for the most recent three years, except that
records must be kept for six years at NPDES-permitted feedlots and when manure
is applied at any site within 300 feet of lakes, streams, intermittent streams,
drainage ditches that are not protected by berms or DNR-protected wetlands. Manure management plan fact sheet.
Record-keeping instructions
Record-keeping form:
Records for transferred manure
Where
ownership of manure is transferred for application to fields not owned or
leased by the feedlot owner, the manager of the cropland where manure is
applied and the feedlot owner must keep records where the manure is produced
Commercial
applicators spreading manure onto land not owned or leased by the owner of the
feedlot from which the manure is produced shall also keep a copy of the records.
A copy of these records must be submitted to the owner of the animal feedlot or
the manure storage area from which the manure is produced, no later than 60
days following land application.
Transferred manure record-keeping instructions:
Transfer Record Form:
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A video was recorded from a live presentation July 20 on spreading manure in winter at the 2011 North American Manure
Expo. Kevan Klingberg, University of Wisconsin Discovery
Farms discusses how application of manure on frozen and snow-covered soils
became such a hot issue. He also explains their research program that monitors
surface water quality on commercial farms. Lastly, he discusses the results of
the research and how that information is being used to make management decisions
on farms. Note: The recording volume was set high on these segments.
Start with your speaker volume on low and move it louder if needed. Video webpage.
The Feedlot Training and Communication Team is hosting WebEx meetings Sept. 13 and 14 for county feedlot officers
(CFOs). It will cover recent events related to the feedlot program
and in response to the training topic survey of CFOs in May. Brad Carlson,
University of Minnesota Extension Educator, will be talking about
“Manure Applications, Drainage and Water Quality. For more information, contact Courtney Ahlers, courtney.ahlers@state.mn.us.
LPE Webinar: Findings of air emissions monitoring study
In 2007 the
National Air Emissions Monitoring Study (NAEMS) was initiated by a consent
agreement between certain animal commodity groups and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The purpose was to measure emissions of regulated gases from
representative livestock and poultry facilities and improve the state of
knowledge of agricultural air emissions. Now the monitoring is complete and the
data has been turned over to the EPA. Join in as Al Heber, Purdue University
professor, and Erin Cortus, Extension specialist at South Dakota State
University, highlight the results of this multi-species study and offer their
perspectives. Rick Stowell from the University of Nebraska will moderate the
discussion. Webinar - Friday, Sept. 16, 1:30 p.m.
October Webcast: Proper lagoon closure
1:30 p.m., Oct.
21, 2011: When confined animal
facilities cease operation, earthen manure storage and treatment structures
must be closed properly to ensure that they pose little risk to the environment.
Surface water and groundwater must be protected from manure and wastewater
during and after closure of lagoons, settling basins and waste storage ponds. Speakers are: Karl Vandevender, University of Arkansas; Thomas
Bass, Montana State University; Catherine Nash, USDA NRCS; Jeremy Seiger, USA
EPA Region 6; Terry Medley, KS Dept of Health and the Environment; and Saqib
Mukhtar, Texas AgriLife Extension. Look for the flyer to be posted soon at: Upcoming Webcasts.
A feedlot project completed in Fillmore County is part of a larger effort to
restore water quality in the Root River, and it demonstrates how local and state
government agencies have worked together to help landowners finance
environmental improvements. The Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) had been working with a
producer for a couple of years to develop a plan to bring the feedlot into
compliance and to sign up for funding to make the project financially feasible.
The feedlot is located in an impaired watershed, making it a high priority
project for the Clean Water Fund Competitive Grant program. The program is
funded through the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment and administered by the
Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). More about this project on BWSR webpage.
County feedlot staff soon will be receiving a Snap Survey via e-mail
about feedlot program publications. Supplies of a number of useful
publications are low or depleted. The survey will also seek input about
possible funding sources for re-prints. The publications are primarily
used for distribution to livestock producers.
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The CFO Toolbox webpage is being updated prior to the county feedlot staff training scheduled for Sept. 27 in the MPCA St. Paul office. The training is geared for new county feedlot staff, and as a refresher for others. The Training and Communications Team has been going through the Toolbox webpage to identify needed updates, such as link corrections and document changes. Delta database documents for county staff have been moved from the Training webpage to the Toolbox page. Launched several years ago, the Toolbox webpage replaces a printed training manual, providing a more efficient and cost-effective training tool. If you see any needed changes or corrections, please contact Lenny Hulburt, Waseca County, lenny.hulburt@co.waseca.mn.us. 507-835-0652; or Forrest Peterson, MPCA-Willmar, forrest.peterson@state.mn.us. 320-441-6972.
Despite being No. 3 among Minnesota counties in dairy production, 2011 marks the first time Morrison County can claim Princess Kay of the Milky Way,
according to County Feedlot Officer Darrin Welle. Mary Zahurones, an
18-year-old college student from Pierz, was crowned the 58th
Princess Kay of the Milky Way Aug. 24 at the Minnesota State
Fair. In terms of livestock, Morrison County "has a little bit of
everything" among its 692 registered feedlots with poultry, dairy and
beef, Darrin says. He is very familiar with one of them, the 55-cow
dairy north of Little Falls were he grew up, and still helps out with
chores.
Darrin joined the Morrison County Planning and Zoning office
staff Aug. 2, following a year with the Big Stone County SWCD. He
graduated from St. Cloud State in 2010 with an environmental studies
major and GIS minor. Returning to Morrison County he found a lot of
feedlot work being done through the Natural Resources Conservation
Service and SWCD. "They've been doing a good job," Darrin says. Over the
past two years more than $3 million from the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program and state feedlot grant program has helped fund nine
ag waste systems last year, and 13 projects this year. Darrin's work
also includes zoning and SSTS certification. Morrison County feedlot
program webpage.
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MPR, 9/13/11
MPR, 9/12/11
Marshall Independent, 8/30/11
Farm Bureau news release, 8/29/11
MPCA news release, 8/22/11
Drovers CattleNetwork, 8/22/11
Des Moines Register, 8/18/11
Sept. 27: CFO
training, 9:30-3, MPCA, St. Paul.
Oct. 18-20: MACFO
convention, River Port, Winona.
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..
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