In 1997, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODA) and the Oklahoma State Legislature recognized the need for a division dedicated to protecting the state’s soils and waters from animal waste. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO’s) were becoming larger and more numerous across the state and the public was concerned about possible water contamination.

The ODAFF Agricultural Environmental Management Services (AEMS) was created to help develop, coordinate and oversee environmental policies and programs. The division’s mission is to work with producers and concerned citizens to protect the Oklahoma environment from animals, poultry and their wastes.

Agricultural water quality issues have become a national issue the past few years. Ensuring that animal waste does not impact the waters of the state is the basis for the Oklahoma Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Act. The CAFO Act is designed to protect water quality through the use of best management practices on agricultural lands.

A CAFO is an animal feeding operation that confines and feeds 1,000 animal units or more for 45 days or more in a 12 month period. It is designed by the U.S. EPA as a significant source of pollution. CAFOs have potential for serious impacts on water quality if not managed properly. The CAFO Act, as administered by the Agricultural Environmental Management Services, provides the CAFO operators the necessary tools and information to be the best managers they can be.

CAFOs must effectively deal with the manure and wastewater animals produce so streams, lakes, ponds, and ground water sources are not polluted. The Agricultural Environmental Management Services issues licenses to CAFOs, inspects the facilities and works with operators to protect water quality. Potential problems for CAFOs can include animal waste discharges to waters of the state and failure to properly operate wastewater facilities.

Voluntary compliance, supported by educational outreach, is one of the means to achieve the water quality goals of the CAFO program. A majority of the operators want to do the right thing in managing their animal waste.

A byproduct of poultry growing is poultry litter. Some areas have too much poultry litter due to poultry feeding operations. The high phosphorous content of this natural fertilizer can threaten watershed areas if too concentrated. Outside of watershed areas, however, there are soils which can greatly benefit from the application of this material which helps build soil with nutrients and organic matter.

In some areas poultry litter is being used to reclaim soils damaged by strip mining or petroleum production. Ranchers find that the application of litter to rangeland and pastures can boost forage production at a minimal cost.

Agricultural Environmental Management Services staff is working to get potential buyers and sellers of poultry litter together with a toll free hotline based in the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture’s Tulsa office. Environmental concerns over this natural fertilizer are addressed from beginning to end as potential buyers must have a soil test conducted before they can be directed to potential sellers.

Likewise poultry producers are asked what type of litter they will offer (broiler or breeder), the number of growing houses, clean out dates, and an estimate of the total volume of litter to be offered. They must have a nutrient analysis of their litter.

POULTRY LITTER TRANSFER HOTLINE
1-800-583-7131
www.ok-littermarket.org