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Financial & Technical Assistance Available to Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operation Owners and Operators
Overview
On December 15, 2002, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator signed the revised
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Effluent
Limitation Guidelines (ELG) Rule affecting concentrated animal feeding
operations (CAFO). The revised Rule contains changes that will affect mostly
large livestock and poultry operations nationwide. The Rule now requires CAFO
operators to develop and implement a nutrient management plan as a permit
requirement. The EPA recognizes that U. S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
defined comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMP) satisfy EPA nutrient
management plan requirements. Technical and
financial assistance is available to USDA conservation program participants
from the NRCS to help them plan and
implement CNMPs for CAFOs.
EPA’s CAFO Rule
Major changes made by EPA in its
revised CAFO Rule include:
-
All large CAFOs must apply for an NPDES
permit, or demonstrate that they have no potential to discharge into waters
of the United States.
-
Large poultry operations using dry waste
management systems are now covered by the CAFO Rule.
-
New source poultry, swine, and veal
operations, as defined by EPA in the Rule, must meet a “no discharge”
standard. This standard only allows for discharge from the production area
in the event of a 100-year, 24-hour storm or greater.
CAFOs covered by a NPDES permit are required
to develop and implement a site-specific nutrient management plan.
EPA estimates that approximately 15,500 livestock and poultry operations will
be required to obtain NPDES permits under the revised rule or demonstrate that
they have no potential to discharge. This estimate includes 11,000 large
operations, and 4,500 medium-size operations that meet certain conditions as
defined by EPA in the Rule.
Financial and Technical
Assistance
The 2002 Farm Bill offers
several voluntary conservation programs that can be used by livestock and
poultry producers to help them comply with the revised CAFO Rule. NRCS
provides technical assistance to CAFO operators through conservation planning,
design, and implementation. Producers also may obtain assistance from
Technical Service Providers (TSP).
TSPs are individuals, entities, or public
agencies certified by the NRCS and placed on a list of approved TSPs by
State. Technical Service Providers may provide technical services to program
participants directly or through NRCS. Only those TSPs who are certified for
specific categories of technical services and are included on the approved
list may receive payments for technical services provided. Visit the NRCS
“TechReg” website,
http://techreg.usda.gov/, for information on certification and to locate
certified TSPs working in your State. CAFO operators should contact
their local NRCS office for more information.
Financial assistance to
implement practices and systems is available through:
- Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP): Provides up to 75 percent
(up to 90 percent for beginning or limited resource farmers or ranchers) in
cost share funds to assist producers in implementing conservation systems
and addressing regulatory requirements. EQIP funds can be used to develop
CNMPs, which are expected to satisfy the CAFO Rule’s nutrient management
plan requirement. At least 60 percent of EQIP financial assistance funds are
required by statute to be used on a nationwide basis for livestock and
poultry operations, both confined and grazing.
- Agricultural
Management Assistance Program (AMA): Provides cost-share funds to
assist producers in implementing conservation systems and addressing
regulatory requirements. Program funds may be used by CAFO operators to
develop and implement a CNMP. AMA funding is limited to producers in the
following 15 States: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
- Additional Farm Bill
Programs: Other conservation programs may support CAFO operators
in their efforts to implement a well-rounded conservation plan. These
programs include:
- Conservation Reserve
Program
- Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program
- Wetlands Reserve Program
- Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program
- There may be State and
local cost share programs available to support CAFO operators.
Technical Tools
Technical tools available to assist CAFO operators
with conservation practice technical standards, conservation and nutrient
management planning, and animal waste storage design include:
- NRCS’s Electronic Field Office
Technical Guide (eFOTG):
The eFOTG contains the practice
standards for developing CNMPs. You may access the eFOTG at:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/.
- CNMP Training Opportunities: Visit the NRCS’s Animal Feeding
Operations website,
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/afo/, for a list of CNMP-related
training opportunities.
- Animal Waste Management (AWM): A planning tool used to estimate the
production of waste materials within an animal feeding operation and
determine the size of storage / treatment facilities. You may access the AWM
at:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/quality/common/wastemgmt/awm.html
- Nutrient Management Planning Tools: Many States have developed
nutrient management tools that can be used within that State to assist
livestock and poultry producers with developing site-specific nutrient
management plans. These tools vary from computerized spreadsheets to
hand-written worksheets. In an effort to ensure all States have access to a
scientifically sound automated nutrient management planning tool, NRCS has
helped to support the development of three software tools for optional use
within States where applicable.
- Manure Management
Planner (MMP):
A manure utilization planning tool developed at Purdue University to help
develop nutrient management plans. You may access MMP at:
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/mmp/. The Spatial Nutrient Management
Planner (SNMP) is a decision-support tool that facilitates the collection,
analysis, and presentation of spatial information related to nutrient
management planning. SNMP is now linked to Purdue University's MMP.
http://www.cares.missouri.edu/snmp/.
- Idaho OnePlan: The Idaho One Plan web site
is a regional ’one-stop shop’ for farmers and ranchers to use to develop
their own unique conservation plans for their operations that satisfy all
regulatory requirements. The web site integrates all agency programs,
government regulations, and conservation planning aids; provides self-help
guides to assist in determining whether and how certain programs or
regulations apply to their farm or ranch operation; and identifies
financial assistance opportunities. You may access this tool at:
http://www.oneplan.org/.
- AFOPro: AFOPro
is a standalone nutrient management planning tool, with optional
connections to GIS (ArcView using either AFO Pro Spatial or Spatial
Nutrient Management Planner as the front end) and the NRCS's Animal Waste
Management (v 2.1 or higher) engineering software. The application
automates manure allocation decisions in compliance with the NRCS's 590
Standard, which requires the documentation of form, source, timing,
method, and placement of nutrients. Access this application at:
http://www.esri.sc.edu/Projects/usda/application_development/afopro.asp
For more information about the
financial and technical assistance available through the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service, visit
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov. For more information about the CAFO Rule, visit
EPA’s CAFO Rule website:
http://www.epa.gov/npdes/cafoRule.
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and Technical Assistance Available to CAFO Owners and Operators
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