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The Voice of Ohio’s Pork Industry
WHAT SENATE BILL 1 MEANS FOR LIVESTOCK FARMS
- Contributions from Peggy Hall & Glen Arnold, OSU Extension
Violations
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has the authority
to investigate complaints of potential violations and
assess penalties, not to exceed $10,000 per violation.
Each day of violation will be considered a separate
occurrence.
A person may not surface apply manure in the
Western Lake Erie Basin under any of the following
circumstances:
− on snow-covered or frozen soil;
− when the top two inches of soil are saturated from precipitation; or
− when the local weather forecast for the
application area contains greater than a
50 percent chance of precipitation exceeding one-half inch in a 24-hour period,
unless the manure is injected into the ground,
incorporated within 24 hours of surface application,
or applied onto a growing crop. In the event of an
emergency, the chief of the division of soil and water
resources or the chief’s designee can provide
written consent for the manure application to be made in
accordance with procedures established in USDA’s
Natural Resource Conservation Service Practice
Standard Code 590 for Ohio.
Exemptions
Producers may apply for exemptions, through the chief
of the division of soil and water resources, of up to
one year for “medium” agricultural operations
(750-2499 pigs) and up to two years for “small”
agricultural operations (<750 pigs), if the operation
demonstrates working toward compliance.
An
operation may request technical assistance to reach
compliance, and will not be subject to civil penalties
for violations.
Earlier this year, Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill 1
into law, changing manure application requirements
for farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin (shown
above), effective June 21, 2015. Below is a brief
description of the new restrictions relating to manure.
Confined Animal Feeding Facilities
To utilize manure from a permitted concentrated
animal feeding facility, a person must hold either a
Certified Livestock Manager license or certification
under Ohio’s fertilizer applicator certification program
created through Senate Bill 150 last year. The provision
pertains only if applying the manure for agricultural
production on more than 50 acres.
The above information is meant only as a summary.
For additional information, please visit: OhioPork.org.
The Voice of Ohio’s Pork Industry
EQUIP PROVIDES FARMERS WITH
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE
- Contributions from Chris Coulon, NRCS - Ohio
To comply with regulations introduced through SB 1,
many livestock producers that spread manure and don’t
have a nutrient management plan or manure storage
capacity may need both. The Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP), administered by the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), helps
producers with conservation planning and practice
design, and helps pay for a portion of the cost to
implement conservation practices.
The demand for conservation technical and financial
assistance increases each year, however funding may or
may not increase. In 2014, Ohio NRCS received 3,568
EQIP applications for more than $60 million in
requests for assistance, however, the Ohio NRCS budget
only allowed funding for 1/6th of that amount.
The application period for EQIP is on-going, so a
producer may submit an application at any time.
However, NRCS typically announces ranking periods
annually, which means all applications received by the
ranking period deadline date will be assessed and given
priority for funding based on the environmental benefit
of the applicants conservation plan. The applications
ranking highest will receive funding for a contract.
Producers seeking assistance with a manure storage
structure are required to submit an engineering design.
NRCS has a limited number of engineers available, and
demand for these services far exceeds their capacity.
Therefore, producers may choose to utilize a private
engineering service and have final plans reviewed and
approved by NRCS licensed engineers. Additionally,
all EQIP applications require a conservation plan,
which NRCS assists the producer in creating, based on
the producer’s goals and the natural resource concerns
on their land.
NCRS’s conservation programs are voluntary and
all producers are encouraged to apply. For additional
information, please visit www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov.
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
OFFERS ASSISTANCE WITH CONSERVATION PROJECTS
- Contributions from Jocelyn Henderson, ODNR-DSWR
The Mission of the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources Division of Soil and Water Resources
is to provide leadership and services that enable
Ohioans to conserve, protect, and enhance soil, water,
and land resources. Through a combination of
voluntary, regulatory, and incentive based programs,
the Division has been instrumental in getting
conservation on the ground. Several nutrient reduction
programs have been implemented in the Western
Lake Erie Basin Watershed over the past few years,
focusing on agricultural conservation practices
aimed at reducing phosphorous and nutrient runoff.
These programs include the Lake Erie Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), the
Lake Erie and Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB),
Nutrient Reduction Program (NRP), The Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI, and the
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
The Lake Erie CREP Program is now in its 15th
year. Sign-up continues for filter strips and riparian/
tree buffers along streams and ditches, as well as for
wetland restoration projects. Sign-up for the WLEB-NRP
has ended, after two very successful rounds of funding.
The GLRI is currently open to applicants in five
targeted watersheds in the Western Lake Erie Basin.
Eligible practices include: cover crops, soil testing,
fertilizer placement with a cover crop, drainage water
management systems, and manure storage/roofing.
A new program, the Tri-State Western Lake Erie
Basin Phosphorous Reduction Initiative, is scheduled
to be released later this summer. ODNR, along with
Michigan and Indiana, applied for the funds through
the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s RCPP,
and was awarded a $17 million grant, providing nearly
$10 million for conservation practices in the WLEB in
Ohio over the next five years.
For information on programs and conservation practices available in your area, contact your local Soil and
Water Conservation District Office. For a listing of the
County SWCD offices, please visit:
SoilAndWater.OhioDNR.gov.