Nutrient Issues

Review of Nutrient Management Issues

Addressed by EPA NODA for Proposed CAFO Regulations

Fundamental outcomes of a nutrient management plan:

Fundamental outcomes of a nutrient management plan:

1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) 1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) of nutrients within a CAFOof nutrients within a CAFO

2. Recycle 2. Recycle manure nutrients:manure nutrients:

match crop nutrient needsmatch crop nutrient needswith nutrient with nutrient

inputsinputs

1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) 1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) of nutrients within a CAFOof nutrients within a CAFO

Fundamental outcomes of a nutrient management plan:

3. Minimize contaminant 3. Minimize contaminant movement from land application sitemovement from land application site

2. Recycle 2. Recycle manure nutrients:manure nutrients:

match crop nutrient needsmatch crop nutrient needswith nutrient with nutrient

inputsinputs

1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) 1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) of nutrients within a CAFOof nutrients within a CAFO

Fundamental outcomes of a nutrient management plan:

3. Minimize contaminant 3. Minimize contaminant movement from land application sitemovement from land application site

Mandatory Mandatory setbacks setbacks or buffersor buffers

1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) 1. Minimize concentration (accumulation) of nutrients within a CAFOof nutrients within a CAFO

2. Recycle 2. Recycle manure nutrients:manure nutrients:

match crop nutrient needsmatch crop nutrient needswith nutrient with nutrient

inputsinputs

EPA’s partial CNMP focuses on:

Nutrient Issues

Issues of Agreement

1. Increased flexibility for states to set BMP’s.

Recommendation: Utilize University recommendations or NRCS 590 specifications as foundation for state specific nutrient management practices (e.g. soil & manure testing, P Index)

Nutrient Issues

Issues of Agreement

2. P-Banking is acceptable practice within certain limitations.

Recommendation: Multi-year P applications are acceptable if :– Crop N requirements are not exceeded.– Crop P should match “state-based” land grant

university of NRCS standards.

Nutrient Issues

Issues of Concern

1. EPA’s CNMP is only a “partial CNMP”.

Recommendation:

- EPA should clearly identify mandatory and voluntary elements of CNMP.

- EPA should credit plans targeting improved whole farm nutrient balance as “environmentally equivalent” to mandatory elements.

Nutrient Issues

Issues of ConcernIssues of Concern

2. CNMP currently focuses strictly on crop nutrient management planning & setbacks as only solutions.

Recommendation: All nutrient management tools should be recognized as providing environmental benefits by CAFO regs.

Nutrient Management Solutions:

Manure Manure treatment -treatment -

nutrient disposal nutrient disposal or exportor export

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient use in use in cropscrops

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient

use in feeding use in feeding programprogram

Conservation Conservation planplan

Nutrient Nutrient export export

to off-farm to off-farm usersusers

Conservation Conservation planplan

Nutrient Management Solutions:

Manure Manure treatment -treatment -

nutrient disposal nutrient disposal or exportor export

Nutrient Nutrient export export

to off-farm to off-farm usersusersBuffer StripsBuffer Strips

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient use in use in cropscrops

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient

use in feeding use in feeding programprogram

Conservation Conservation planplan

Nutrient Management Solutions:

Manure Manure treatment -treatment -

nutrient disposal nutrient disposal or exportor export

Nutrient Nutrient export export

to off-farm to off-farm usersusersBuffer StripsBuffer Strips

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient use in use in cropscrops

Efficient Efficient nutrient nutrient

use in feeding use in feeding programprogram

Will EPA recognize “Environmental Equivalent”

nutrient management solutions?

Nutrient Issues

Issues of ConcernIssues of Concern

3. Preference given to commercial fertilizer as opposed to manure nutrients:– P-Based Application Rates– 100’ foot setbacks– Increased liability imposed on off-farm users associated with manure use

as opposed to fertilizer.

Recommendation: The environmental benefits of manure applied at agronomic rate suggests that manure should not be restricted from situations where fertilizer is allowed.

Nutrient Issues

Increased Fertilizer UseIncreased Fertilizer Use

FarmBoundary

ManagedOutputs

Inputs

FertilizerCrops Sold

Feeds

Manure

Losses or Soil Losses or Soil StorageStorage

Nutrient Issues

Increased Fertilizer UseIncreased Fertilizer Use

FarmBoundary

ManagedOutputs

Inputs

FertilizerCrops Sold

Feeds

Manure

Losses or Soil Losses or Soil StorageStorage

Nutrient Issues

Increased Fertilizer UseIncreased Fertilizer Use

FarmBoundary

ManagedOutputs

Inputs

FertilizerCrops Sold

Feeds

Manure

Losses or Soil Losses or Soil StorageStorage

Nutrient Issues

4. Compliance is documented by completion of plan and implementation of practices and record keeping, not improved performance.

Recommendation: Environmental performance indicators should be optional procedure for documenting success of CNMP to EPA.

Issues of ConcernIssues of Concern

Nutrient Issues

Alternative Performance Indicators

Performance Outcome Indicator

1. Limit concentration of - Whole Farm nutrients within CAFO’s Nutrient Balance

2. Recycle manure nutrients - Crop N Balance within cropping system - Fertilizer Purchases

3. Minimize movement of - Surface water… pollutants from land Soil P Index application site. - Ground water… Crop N Balance

Nutrient Issues

Environmental Management System

component addressing nutrient issues.

Nutrient Outcomes & Performance Indicators Should Be Foundation for...

Nutrient Issues

Environmental Benefits of Manure Applied at Agronomic

Rates N leaching potential

soil erosion & runoff

soil carbon ….

crop productivity

• Replace energy intensive N fertilizer & limited resource P fertilizer

Nutrient Issues

FarmBoundary

ManagedOutputs

Nutrient Issues Addressed by EPA’s CNMP Inputs

Losses or Soil Losses or Soil StorageStorage

FertilizerCrops Sold

Feeds

Manure

Nit

rog

en I

np

uts

(%

of

To

tal)

One Time Animal Capacity (animal units)

Nitrogen Inputs to Livestock Systems

<250 250-2500 >2500

15%

50%

3%

10%

50%

30%

3%

75%

20%

Animals

Fertilizer

Feeds

Legumes

32%

10%

2%

0

1

2

3

4

5

10 100 1,000 10,000

Livestock Capacity (Animal Units)

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Bal

ance

(R

atio

of

In/O

ut)

100,000

Phosphorus Whole Farm BalancePhosphorus Whole Farm Balance

0

1

2

3

4

5

10 100 1,000 10,000

Livestock Capacity (Animal Units)

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Bal

ance

(R

atio

of

In/O

ut)

100,000

Low Risk

Phosphorus Whole Farm BalancePhosphorus Whole Farm Balance

0

1

2

3

4

5

10 100 1,000 10,000

Livestock Capacity (Animal Units)

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Bal

ance

(R

atio

of

In/O

ut)

100,000

Low Risk

Increasing Risk

Phosphorus Whole Farm BalancePhosphorus Whole Farm Balance

Nutrient Issues

FarmBoundary

ManagedOutputs

Nutrient Flows on Livestock Farms Inputs

Losses or Soil Losses or Soil StorageStorage

Feed

Animals

Irrigation

Fertilizer

Legumes

Animals Sold

Manure Sold

Crops Sold

Feeds

Manure

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Inp

uts

(%

of

To

tal)

<250 250-2500 >2500

One Time Animal Capacity (animal units)

Phosphorus Inputs to Livestock Systems

Animals

Fertilizer

Feeds

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Inp

uts

(%

of

To

tal)

<250 250-2500 >2500

One Time Animal Capacity (animal units)

Phosphorus Inputs to Livestock Systems

35%

62%

3%Animals

Fertilizer

Feeds

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Inp

uts

(%

of

To

tal)

<250 250-2500 >2500

One Time Animal Capacity (animal units)

Phosphorus Inputs to Livestock Systems

35%

62%

3%

33%

47%

20%Animals

Fertilizer

Feeds

Ph

osp

ho

rus

Inp

uts

(%

of

To

tal)

<250 250-2500 >2500

One Time Animal Capacity (animal units)

Phosphorus Inputs to Livestock Systems

35%

62%

3%

33%

47%

20%

1%

74%

25%Animals

Fertilizer

Feeds