Chicken Industry Programs to Prevent Water Pollution

Bill SatterfieldExecutive Director

Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.June 5, 2013

How the Chicken Industry Operates

• Five Delmarva chicken companies• 1,600 farm families growing chickens• Companies provide chicks, feed, bird health

programs, bedding material, propane gas, and company oversight

• Growers provide land, houses, electricity, water, and day to day management

A Typical Chicken Farm

Chicken House Interior

How Much Manure is Produced?

How Much Manure is Produced?

• University of Delaware/Delaware Department of Agriculture Data show:

• Chicken manure production in Sussex County is only 20% of EPA estimates

• Manure nitrogen concentration is only 40% of EPA estimates

• Manure phosphorus concentration is only 60% of EPA estimates

Delmarva’s Chicken Industry Pollution Contributions

• Delmarva chicken producing counties = 7.7% of Chesapeake Bay Watershed

• Delmarva chicken manure is responsible for just 6% of all Chesapeake Bay nitrogen from all Maryland sources

Cost Share to Assist Growers

• USDA/NRCS• State of Delaware Conservation Districts• Maryland Agricultural Cost Share Program• Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Locally Produced Organic Fertilizer

• Add micronutrients to aid in plant growth• Is a slow release fertilizer• Has a value of about $100/ton as a fertilizer• Selling for about $25 per ton• Not a waste product• In short supply in parts of Delmarva

So, what have we been doing?

Phytase

• Less phosphorus in = less phosphorus out• Phytase use = 30% reduction in excreta P

Nipple Drinkers

Organic Fertilizer Storage Building

Manure Storage Building

Heavy Use Area Pad

Heavy Use Area Pad

Litter Recycling

Windrowing

• Year prior to windrowing = 350 tons of manure removed

• First year of windrowing = 166 tons• Second year of windrowing = 155 tons

Ammonia Control Products

Carcass Composter

On-Farm Carcass Freezers

Vegetative Environmental Buffer

Vegetative Environmental Buffer

Vegetative Environmental Buffer

Miscanthus

Manure Incorporation

Chicken Manure Injector

Manure Subsurfer

Removal of Old Chicken Houses

Removal of Old Chicken Houses

Soil Remediation

Organic Fertilizer Transport

Manure Transport

• Maryland– Chicken companies match state dollars for their

growers‘ costs– 85% moved out of Lower Shore Counties– 77% went to alternative uses

Manure Transport

• Delaware– 31% went farm to farm within Delaware– 38% went to non-Delaware farms– 31% went into alternative uses– In FY 2012, 87,000 tons of manure transported in

Delaware

Perdue AgriRecycle

Perdue ArgiRecycle Dedication

Perdue AgriRecycle

Bird Improvements

Other Alternative Uses

• Burning to produce electricity• Anaerobic digestion to produce electricity or

gas• Farm Pilot Project Coordination, Inc.

So, how are we doing in Maryland?

Maryland WIP GoalsJuly 2011 – December 2012 Implementation vs. Milestone

• Manure transport 37,729 tons vs. 37,000 goal• Manure buildings 22 installed vs. 7 goal• Litter incorporation 85,000 acres vs. 24,000 goal• Litter Treatment 44 farms vs. 65 goal• Heavy use area pads 186 farms vs. 19 goal

A Bad Farm

A Beautiful Farm