What is a livestock Environmental Management System?

A livestock EMS is a systematic approach to identify, correct and monitor the environmental performance of a livestock enterprise. It involves a continuous cycle of risk assessment, action planning, implementation, review and improvement to fully integrate environmental responsibility into the business of farming.

What was the Partnerships Project?

This project organized a support system for livestock producers to positively address environmental and community health concerns through partnerships between agricultural organizations and public agencies. The project goal was to develop and evaluate environmental assessment and decision-support aids with which livestock producers can address local priority water and air quality issues. In general, this four year project:

• started with stakeholder input through roundtable discussion of supportive strategies for reducing impacts of livestock manure on the environment and public health.
• worked with three commodity organizations to develop, pilot test and evaluate environmental management assessment system materials and delivery approaches in nine states (Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin). Update from Nebraska Tools Leadership Team.
• ended with a review and evaluation of results with stakeholders and policy makers, to identify the future roles and the support needed for agricultural environmental management systems. Update from Wisconsin Evaluation Leadership Team.

Learn more about the work of this project by reading through the Final Report Summary. The complete final report is available upon request from the project co-investigators listed at right.

This project was funded through a USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS)Year 2000 Grant, and additionally was supported by the Environmental Protection Agency Non-Point Source Control Branch, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

More information about agriculture environmental management systems can be found at: http://www.uwex.edu/AgEMS.

More documentation about the project can be found at: http://www.uwex.edu/AgEMS/livestock/project.html

© 2006 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.