Return to previous page

FARM & HOME ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

~Ag EMS/WQPAAP/Healthy Homes/Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst~

NEWS

Fall 2004

This quarterly electronic newsletter of FARM & HOME ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS aims to inform interested readers about voluntary pollution prevention programs around the nation and about new research and policy impacting the management of environmental risk on farms and in homes. To subscribe or unsubscribe to this online newsletter, for more information, or to contribute to this newsletter, please refer to our website (http://www.uwex.edu/farmandhome/), or email editor Mrill Ingram mingram@wisc.edu We welcome comments and feedback!

USDA-CSREES, USDA-NRCS, and the U.S. EPA provide support for our programs.

Farm and Home Environmental Management Programs
Room 303 Hiram Smith Hall
1545 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-262-0024
FAX: 608-265-2775
Website:http://www.uwex.edu/farmandhome/

CONTENTS

STORIES

• The Precautionary Principle and Its Applications in Agriculture.
• Idaho Home*A*Syst Receives New Funds.
• New Research: Plant Trees for Better Water Quality.

NOTES:

• A*Syst Programs Make an Appearance at the 2004 USDA CSREES National Water Quality Conference.
• New Article on Pesticide Education for Retail Store Employees.
• WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality .
• USDA Launches Web Site in Spanish.
• Rodale Report on Water Quality Benefits of Organic Agriculture.
• The Agricultural Law Bibliography.
• Nutrient Management Video Seminar Online.
• News from the EPA:
  • EPA Releases New Version of BASINS Water Quality Model
  • Environmental Information Exchange Network Grants Awarded
  • Updated EPA Guidance on Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control
  • EPA Develops EMS Handbook for Wastewater Organizations
  • Technical Guidance on CAFOs from EPA
  • Grant Resource Reminder: EPA's Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

• Animals in the Food System.
• Seventh Water Information Summit.
• Soil and Water Conservation Society's Annual Environmental Management Conference.
• American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual International Meeting.
• Symposium on the State of the Science of Animal Manure and Waste Management.
• USDA-CSREES National Water Quality Conference.
• National Environmental Partnership Summit
• 2nd Symposium on Safe Management and Utilization of Animal Waste
• Fourth Annual North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition

The Precautionary Principle and Its Applications in Agriculture

By Charlotte Lake

Phrases such as, "better safe than sorry" are introduced to us at an early age to guide actions in our personal lives. In the real world economic interests often override caution though these decisions affect people on the personal level. A new guiding principle, the Precautionary Principle, may help to rework risk management on the larger scale. Though a well-known concept in Europe, the principle is only slowly being adopted in the United States, but has some interesting implications for agriculture here and abroad.

The concept is accredited to the German idea of Vorsorgeprinzip, with connotations beyond precautionary to imply preparing for a difficult future. The word is often used in medicine meaning that preventative care is better than treating a sickness incurred. It is also part of the occupational safety standard that it is better to avoid accidents than to send the worker to the hospital for treatment and rehabilitation. Applications to environmental issues arose in Europe in the 1970s when landowners discovered that their forests were dying from acid rain linked to power plant emissions. This led to a national effort to reduce emissions. The Precautionary Principle's most notable international emergence has been in the Rio Declaration on the Environment and Development in 1992. The most prominent application of the Precautionary principle in the United States has been the City of San Francisco, which adopted the policy for its environmental decisions in June 2003.

In the United States in 1998 the Wingspread group, a gathering of scientists, philosophers, lawyers, and environmental activists, defined the Precautionary Principle according to four basic concepts:

• People have a duty to take anticipatory action to prevent harm.
• The burden of proof of harmlessness of a new technology, process, activity, or chemical lies with the proponents, not with the general public.
• Before using a new technology, process, or chemical, or starting a new activity, people have an obligation to examine "a full range of alternatives" including the alternative of doing nothing.
• Decisions applying the precautionary principle must be "open, informed, and democratic" and "must include affected parties."

Resistance to the precautionary principle has come from people fearing that adoption of these concepts would create a threat to scientific innovation. It has also been said that reducing risk in the future may come at the expense of current lives such as in the question of the use of DDT to reduce malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Defenders argue that in practice, the principle is used as a guide for environmental policy not as a measure to halt innovation and commerce. The principle is not an inflexible rule banning all potentially dangerous activities, but works to shift the burden of proof and to encourage more searches for safe alternatives, a way in itself of promoting new innovation.

The concept has also made its way into agriculture. Much of the debate on the Precautionary Principle and agriculture revolves around the issue of genetically engineered crops. While industrial interests feel that the principle will remove all genetically engineered crops, Precautionary Principle advocates argue that in the light of continued uncertainties about the health and environmental effects of genetically-modified organisms (gmos), more research is needed in this area before the technology should be deployed.

Fred Kirschenmann, Director of the Aldo Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and a third generation farmer, sees organic farming as adhering to the Precautionary Principle in that it "uses natures own ecosystem services," and is precautionary in its awareness of the need to protect the ecosystem on which it depends. Use of the principle in agriculture, Kirschenmann argues, would mean a shift from shorter-term production goals toward longer-term sustainability by encouraging crop rotation, Integrated Pest Management and other approaches that would support less reliance on chemical inputs with known environmental and health risks.

The Precautionary Principle offers a more holistic plan for making environmental and human health decisions. It allows those affected to be more involved and reduces the negative externalities that the public tends to pay for. It is a concept that deserves further exploration in the United States. For more information on the Precautionary Principle visit the Science and Environmental Health Network at www.sehn.org

Idaho Home*A*Syst Receives New Funds

Lance Holloway of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has received a section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program Grant to revamp the state's Home*A*Syst materials, build an online and interactive website, and also to distribute the new materials statewide through workshops or other media (radio, newspapers, newsletters). Holloway, who was Idaho's Home*A*Syst coordinator from (1996-2002) notes that the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts(IASCD) and ISDA have continued to receive requests for Home*A*Syst materials and assistance even as the materials became out of date. Idaho's State Department of Agriculture has observed the need for continuing Home*A*Syst especially with respect to reaching out to smaller landowners and new rural homeowners and is supporting Lance Holloway in dedicating part of his time to get Idaho's Home*A*Syst program back up and running.

"The 319 project is especially nice because it supports us in developing a good website," notes Holloway. "We'll be able to easily update information over time and will save a lot of resources over reprinting paper documents."

Among other initial tasks, Lance Holloway is researching examples of other websites offering Home*A*Syst (or similar) assessments online. He welcomes any ideas or examples. Please email him at: lhollowa@agri.state.id.us

New Research Demonstrates that Trees Keep Out, and Help Process, Stream Pollutants

A team of researchers led by scientists from the Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, Pennsylvania, has discovered that streamside (or riparian) forests play a critical - and previously unacknowledged - role in protecting the world's fresh water. Their findings have significant implications for a world that is facing a huge and growing freshwater crisis, in which 20 percent of the world population lacks access to clean drinking water and more than 2.2 million people die each year from diseases transmitted by contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation.

"Policies aimed at providing sufficient and clean fresh water have historically focused on massive and expensive engineering projects, such as dams and filtration plants," said scientist Bernard Sweeney of the Stroud Center and lead author of the paper. "In doing so, they have often overlooked the substantial benefits that natural ecosystems provide. Perhaps nowhere is that value more evident than in streams and rivers, where hundreds of trillions of tiny organisms work constantly to clean the water," said Sweeney.

For some time, scientists and policy makers have recognized the role that riparian forests play in filtering pollutants before they enter the stream. This new research shows that such forests also play a vital role in protecting the health of the stream itself by enhancing the ability of its ecosystem to process organic matter and pollutants such as nitrogen.

In their study of 16 streams in eastern North America, the scientists found that streams flowing through forested areas are wider and shallower than those in meadowlands, their beds are rougher - offering more habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms -- and water moves more slowly through them. Those factors, along with other riparian forest benefits such as a greater variety of organic food and more natural temperature patterns, produce a richer ecosystem than that of deforested streams, and the increased abundance of bacteria, algae, invertebrates and fish enables them to better process certain pollutants.

Because the study was conducted on small streams, which comprise more than 90 percent of all streams in the United States, the implications for improving water quality by planting trees along stream banks are enormous, says Sweeney: forested streams will deliver cleaner water to downstream rivers, estuaries and, ultimately, oceans. The research was funded jointly by the National Science Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency and published in September in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research, "Riparian deforestation, stream narrowing, and loss of stream ecosystem services," is available online at http://www.pnas.org/.

NOTES:

A*Syst Programs Make an Appearance at the 2004 USDA CSREES National Water Quality Conference.The proceedings from the 2004 conference, held in Clearwater, Florida, are now posted on the CSREES National Water Quality Website. The many interesting items include "A Unique & Emerging Educational Tool: Forest*A*Syst CD," submitted by Kris Irwin, "Alabama Farm*A*Syst Program for Low Income and Underserved Farmers -an Update," submitted by Jesse La Prade, and several sessions on agricultural Environmental Management Systems. Check them out at: http://www.usawaterquality.org/conferences/2004/.

New Article on Pesticide Education for Retail Store Employees."Development of Educational Programs for Retail Stores That Sell Pesticides." Journal of Extension, August 2004, Volume 42 Number 4, http://www.joe.org/joe/2004august/iw6.shtml

WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.. The complete third edition is now available online and includes expanded coverage of risk assessment and management for both microbiology and chemicals, as well as guidance on guidelines applications. Please visit http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3/en/

USDA Launches Web Site in Spanish: http://www.usda.gov/EnEspanol/

Rodale Report on Water Quality Benefits of Organic AgricultureThe Rodale Institute has released a report on the environmental benefits of organic production, entitled Water, Agriculture and You. The report, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), includes findings that are significant in addressing "dead zones" and algal bloom problems caused by nutrient runoff in watersheds. The Rodale Institute research also documents that the use of organic farming practices has significant environmental benefits. The report is posted on the web at http://strauscom.com/rodale/

The Agricultural Law Bibliography.A new publication is available online offering a comprehensive, quarterly-updated, fully searchable compilation of scholarly articles and books on 48 agricultural and food law topics. The bibliography is an ongoing twenty-year project of Professor Drew L. Kershen of the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Among other resources, it offers full text, legislative history, and resource links for the 1990, 1996, and 2002 Farm Bills, with digitalized versions of earlier Farm Bills in development. The Bibliography is linked directly from the Center home page, www.NationalAgLawCenter.org, or can be accessed directly at www.nationalaglawcenter.org/bibliography

Nutrient Management Video Seminar."Preserving dairy farm economies and environmental quality: A comparative study of nutrient management tools from New York, Wisconsin, and elsewhere." From fall 2003; online at: http://www.dfrc.wisc.edu/powell/seminarSeries.html

News from the EPA:

EPA Releases New Version of BASINS Water Quality Model. A new version (3.1) of the Better Assessment Science Integrating point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) software system has been released. Originally introduced in 1996 with subsequent releases in 1998 and 2001, BASINS is a multipurpose environmental analysis system designed for use by regional, state, and local agencies in performing watershed and water quality-based studies. This system makes it possible to quickly assess large amounts of point source and non-point source data in a format that is easy to use and understand. This tool integrates environmental data, analytical tools, and modeling programs to support development of cost-effective approaches to watershed management and environmental protection, including TMDLs. See: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/basins/.

Environmental Information Exchange Network Grants Awarded. On October 13,US EPA announced the award of 67 grants totaling more than $20 million to states, territories, and tribes for continued work on the nationwide Environmental Information Exchange Network. When complete, the Exchange Network, a national environmental computer network, will transform the way states, tribes and other partners provide information to EPA. Electronic data exchange provides federal and state governments with more timely access to environmental data from diverse sources. The creation of the Exchange Network is also part of the E-Government Initiative of the President's Management Agenda, which mandates that the federal government take advantage of the power of information technology to make data more accessible to citizens and other interested parties. More information on the different types of grants and EPA's National Environmental Information Exchange Network is available at: http://www.epa.gov/Networkg/.

Updated EPA Guidance on Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Control. The EPA has released the updated National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture, a technical guidance and reference document for use by state, local and tribal managers in the implementation of nonpoint source pollution management programs. The guidance document is intended to provide technical information on the best available, economically achievable means of reducing NPS pollution of surface and groundwater from agriculture. The guidance provides background information about agricultural NPS pollution, where it comes from and how it enters the nation's waters, discusses the broad concept of assessing and addressing water quality problems on a watershed level, and presents up-to-date technical information about how to reduce agricultural NPS pollution. For more information, or to download a copy of the manual, see http://www.epa.gov/nps/agmm.

EPA Develops EMS Handbook for Wastewater Organizations. To help utilities better manage their water and wastewater operations, EPA has developed the first Environmental Management System (EMS) handbook along with a steering committee of wastewater industry representatives and other experts. The EMS handbook describes a set of management processes and procedures that allow a utility to examine, control and reduce environmental impacts of its facility operations. The Handbook provides a step-by-step, user-friendly guide for utilities to follow as they develop an EMS for their utility operations. The book also contains numerous examples, tips and other important information that make the EMS process understandable for utilities of all sizes. EPA developed this handbook through a cooperative agreement with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation in coordination with a steering committee of wastewater industry representatives and other experts. The EMS Handbook is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ems/, http://www.wef.org/ and http://www.peercenter.net/.

Technical Guidance on CAFOs from EPA. EPA has published a technical guidance entitled Managing Manure at Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to help producers meet their own and society's goals for environmental quality and profitability. The detailed information in this guidance will help prevent billions of pounds of pollutants from entering America's waters. You can find the guidance document on EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/guide/cafo.

Grant Resource Reminder: EPA'sCatalog of Federal Funding Sources for Watershed Protection. View the Web site at http://www.epa.gov/watershedfunding.

CONFERENCE & EVENTS

Animals in the Food System, November 3-4, 2004, Hickory Corners Michigan. Sponsored by the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University, the conference will consider pasture-based alternatives and challenges for research, outreach and development. The conference is designed to help participants to: 1. Develop an analysis and understanding of the utilization of animals in sustainable food systems and 2. Understand the policy needs, ecosystem service possibilities, financial realities, ethical responsibilities and scale factors in raising, processing, distributing and marketing animals in a sustainable manner. Visit: http://www.carrs.msu.edu/Conferences/AITFS/

Seventh Water Information Summit, November 2004. The WaterWeb consortium has been created to promote the sharing of information concerning water and the earth's environment. This year the Information Summit will be held in two venues in November 2004, to better accommodate regional and global participants. The meetings will be November 4-5, 2004 in Orlando, Florida, USA; and November 17-19, 2004 in Guanajuato, Mexico. Complete information, abstract submittal, and registration procedures are available at, http://www.waterweb.org, the WaterWeb Consortium's web site.

Soil and Water Conservation Society's Annual Environmental Management Conference, July 30-August 4, 2005 in Rochester, NY. Participants are invited to submit an abstract by November 29, 2004. For more information, see: http://www.swcs.org/t_what_callforpapers05.htm.

American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual International Meeting, July 17-20, 2005 in Tampa, FL. Participants are invited to submit an abstract by December 1, 2004. For more information, see: http://www.asae.org/imis/meeting/am2005_call.cfm

Symposium on the State of the Science of Animal Manure and Waste Management,January 5 to 7, 2005 in San Antonio, TX. Sponsored by CSREES and the National Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management. Visit: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/natlcenter/sanantonio.htm

USDA-CSREES National Water Quality Conference, February 7-9, 2005, San Diego, CA. For more information visit the Web site at: http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/swetc/waterconf/main.waterconferenc.htm

National Environmental Partnership Summit, April 11-14, 2005, Chicago, IL. This meeting will merge the annual meetings of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable, the Compliance Assistance community and the Performance Track Participants Association. Through a program including dynamic plenary sessions, interactive workshops, educational breakout sessions, onsite exhibitors, and offsite events and site visits, you will learn from each other about nationwide innovations in pollution prevention, compliance assistance and environmental leadership. Visit: http://www.environmentalsummit.org/index.cfm.

2nd Symposium on Safe Management and Utilization of Animal Waste, April 26-27, Jackson, Mississippi, to be held in Conjunction with 2005 Mississippi Water Resources Conference. Abstracts due November 15, 2004, manuscripts due April 8, 2005. Send abstracts to: Debbie McBride, 2005 Conference Coordinator dmcbride@gri.msstate.edu and copy drowe@ars.usda.gov.

Fourth Annual North American Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition, July 18 to 21, 2005, Orlando, Florida. The conference will attract the largest group of stormwater professionals in the country to participate in a focused series of forty workshops designed specifically to provide you with the information you need to solve your community's surface water quality problems. http://www.stormcon.com/sc.html.

© 2005 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved.
Web Coordinator.