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FARM & HOME ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

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

NEWS

Spring 2005

Farm and Home is the quarterly electronic newsletter of FARM & HOME ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS, part of the Environmental Resources Center at UW-Madison. We are building on a decade of Farm*A*Sys/Home*A*Syst work and continuing to facilitate the efforts of research and outreach educators who focus on issues related to environmental management and pollution prevention - especially with respect to water quality. Of particular concern is the development of Environmental Management Systems in agriculture. We share information about a range of issues including the development of new pollution prevention technologies, resources for pollution prevention outreach and education, and policies helping to shape environmental management.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this online newsletter, for more information, or to contribute, 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-SARE 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

• Pollution Prevention - A*Systing Rural Audiences
• Agricultural Environmental Management - Final Project Meeting for "Partners for Livestock Environmental Management Systems" Project Held December 2004 in Madison, WI

NOTES:

• U.S. Forest Service Publishes Environmental Management System Planning Rule.
• Four New PEER Centers Announced.
• Georgia Poultry Federation Litter Market web site.
• CSP Self-assessment Workbook Available for Producers.
• Researchers Discover Direct Link Between Agricultural Runoff And Massive Algal Blooms In The Sea.
• Revised Publication for CAFOs.
• "Safe Harbor" Agreement and Extended EPA Air Quality Deadline For Livestock And Poultry.
• CAFO Air Pollution Studies Published.
• Blue Lagoons on Pig Farms?
• Proceedings Available for Animal Manure and Waste Management Symposium.
• Audubon Society "State of the Birds" Report Notes Role of Agricultural Practices.
• Conservation Innovation Grants.
• New Publication on Ethics in Agriculture.
• USDA Releases Two Reports on Farms:
• 2004 Summary of Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations.
• Bridges to the Future: 2003 Annual Report of the Participation of Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers in USDA Programs
• New LSP Report, "Multifunctional Agriculture in the United States."
• New "Dynamic" Bibliographies Available on Water and Related Topics.
• New Web Material on Watershed Management.
• National Water Quality Assessment Database Posted on EPA's Web Site.
• New Online Tool Broadens Understanding of Clean Water Act.
• Best Practices Global Database.
• New Communication Tool: The Story Handbook.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

• The 18th Annual National Conference Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs,
• 2005 EPA Science Forum,
• International Conference on Environmental Effects of Agricultural Practices: Remediation, Prevention, and Sustainability,
• Water Quality Standards Academy Basic Course
• National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop,
• Listing Of Water-Related Conferences and Calls For Papers Recently Updated.

Pollution Prevention - A*Systing Rural Audiences

For a number of rural Oklahomans, taking action to protect drinking water may fall well below other priorities like paying rent and buying food. In some rural counties in Oklahoma, for example, more than 25% of the population lives in poverty and more than 40% of working-age residents lack a high school diploma.

LaDonna McCowan, Extension Specialist for Urban and Minority Environmental Programs, and her colleagues at Oklahoma State University are working at overcoming these obstacles through the development of educational materials and programs, as well as involvement of people from the community.

McCowan's work includes both modifying existing educational materials and also working with leaders of rural minority communities to distribute the information and to support residents in testing and protecting their drinking water supplies. McCowan notes that these poor rural areas are often home to a high proportion of minorities. In the Okfuskee and Okmulgee Counties, where she focuses her work, over 60% of the population are African American and American Indian.

In partnership with the Oklahoma Landowners and Tenants Association, and Retired Educators for Youth Agricultural Programs, she has updated Home*A*Syst and other informational materials. The Home*A*Syst approach included the development of a workbook that helped homeowners assess environmental and health risks in their homes and develop solutions to problems. One-page handouts have been developed from the workbooks and the font size has been increased. Students assist residents in completing the A*Syst workbooks. They also obtain water samples and mail them to Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality for bacteria testing. The students also collect latitude and longitude points using global positioning systems. This allows the use of Geographical Informational System (GIS) to display the wells and show visual results to the community. Often the cause of drinking water contamination can be traced and corrected.

McCowan also uses pictures and other visual maps produced by GIS to show the locations of rural water lines, aquifers, and other water resources to help people better understand their environment. Her work is supported through funding from Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). County Extension educators are working to inform the communities through public meetings and other information outlets. Thus far, a total of 31 private well owners participated in the workshops and 65 have been assisted with assessments for this project. Sixty percent of wells testing positive for harmful bacteria have been corrected. This number is increasing as their neighbors become aware of the program. McCowan reports that the biggest challenge is finding enough people to conduct the workshops. Her group is now training eleven county Extension Educators to conduct this program with 4-H students. For more information please contact, LaDonna McCowan 405-744-7532, email: mladonn@okstate.edu.

Agricultural Environmental Management - Final Project Meeting for "Partners for Livestock Environmental Management Systems" Project Held December 2004 in Madison, WI

A good "final project" meeting will always identify next steps to be taken as well as lessons learned. This was certainly the case at the two-day final meeting for the "Partners for Livestock Environmental Management Systems" project, which is wrapping up this year. At the meeting, held in Madison, WI, participants from around the country explored the key lessons that emerged during the 4-year project. Funded through the USDA Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS), the project piloted Environmental Management Systems on beef, dairy, and poultry operations in nine states. (For more information on project objectives please visit: http://www.uwex.edu/AgEMS/livestock/.)

At the final meeting people shared individual results from work completed in the nine states and worked to develop a final report for the project to be released this summer. Efforts are also underway to continue the momentum generated by this project. A farmer-to-farmer AgEMS network is being developed, and several outreach and training initiatives are also underway to explore alternative venues for long-term continued agriculture EMS networking. More information will be posted on the website above as these initiatives develop.

Among the lessons shared at the meeting, people agreed that the EMS process is not for everybody. Among those most likely to see value in the EMS process are first generation farmers who have a strong management focus and are eager to become better managers. Farmers who have already had successes with other types of management systems (e.g. finance, or crops, or quality control) also see value in the information gathering and communications aspects of the EMS process. Other lessons shared at the meeting include:

• The EMS process is suited to farmers that understand and enjoy the management challenges, working with data and people. "Can't manage what you can't measure," was how one participant put it.
• Farmers with public relations needs obviously benefited from the communications requirements of an EMS.
• An EMS is a very different process than traditional outreach and extension efforts. The emphasis is more on the process experienced over any endpoint (the "EMS" document is never done, a dynamic document).
• It takes a lot of time to describe, initiate and develop an EMS to the point where it becomes a farmer-lead process. Ownership is key, but developing a farmer-led system is very challenging. Individualized site-specific, management ability-specific and culture-specific approaches are critical to success.
• AgEMSs work best in concert with agricultural environmental regulation.
• A "coach" is needed to continue to motivate the process - keep farmers on track, keep it high on the priority list, especially for traditional farm structures. Someone that shows up at the farm and says, we're going to be working on your EMS today. This is currently done in the areas of herd health, feeding regime, crop management, and finances.
• Pilot farmers liked the third party assessment of environmental aspects and impacts.
• Group settings can be very effective in initiating the EMS process. It is worth time up front to organize producers to cultivate ownership as a community.
• Farmers, like people everywhere, are often bad at keeping records, and EMSs can be a way of enabling better record-keeping, not necessarily just more records. Use of records is a vital aspect of EMSs.
• Most producers felt they are good stewards of the land, yet all on-farm assessments done in the pilot studies identified needed improvements. Many farmers will tend to focus on one environmental area, especially those that are regulated. The EMS process puts the farmer in a problem-solving mode. A key benefit of an EMS is it documents good stewardship and creates more confidence in environmental management capability.

NOTES:

U.S. Forest Service Publishes Environmental Management System Planning Rule. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service released in December its final rule that provides the framework for individual forest management plans governing the 155 national forests and 20 grasslands. For the first time, an Environmental Management System (EMS) will be used during the planning process to improve performance. Read more at: http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nfma.

Four New PEER Centers Announced. The EPA Office of Water, working in cooperation with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, has announced the selection of four new Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Local Resource Centers (PEER Centers) to help local governments learn more about and adopt EMSs for their operations. The new Centers are located at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Kansas State University, the University of Colorado, and EcoVenture in Oakland, California. EMSs provide organizations with a structured approach for assessing and reducing their environmental impacts on a continual basis. More information about the Centers can be found at http://www.peercenter.net.

Georgia Poultry Federation Litter Market web site. The website is an interesting example of a system designed to facilitate communication between parties interested in buying, selling, or transporting poultry litter. See: http://www.galitter.org/.

CSP Self-assessment Workbook Available for Producers. Farmers and ranchers can now use a workbook to assess their potential eligibility to participate in the 2005 winter sign-up for the Conservation Security Program. CSP is a voluntary program that supports ongoing conservation stewardship of agricultural working lands and enhances the condition of America's natural resources. The CSP self-assessment workbook is available in hardcopy or compact disk from local NRCS offices and online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.

Researchers Discover Direct Link Between Agricultural Runoff And Massive Algal Blooms In The Sea. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/2004/agugulf-0112.html

Revised Publication for CAFOs. "Managing Manure Nutrients at Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations," revised December 2004. EPA Number: 821B04009. Available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/info.cfm#manure.

"Safe Harbor" Agreement and Extended EPA Air Quality Deadline For Livestock And Poultry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a new air emissions enrollment opportunity for livestock and poultry producers to protect themselves against future lawsuits. AFO operators participating in the agreement will pay a civil penalty of between $200 and $100,000, based on the size and number of farms in their operation. This will contribute to a fund that will cover the cost of a two-year emissions monitoring program in exchange for a moratorium on EPA enforcement of selected Clean Air Act requirements and the emission reporting provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

The public comment period on this agreement has been extended from April 1 to May 2, 2005. The deadline for AFOs to sign the agreement was May 1, 2005, but will be extended until July 1, 2005. The University of Nebraska has developed a web cast at http://cnmp.unl.edu under the EPA Consent Agreement button. Contact Richard Hegg at 202-401-6550 or rhegg@csrees.usda.gov or Mary Ann Rozum 202-401-4533 or mrozum@csrees.usda.gov for additional information.

CAFO Air Pollution Studies Published.The journal Environmental Health Perspectives recently published two studies on air pollution and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). "Airborne Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria Isolated from a Concentrated Swine Feeding Operation," was conducted by researchers at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Findings suggest that the inhalation of air from swine CAFO facilities may serve as an exposure pathway for the transfer of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens from swine to humans. The article is posted on the web at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2004/7473/7473.pdf. A second study, "Asthma and Farm Exposures in a Cohort of Rural Iowa Children" found that children raised on farms with swine had a higher prevalence of asthma compared to non-farm children. This excess was found only among children living on farms raising swine while a lower prevalence of asthma was observed among farm children not raising swine in comparison to non-farm children. In addition, children raised on farms with swine fed antibiotics had the highest prevalence of asthma. Learn more at: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2004/7240/7240.pdf.

Blue Lagoons on Pig Farms? A new technology developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and collaborators promises to vastly improve abilities to treat swine-production wastewater. The system performs three critical processes in animal-waste management: It separates solids and liquids from swine wastewater while recovering organic matter; it removes ammonia from wastewater, using acclimated nitrifying bacteria; and it transforms phosphorus removed from wastewater into a solid, marketable fertilizer while converting leftover effluent into an environmentally friendly liquid crop fertilizer. "Results showed that this system can have a great impact in animal-waste treatment," reported one researcher. Complete article at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar05/pig0305.htm.

Proceedings Available for Animal Manure and Waste Management Symposium. The Proceedings for the State of the Science - Animal Manure and Waste Management Symposium sponsored by the National Center for Manure and Animal Waste Management and the Cooperative State Research Extension and Education Service (CSREES) Multi-State Committee, S-1000, Animal Manure and Waste Utilization, Treatment and Nuisance Avoidance for a Sustainable Agriculture held in San Antonio, Texas on January 5-7 2005 are at: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/waste_mgt/natlcenter/sanantonio/proceedings.htm.

Audubon Society "State of the Birds" Report Notes Role of Agricultural Practices. The Audubon Society has posted "State of the Birds USA 2004." The report includes information on numerous causes of declines in U.S. bird populations, including poor agricultural practices and conversion of habitat to agricultural uses. See: http://www.audubon.org/bird/stateofthebirds/.

In a separate event on March 17, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that USDA's Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service are providing $367,000 funding to three research institutions that will support studies to examine the effects of USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on duck, northern bobwhite quail and pheasant populations.

Conservation Innovation Grants. The CIG offers a pilot program for state level Conservation Innovation Grants in twelve states -- CA, CO, IA, LA, MS, MT, NE, NH, NM, NJ, ND and TX - and the Pacific Basin. NRCS State Conservationists have begun issuing requests for applications. Links to the state level CIG programs are provided at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig/statecomponent.html.

New Publication on Ethics in Agriculture. The Council for Agriculture Science & Technology has released Ethics in Agriculture, a publication that discusses the ethics of such issues such as food safety, environmental impacts, food security, and agricultural biotechnology. The paper can be accessed via the CAST website at http://www.cast-science.org, with a fee required for non-CAST members.

USDA Releases Two Reports on Farms:

• 2004 Summary of Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations. On January 31, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2004 Summary of Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations. The number of farms in the United States in 2004 is estimated at 2.11 million, 0.6 percent fewer than in 2003. Total land in farms, at 936.6 million acres, decreased 2.25 million acres, or 0.2 percent, from 2003. The average farm size was 443 acres in 2004, an increase of 2 acres from the previous year. A copy of the report is posted on the web at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/reports/nassr/other/zfl-bb/fnlo0105.pdf.
• Bridges to the Future: 2003 Annual Report of the Participation of Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers in USDA Programs, is the first report required by Section 10708 of the 2002 Farm Bill to document the participation of socially disadvantaged farmers in USDA programs. The 2003 annual report is at http://civilrightsreports.sc.egov.usda.gov/civilright/mainAction.do.

New LSP Report, "Multifunctional Agriculture in the United States." The Land Stewardship Project recently announced the publication of a study in the journal BioScience conducted as part of LSP's Multiple Benefits of Agriculture Initiative. A copy of the report, entitled Multifunctional Agriculture in the United States, can be accessed from the LSP website: http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/05/newsr_050208.htm.

New "Dynamic" Bibliographies Available on Water and Related Topics. The Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library has created several "dynamic" bibliographies. With one click of a link, these online bibliographies provide auto-generated results from the AGRICOLA database. These bibliographies will provide the most up-to-date citations available in AGRICOLA on a given topic. You can access and learn more about these bibliographies at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/dynamic.html

New Web Material on Watershed Management. The National Water Program Website announces the debut of expanded Watershed Management content. Materials are the result of ongoing efforts throughout the nation via the National Water Program Network developed by the CSREES National Integrated Water Quality Program and National Research Initiative. Visit http://www.usawaterquality.org/themes/watershed/. The site includes success stories on key programs (the collection will continue to grow): http://www.usawaterquality.org/success.html

National Water Quality Assessment Database Posted on EPA's Web Site. EPA's Office of Water released the first-ever interactive database of state water quality assessment data, which provides easy Web access to water quality information at the state and local levels. This initial Web release of the 2002 National Water Quality Database summarizes electronic data for 32 States. The remaining States should be added to the Database by March 31, 2005. National summary water quality statistics will be available at that time. The Database may be viewed at www.epa.gov/305b/2002report and if you have any questions, please contact Cary McElhinney at mcelhinney.cary@epa.gov.

New Online Tool Broadens Understanding of Clean Water Act. River Network has developed a new and innovative online course, "Understanding the Clean Water Act," designed to help watershed practitioners and others learn about CWA programs and tools. Course content is structured to help isolate specific problems, identify possible solutions, develop and leverage existing programs and build effective outreach tools. The online course is intended to be a companion to RNs book, "The Clean Water Act: An Owner's Manual." Visit: http://www.cleanwateract.org/.

Best Practices Global Database. The Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme (BLP) is a global network of institutions dedicated to the identification and exchange of successful solutions for sustainable development. The BLP website includes a "Best Practices Database," of the most significant and successful projects from around the world designed to provide an overview of how cities, people and their communities are solving critical social, economic and environmental problems. For a selection of projects related to environmental management, visit: http://www.bestpractices.org/bpbriefs/environment.html.

New Communication Tool: The Story Handbook. In "The Story Handbook, Language and Storytelling for Land Conservationists," contributors Tim Ahern, William Cronon, John Elder, Peter Forbes, Barry Lopez, and Scott Russell Sanders present the power of stories, narratives of people and places, and how those stories can advance the work of land conservation toward creating meaningful change in our culture. Visit http://www.chelseagreen.com.

CONFERENCE & EVENTS

The 18th Annual National Conference Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs. April 26-29, 2005 at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza Chicago, Illinois. http://www.nalms.org/symposia/chicago/index.htm.

2005 EPA Science Forum. May 16-18, 2005. The Forum will focus on Collaborative Science for Environmental Solutions. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Online registration: http://www.epa.gov/ord/scienceforum.

International Conference on Environmental Effects of Agricultural Practices: Remediation, Prevention, and Sustainability. August 21-24, 2005 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, 71 Banyan Drive, in Hilo, Hawaii. Complete information can be found at http://www.dce.ksu.edu/dce/conf/ag&environment/.

Water Quality Standards Academy Basic Course to be available at two sessions May 9-13 and September 26-30, 2005. The course sessions will be held at EPA HQ in Washington, DC. This comprehensive and highly structured course introduces participants to all aspects of the water quality standards program, including the interpretation and application of water quality standards regulations; policies and program guidance; development of water quality criteria (human health, aquatic life, nutrient and biological); and all other facets of the program. This basic introductory course is designed for those with fewer than six months of experience with water quality standards. There is no fee for the course, but advance reservations are required. You can pre-apply online at: http://www.epa.gov/ost/standards/academy.html.

National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop. September 19-22, 2005, Raleigh, NC. The 13th year of this workshop will once again bring water quality specialists together to share information on the effectiveness of best management practices in improving water quality. The 13th year of this workshop will once again bring water quality specialists together to share information on the effectiveness of best management practices in improving water quality. Deadline for submission of abstracts is March 24, 2005. For details on abstract submission and to submit your abstract online, please visit our website: http://www.ncsu.edu/waterquality/nmp_conf/

Listing Of Water-Related Conferences and Calls For Papers Recently Updated. See the Water Quality Information Center's page at: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/meetings.html.

Sources for this newsletter include: "Agriculture And Natural Resources News" from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; "The Recharge Report" from the Groundwater Foundation; and Enviro-News, a service of the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library. Thank you!

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