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FARM & HOME ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS
Farm and Home is the 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*Syst/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/
Changing with the Times: Updating Georgia's Farm*A*Syst Assessments.
So much has changed over the past decade. One of the most significant differences impacting Extension is the method and tools we use to educate our changing public. In Georgia, the Farm*A*Syst Program is keeping up by incorporating new technologies and research into educational and outreach efforts.
Started in 1995, the Georgia Farm*A*Syst, Improving Drinking Water Well Condition assessment had a tool that detected moderate and high risks associated with the location of private wells and provided education on the need for testing and maintaining these private systems. Because of the easy-to-use format for well owners, the publication was in high demand and over 3,000 copies were distributed within three years. With continued success and the growth of many rural communities relying on wells, the publication was evaluated, updated and reprinted again in 2001. The necessity for educational materials and technology to serve private well owners was apparent.
Over the past 10 years, the number of technical requests on private drinking water wells has increased, as have the difficulty of some of the questions. Difficulties associated with well construction, for example, could not be identified using a site assessment alone. The ability to target problems was limited by the inability to see inside the well. In 2004, the University of Georgia responded to this issue by using USDA 406 funding to purchase a down-well camera. The camera allowed the user to assess the well casing, depth of water, presence of organisms, and other conditions of a well. This technology supports a third, more advanced and research-based version of the Improving Drinking Water Well Condition assessment.
Over the past year and half, approximately fifty wells have been inspected, many problems identified and results entered into a database. New concerns have been identified, such as potential problems associated with older steel cased wells in Georgia's Coastal Plains. With the images obtained by UGA's down-well camera came new opportunities to capture the attention of Georgia's private well owners. Before the camera, Extension could only talk about geologic conditions, well construction, and well maintenance. Using the images from the camera, people can see why certain precautions should be taken around a well. Images of the "good, bad, and ugly" of private water wells are the foundation of a 20-minute educational video, Well…What Do You Know: An Introduction to Drinking Water and Well Protection. This new tool provides well owners with an understanding of how private water wells function. It also promotes the Improving Drinking Water Well Condition assessment as well as other related Farm*A*Syst assessments.
The Improving Drinking Water Well Condition assessment is a perfect example of how Extension can develop applied research with new technologies, impact change in rural communities, protect drinking water, and "keep with the times." To get a copy of the assessment, please email Tina Pagan at tpagan@engr.uga.edu or call 706.542.7661. For information regarding Georgia's down-well camera and video, please contact Dr. Paul Vendrell at pvendrel@uga.edu or call 706.542.7690.
Reframing Farmers' Views Of Environmental Regulators: Impact Of Livestock Environmental Management Systems Education.
In light of increasing agriculture environmental regulations, many livestock producers are feeling pressured - economically and culturally. Satisfying regulations can require substantial economic investment and some farmers feel they cannot stay in business and that their way of life is in peril. The Partnerships for Livestock Environmental Management System (PLEMS) project in part sought to assist the agricultural sector, especially small to mid-size operations, by offering a structure through which producers could reframe their approach to environmental regulation.
The project hypothesized that the Environmental Management System (EMS), one component of the International Organization of Standardization's (ISO) 14001 certification, could be retrofitted to serve small to medium size livestock operations. Farmers or ranchers would be provided with the EMS's "Plan-Do-Check-Act" framework, which would help them plan for and organize documentation for future environmental management and natural resource sustainability on their farms.
PLEMS, begun over four years ago, is reaching conclusion, and case study interviews with participating farmers have revealed several themes about how EMSs support producers in responding to regulation.
Some farmers altered their views of the regulatory environment as a result of their participation in PLEMS. A cattle ranching couple from Montana, for example, explained that one outcome of their PLEMS participation was viewing federal environmental agencies as a resource for improving their ranch's environmental conditions, as opposed to the relationship being based purely upon regulations: "EMS gave us wonderful rapport with the Department of Environmental Quality, federal agencies, and the state. Everybody [involved] has benefited from [improving that] communication level," one member of the couple stated. For these ranchers, the enhanced relationship was a result of their completing an EMS self-assessment that helped them determine priority environmental problems and control pollution on the ranch. The couple used these priorities in planning and carrying out several water-management projects on their ranch, which once completed meant that their operation was deemed a "non-designated pollution source" and no longer required a Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permit.
"Without the EMS we couldn't have stepped out of the CAFO regulation as we have recently done," one member of the couple asserted. These ranchers are continuing to use the EMS approach for ranch environmental planning and preparing their farm to meet future environmental agricultural regulations. Because they are proactively making changes on their ranch and maintaining documentation, they feel in control when regulators come to check their ranch. Another Montana cattle rancher concurred: "I think I am not as intimidated by regulators as I used to be."
A Wisconsin dairy farmer echoed similar sentiments. Through the EMS he discovered the Department of Natural Resources' Green Tier certification program that involves working with the DNR to implement an EMS. "We will have a working relationship with the DNR rather than just a regulatory relationship…we like the idea of talking to people about goals rather than about regulations."
Our interviews indicate that through participation in the EMS project some livestock producers are able to re-vision their relationships with natural resource regulatory agencies. Some specifically gained respect for environmental regulators. Establishing these relationships is increasingly important in avoiding further polarization of the agricultural, governmental and environmental sectors.
These case studies present a sample of information currently being analyzed from the PLEMS project, and which will be part of a final report issued later this year. Information from the interviews may also support the formation of a nation-wide group of agriculturalists working to help bolster the credibility of EMS in the wider U.S. agricultural community (see next article).
Producers see AgEMS as Key to Pro-active Approach to Environmental Issues.
Sacramento, CA, June of 2005. Fifty-five representatives of the agricultural community met here to discuss the future of Agricultural Environmental Management Systems (AgEMSs). Commodities represented included beef, dairy, swine, poultry, corn, soybeans, winegrapes, potatoes and vegetables. Producer interaction at this meeting affirmed that public concerns about negative impacts of agriculture on the environment increase the need for a pro-active approach and that AgEMSs can serve to address these concerns. The Sacramento Conference initiated work on an action plan to support funding efforts for the development of a national AgEMS organization.
Among the primary needs of this plan, the group agreed:
A work group of producers, agency and organization representatives will be drafting an action plan to establish a national AgEMS program. Goals for the national AgEMS program include a standard environmental business model, based on ISO 14001 templates, allowing U.S. producers to label their products as third party certified by a credible EMS audit system. The AgEMS model will also provide profit and efficiency measures by which U.S. farmers can determine the benefits of good and superior environmental management. This AgEMS program would also provide agribusiness a means to further financially invest in the environmental and production goals of the American farmer. Specific agribusiness contributions could include: assisting in the production of commodity specific EMS templates; supporting producer training in AgEMS; assisting with programs that aid producers in and maintaining their EMSs; and supporting development of third party certification programs, and production incentives for certified farms.
The draft plan will be shared with all meeting participants and others to obtain review comments. For more information, please contact: Gary Jackson at gwjackso@wisc.edu
Voluntary Environmental Improvement Programs: Comparing CNMP and EMS on Western Iowa Livestock Farms. By Suzanne Schuknecht, John D. Lawrence, and Joe Lally. Two separate programs to assist producers in voluntarily implementing practices to protect water quality were undertaken in western Iowa. This report is a summary of the follow up study conducted approximately a year after the programs were concluded with the participants that completed either the Livestock Environmental Management System Pilot Project (LEMS) or Western Iowa Livestock External Stewardship Pilot Project (WILESPP). The goal of this study is to identify the outcomes of two different educational approaches regarding voluntary environmental programs. Please visit: http://www.uwex.edu/AgEMS/livestock/pilots/iowa.html.
JOE article on AgEMS: "Agriculture Environmental Management System Electronic Manure Handling Process Map" by John D. Harrison et al. Utah State University Cooperative Extension Agriculture Environmental Management Systems participants developed an electronic process flow method for identifying aspects and assessing impacts from the manure handling systems on animal feeding operations. This method breaks the manure handling system into manageable portions by delineating every process and support activity on a process flow diagram. Then each process and activity is individually examined to identify associated aspects. This approach expedites the identification of aspects in relation to those processes and activities. It also fulfills the operational control condition to "identify those operations and activities that are associated with identified significant environmental aspects." See: http://www.joe.org/joe/2005april/tt5.shtml.
New Publication on Southern Hemisphere AgEMS. Adoption of Environmental Management Systems in Agriculture Part II - Analysis of 40 Case Studies. By Genevieve Carruthers. Discusses interviews with over 40 farmers and farm managers in Australia and New Zealand who had either adopted a recognized EMS process or used less formal approaches. All had made progress in addressing environmental issues. The interviews have been developed into a series of case studies published as RIRDC Publication No. 03/121 "Adoption of Environmental Management Systems in Agriculture Part 1: Case studies from Australian and New Zealand farms. 2005. 191 pp, Pub. No. 05/032. Downloadable from: http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/EMSCaseStudies/contents.pdf.
New Book on Value of Agrarian Landscapes Three non-profit organizations, Renewing the Countryside, The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and The Centre for Agriculture and Environment in the Netherlands, have collaborated to produce a new book entitled Values of Agrarian Landscapes Across Europe and North America. The book includes the view of scientists, farmers, organizers and academics at the industrial model of agriculture that has been shaping farm subsidies and WTO policy for decades. It showcases the new paradigm for agriculture that accounts for the cultural values, "ecosystem services," biodiversity, beauty, and history that small farms preserve, with photographs of sustainable agriculture from around Europe and North America. To purchase the book, go to the website http://store.rtcmarket.org/ or phone 1-866-477-1521.
Reports on Federal Farm Program Policy Available. The American Farmland Trust released a report summarizing the views on the Farm Bill provided by farmers and ranchers in eight regional forums convened by AFT earlier in this year. The report is posted at: http://www.farmland.org/policy2/2007FarmBill/Research%20group-forum%20description%206-3-05.pdf. The Environmental Working Group released a report with farm-by-farm data showing that some of the largest agricultural operations in California's Central Valley receive federally subsidized water to grow federally subsidized crops, particularly cotton and rice. The report is relevant not only to the upcoming farm bill, but also to the long-term contract renewals being negotiated now by the Bureau of Reclamation which will set water prices for the next 25-50 years. The report is on the web at http://www.ewg.org/reports/doubledippers/execsumm.php. The summer issue of the Iowa Ag Review includes an article by Bruce Babcock and Chad Hart that analyzes the existing Farm Bill safety net for crop producers provided by commodity program payments and crop insurance. A copy of the report is posted at: http://www.card.iastate.edu/iowa_ag_review/summer_05/article1.aspx
USDA ERS publication: Flexible Conservation Measures on Working Lands. Much of the increased funding for conservation in the 2002 Farm Bill was earmarked for working-land payment programs. This report examines the potential environmental gains achieved and their associated costs for a variety of program design and implementation schemes. The report focuses on simulations of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Security Program (CSP). The full report is at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err5/.
CIAS Publication on Management Intensive Rotational Grazing. The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has released a new resource on management-intensive rotational grazing. The bibliography, The Social Implications of Management Intensive Rotational Grazing:An Annotated Bibliography includes a comprehensive literature review, over 100 abstracts covering economic, social, and general reports on grazing, over 30 abstracts covering the agronomic, environmental, human nutrition, and grazing "how-to" literature. Posted on the web at: http://www.cias.wisc.edu/bibliog2.php.
CRA report on Mid-Size Farms. The Center for Rural Affairs has released a report entitled The Impact and Benefits of USDA Research and Grant Programs to Enhance Mid-Size Farm Profitability and Rural Community Success: A Preliminary Report, which examines how well key USDA grant and research programs are serving beginning, small- and mid-size farms and ranches, and what steps might be taken to improve these programs or develop new solutions to enhance farm profitability and rural community success. A full copy of the report is posted on the web at: http://www.cfra.org/pdf/GrantPrograms_Final.pdf.
EPA Board to Reassess Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Action Plan. The EPA's Science Advisory Board will be reassessing the Hypoxia Action Plan issued in 2001 for dealing with the nutrient polluted "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico. The 2001 Action Plan called for a 30 percent reduction in nitrogen loads as the initial strategy for cutting the dead zone in half by 2015. The Plan also called for a scientific reassessment of the nutrient reduction strategy by 2015. EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin Grumbles said the reassessment will not be completed until 2007 and that EPA will conduct public symposia on the issue. EPA Region 4 scientists have circulated white papers on the issue which have concluded that EPA should refocus the nutrient strategy to included phosphorus reductions as a measure to decrease the seasonal growth of the Gulf's dead zones. EPA maintains a website for the Action Plan at: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/.
Iowa Policy Project on CAFOs. A report released in April by the Iowa Policy Project notes that large-scale animal livestock confinement operations generate or pass on water-related costs that must be addressed through public policies that protect producers, consumers and the environment over the long term. Stronger regulations and enforcement are needed to assure environmental protection, according to the report. "Concentrating on Clean Water," available at: http://www.iowapolicyproject.org/.
Soap Opera Reaps Prize For Its Clean Message. A Vietnamese radio soap opera is one of the winners of a World Bank competition for ideas to improve the livelihoods of people in the developing world. The radio drama aims to teach Vietnamese rice farmers about sustainable farming, by weaving pest-management principles into the loves-and-hates storyline of a typical soap opera (see Nature 430, 284; 2004). The response to the soap opera, which is based on the UK radio drama The Archers, has been overwhelming, says Monina Escalada, a research fellow at the International Rice Research Institute in Manila, the Philippines. Escalada organizes the writers and environmental scientists who team up to produce the scripts. "We know farmers are listening," she adds.
CSREES Small Business Innovation Research Program - Fy 2006 RFA. The CSREES Small Business Innovation Research program FY 2006 RFA is web-posted. The closing date for submitting Phase I grant applications is September 1, 2005. One of the biggest differences this year is that the agricultural part of Rural and Community Development has been split off as a new topic area that is called Small and Mid-Size Farms. This topic area will be focused on developing new technologies to promote the sustainability and profitability of small and mid- size farms and ranches. Grant proposals have to be submitted by for-profit small business firms, but university personnel can participate as consultants or subcontractors. See: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/sbir_rfa.html.
USDA National Agroforestry Center website on Visual Simulation. Visual simulation is a term used to describe a graphic or model that portrays a change from the existing condition. The information presented at this web site focuses on the use of computer image editing techniques to illustrate proposed changes in the landscape. In natural resource planning, being able to simulate a proposed change can be a powerful tool when working with landowners and other decision-makers. Computers now make it possible to create realistic looking simulations using image-editing software. To see how this technology has been used to create visual simulation, see: http://www.unl.edu/nac/simulation/.
New Publications from USDA-SARE. . USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program recently released a second edition of The New American Farmer, with photos of sustainable farmers and ranchers and contact information so readers can learn more. Preview at: http://www.sare.org/publications/naf2/index.htm. The SARE program has also issued 2005 SARE Highlights, a new 16-page publication featuring a dozen practical, profit-enhancing ideas that have been researched and tested at universities and on farms and ranches. Preview or download the entire publication at http://www.sare.org/highlights/. For a full list of resources available from SAN, visit: http://www.sare.org/publications
Web Resource for Rural Communities.On the "Renewing the Countryside" website you will find stories of everyday people making a difference in their rural communities. The stories here are of farmers, artists, business owners, community leaders, non-profit organizers, youth and others who are living, working and playing in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and future generations. Read these stories and find ideas, hope and inspiration. Visit: http://www.renewingthecountryside.org/.
Online Documents On Water and Agriculture. The Water Quality Information Center's database of online documents covering water and agriculture was recently updated. See: http://grande.nal.usda.gov/wqic/.
Forests on the Edge Report. The USDA's Forests on the Edge project seeks to improve understanding of the processes and thresholds associated with increases in housing density in private forests and likely effects on the contributions of those forests to timber, wildlife, and water resources. This report, the first in a series, displays and describes housing density projections on private forests, by watershed, across the conterminous United States. Visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/fote/
EPA National Water Program Guidance for FY2006 Released. . EPA has posted the National Water Program Guidance for FY 2006 on the web at: http://www.epa.gov/water/waterplan.
National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Forestry. This EPA report helps forest owners protect lakes and streams from polluted runoff that can result from forestry activities. Report available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/forestrymgmt/.
Water Use Efficiency Program. This web site provides an overview of EPA's Water Efficiency Program, which is primarily concerned with municipal water use. A broad spectrum of stakeholders, from homeowners to State governments, can find information here that can help them become more water-efficient. http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/.
Watershed News. This monthly EPA newsletter provides information for watershed groups and others working at the grass roots level to protect and restore watersheds. Visit: http://www.epa.gov/win/news.html
New UNEP report on Freshwater Biodiversity. Freshwater Biodiversity: a preliminary global assessment (WCMC Biodiversity Series No. 8). By Brian Groombridge and Martin Jenkins. This document provides information on inland waters and their biodiversity to a wide audience, ranging from those interested in the state of the world environment generally, to those needing an overview of the global and regional context in order to improve planning, management and investment decisions. Access the full publication: http://www.unepwcmc.org/information_services/publications/freshwater/toc.htm.
UNEP's Environmental Atlas. The United Nations Environment Programme has produced "One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment" in collaboration with other agencies such as the US Geological Survey and the US space agency (NASA). See: http://www.na.unep.net/OnePlanetManyPeople/index.php.
Great Lakes Report. Our Great Lakes report by U.S. EPA and Environment, Canada. See: http://www.binational.net/ourgreatlakes/ourgreatlakes.pdf.
USGS Report Shows How We Use Ground Water From Principal Aquifers. "Estimated Withdrawals from Principal Aquifers in the United States, 2000," provides details of ground-water withdrawals and use from principal aquifers in each state. The full report is available online at: http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1279
CONFERENCE & EVENTS (For a more complete listing of conferences, visit the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library: http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/meetings.html).
National Network of Forest Practitioners. 15th Annual Meeting: "Sustaining Rural Communities in a Changing World: A Holistic Perspective." September 7-10, 2005. Burr Oak State Park, Glouster, Ohio. Visit: http://www.nnfp.org.
Watershed Academy: Principles of Water Quality Monitoring, Planning, and Restoration, Clemson, South Carolina. Academy participants will learn how to apply water quality and watershed management principles to understand and solve complex water resource problems. September 13-15, 2005. http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/streams/academy4.htm.
7th Annual National Forum on Contaminants in Fish, , September, 18-21, 2005, Baltimore, MD. Forum attendees include health and environmental officials from state, tribal, and federal agencies and others interested in presenting and discussing issues related to assessing and managing potential health risks associated with dietary exposure to bioaccumulative chemical contaminants in fish. The agenda will focus on state, tribal, and federal activities related to managing health risks and benefits of consuming fish. A brief description of your poster is due by August 29, 2005. For program information, please visit the Forum website at:http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/ or contact Jeff Bigler, USEPA at (202) 566-0389 or mailto:bigler.jeff@epa.gov.
Mississippi River Basin Nutrients Science Workshop, October 4-6, 2005 St. Louis, Missouri. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring this 3-day workshop to assess the state of the science regarding the fate and effect of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in large rivers in the Mississippi River Basin. The agency expects that the outcome of this workshop will be a report that establishes a clear roadmap for a collaborative effort to set standards and possible approaches for nutrients in the Mississippi River Basin. Register by September 16. Contact: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/nutrient/announce.html.
2006 USDA-CSREES National Water Conference, , February 5-9, 2006. San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, TX. The conference will provide opportunities for water quality professionals engaged in research, extension, and education to share knowledge and ideas, to identify and update emerging issues, and to network with the CSREES National Water Quality Program and partner organizations. Visit: http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/swetc/waterconf/2006/main.htm
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; news from the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in Washington, D.C. and Enviro-News, a service of the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library. Thank you!
