The Project

Partners include: Montana Stockgrowers, Montana Farm Bureau, and the Montana State Department of Environmental Quality, Cooperative Extension County agents, and local liaisons with USDA/NRCS, and EPA.

Pilot testing the Beef environmental assessment tools in Montana focuses on twenty-three ranches that have winter feeding areas, riparian areas and confinement facilities. At educational meetings, participating producers will share their responses to the assessment tools, and consider how this program will progress beyond the fourth year of the project. The Montana pilot project will provide the national program technical expertise for beef herd management issues.

Reports

Final Summary - December 2005:

View the Final Report Summary.

Summer 2003

The Montana Pilot project has completed an EMS on one research farm and will be doing an Environmental Assessment on two other research farms and potentially doing a complete EMS. The project team conducted two presentations at Montana Stockgrowers and Montana Farm Bureau state conventions with some 300 people in attendance. For these meetings, the team developed a one-page handout with eight EMS questions on one side and a AFO/CAFO flow chart on the other to help animal feeding operation owners determine whether or not they need a permit, and assist them in determining what potential environmental risks may exist on their operation. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has expressed its support and is working with the team and a mid sized feeding operation to help demonstrate how implementation of certain management practices can be used toward regulatory relief.

January 2003:

The Montana pilot project is addressing winter feeding areas, calving and working facilities, backgrounding lots and open feedlots. A state specific environmental self-assessment tool was developed to assist producers in identifying potential environmental risk on their operations. In addition, materials were developed to allow producers the option of completing an environmental management plan to go along with identifying environmental risk for a more detailed assessment.

The Montana pilot project is coordinated by Montana State University Natural Resources Extension, and is directed by the EMS Oversight Committee which consists of 10 Montana beef producers and representatives from the following:

• NRCS
• EPA
• Montana Stock Growers Association
• Montana Cattle Feeders Association
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality
• Montana Farm Bureau
• Montana Governor's Rangeland Resources Executive Committee
• Montana State University

So far, twenty-three operations from across Montana have volunteered to pilot test these materials. In addition, a full EMS will be attempted on 3-5 operations that were past participants of the Western Integrated Resource Education Program. Eighteen producers are actively working on their self-assessments and the other five have begun developing environmental plans for their operations using their completed self-assessment. All 23 producers will be meeting with the Extension Natural Resources program in mid January 2003, to share experiences, discuss environmental concerns and mitigation techniques, answer questions, and do a critique of the self-assessment materials that were developed.

An educational program on EMS and Livestock Water Quality issues was presented in cooperation with the MT Stock Growers Association annual meeting on December 13, 2002. Additional educational and awareness programs will occur through out the state during winter Extension programs and additional state and national meetings. These include the Montana Winter Grazing Seminar and the Society for Range Management meeting. Water quality and riparian area management educational programs and EMS awareness training will be ongoing for beef producers and other interested groups throughout Montana.

November 2002

The Montana pilot project is addressing winter feeding areas, calving and working facilities, backgrounding lots and open feedlots. A state specific environmental self-assessment tool was developed to assist producers in identifying potential environmental risk on their operations. In addition, materials were developed to allow producers the option of completing an environmental management plan to go along with identifying environmental risk for a more detailed assessment. So far, twenty-four operations from across Montana have volunteered to pilot test these materials. In addition, a full EMS will be attempted on 3-5 operations that were past participants of the Western Integrated Resource Education Program.

Two producers are actively working on their plans and are helping with the awareness education efforts. Educational programs on EMS and Livestock Water Quality issues will be presented in cooperation with the MT Stockgrowers Association annual meeting and during winter Extension educational programs through out the state. Water quality and riparian area management educational programs and EMS awareness training will be ongoing for beef producers and other interested groups throughout Montana.

September 2002

The Montana pilot project is addressing winter feeding areas, calving and working facilities, backgrounding lots and open feedlots. A state specific environmental self-assessment tool was developed to assist producers in identifying potential environmental risk on their operations. In addition, materials were developed to allow producers the option of completing an environmental management plan to go along with identifying environmental risk for a more detailed assessment. So far, nineteen operations from across Montana have volunteered to pilot test these materials. This number may increase to twenty-five by the end of 2002.

In addition, a full EMS may be attempted on 1-5 operations that were past participants of the Western Integrated Resource Education Program. Water quality and riparian area management educational programs and EMS awareness training will be ongoing for beef producers and other interested groups throughout Montana.

The Montana pilot addresses winter feeding areas, calving and working facilities, backgrounding lots, or open feedlots. They are creating a state-specific self-assessment tool and will train selected county agents and producers to use the tool. The project will offer awareness training on EMS to beef producer groups that emphasize water quality and riparian areas management. In addition to pilot testing the self-assessment tool, the project may attempt a full EMS pilot with 1-5 past participants of the Western Integrated Resource Education Program. Projected date to be on farms: April 2002.

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