Project Description

The key to succesful implementation of nutrient management plans is to educate not only the livestock producer, but also those who provide information and support to the producer's decision-making process. The for-hire manure application industry is often overlooked, yet in Wisconsin they apply a third of the dairy manure in the state. This number is expected to double in the next ten years as livestock operations grow and become more concentrated, manure application regulations change and the distances from the source to application sites increases. Legislatively-mandated regulations in several states prompted manure applicators in both Wisconsin and Michigan to seek help from Extension in their states to develop training and certification programs.

A voluntary training and certification program was developed by Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan Extension staff in cooperation with commercial manure haulers. The program is designed to educate applicators and their employees about environmental regulations, odor mitigation strategies, nutrient management plan implementation, manure spill prevention and environmental damage control when spills do occur. The training includes uniform components, as well as some that are adapted to the specific water quality regulatory requirements in each state.

Training started in 2003, with three manure spill response demonstrations. More than 400 manure applicators and farmers from seven states witnessed a real manure spill, containment and cleanup. In addition, more than 60 applicators attended classroom training in state environmental regulations, odor mitigation or equipment calibration.

Project/Program: Training/Certification of For-Hire Manure Applicators

A series of unrelated manure runoff events in Wisconsin in 2002 (80% of which involved for hired manure applicators with less than 2 years experience) convinced the industry that something needed to be done to improve professionalism in the industry. Through their association (Professional Nutrient Applicators of Wisconsin), they approached UW Extension about putting together a training and certification program. A subcommittee of the Extension Nutrient Management Team responded to their request, surveying the existing training programs around the US. During this process, we discovered that Michigan's for-hire applicators had made the same request of Extension in their state. Using Regional Section 406 funding, the two states, along with Illinois, created a training and education program that met the needs of applicators in all three states. A three-level program was created that combined existing educational materials (Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stewardship curriculum) adapted for this audience’s needs for advanced education with new material that met the educational needs of the field-level employee. Project goals are to insure that:

1. Every applicator knows not only how to respond in the event of a manure spill, but the steps to take to prevent one in the first place
2. Every applicator is knowledgeable of their state’s regulations
3. Basic, common sense can be demonstrated as it relates to manure application
4. Advanced training and testing is provided for crew supervisors and business owners in areas such as odor control, ethics, and equipment calibration
5. An opportunity exists for the most advanced firms to demonstrate their commitment to proper application and environmental protection

Level 1 materials have been developed in both a classroom and train-the-trainer format. Translation of these items into Spanish is underway at the request of several clients. These can be presented in either an oral or written/Powerpoint format with accompanying video. A significant number (>15%) in some Wisconsin classroom settings have indicated that their educational level is not sufficient to take the written test, so the material has been modified to allow the crew supervisor to give the presentations and exam orally. Level 2 materials will be available in both a classroom setting and on CD-Rom or videotape for later review. Audio recordings of speaker presentations have been matched to several Power points on CD to allow clients to review the material as it was originally presented. We have made arrangements for written and oral tests to be available for students unable to use the online testing system. Level 3 focuses on having each firm develop a specific EMS Plan. The concept is introduced in a group setting, with individual follow-up for each company. Our objective when we started was to reduce manure spills and increase nutrient management plan implementation. Spill numbers have increased in each of the three states, but regulatory staff attribute this to the fact that both for-hire applicators and farmers are more willing to report spills than they were in the past. The telling fact to us is that in Wisconsin, >10% of the reported spills from July 2004 to March 2005 involved a for-hire applicator. Of those, two involved a trained individual--one was a runoff (rain after application), the other was an unpreventable mechanical failure.

Within-industry partnerships experienced significant increases as a result of this project. Examples of such partnerships include:

• Practical Applications of Durand, WI was able to bid on a poultry manure spreading contract by leasing underutilized solid manure spreading equipment from another manure firm across the state, rather than invest before the business developed.
• Robaidek Hauling and Sundstrom’s Pit Pumping regularly share dragline hose on large jobs rather than invest in their own inventory.
• Smaller firms (including female-owned) have formed partnerships to bid on large jobs that they would be unable to handle on their own.
• When weather delays application in one part of the state, firms will take their employees to other parts of the state and help another firm. When the wet fields dry, both firms move back to help the other catch up. These partnerships prevent employee layoffs and help insure that manure is applied in a timely manner.
• Equipment suppliers within the industry (Kuhn Knight, Hydro Engineering, DM Machinery) have invested their dollars to help sponsor publications and training events for applicators.

Market-based incentives created by the insurance industry have been the key to the program’s adoption. Saving small businesses $500-$8,000 per year has a significant impact on their bottom line and is a powerful incentive for implementation. The insurance underwriters and agents have also taken the responsibility of the annual audits of Level 3 Certification, saving an average of $500 in agency expense each year for each firm in the program.

University Partnerships
This project is a partnership of both state specialists and county-level Extension faculty in the participating states. As the project has entered the wrap-up phase, additional partnerships have developed with Minnesota and Ohio for adapting/implementing the training program in these states. Training in all three levels has been done by staff in all participating states. Evaluations after the pilot phase of Level 1 indicated that the best way to achieve full implementation was to switch to a ‘train-the-trainer’ mode of educational delivery; materials have been adapted to facilitate this type of approach. Several Level 2 sessions have been adapted for use in the field in a hands-on type of training rather than classroom, which has helped make the training more relevant for participants.

Section 406 funding from the Great Lakes Regional Water Quality Program has:

• Increased interstate collaboration
• Increased viability of the training program
• Allowed for Spanish translation of some Level 1 materials
• Prevented duplication of efforts of curriculum development
• Allowed industry to share ideas across state lines
• Prevented Wisconsin from implementing a regulatory program for the industry (taxpayer savings estimated at $80,000/annually based on the cost of similar programs in Iowa, Minnesota).
• Pooled educational knowledge of curriculum developers

An expansion of this project has recently been funded in Ohio and Indiana, where Extension educators will assist producers, brokers and applicators to navigate the complex set of rules and regulations that impact them. Specific outcomes will include developing a professional association of nutrient applicators for Ohio and possibly Indiana and developing training program(s) for nutrient applicators that demonstrate management practices that minimize environmental impacts, especially water quality impacts. The Ohio-led component is designed to help producers ensure that their manure management systems protect water quality, comply with regulations, and benefit their operation as well as their community. A nutrient applicator association will be formalized by June 2005 and spill response training is planned for the summer of 2005. About 100 nutrient applicators have gone through the Best Management Practices for Liquid Manure Application in 2004.

Contact: Kevin Erb
UW Extension 1150 S Bellevue Street Green Bay WI 54302
Phone: (920) 391-4652
Email: kevin.erb@ces.uwex.edu

Contact: Jon Rausch
590 Woody Hayes Drive Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-4504
Email: rausch.7@osu.edu