Head: (Your organization's letterhead)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:
CONTACT:
(Name)
(Phone)

PROTECT DRINKING WATER BY IMPROVING MANURE MANAGEMENT

Planting season is a good time to review your management of manure. You may find that some crops such as rice do better with spring applications of poultry litter. As you take stock, consider how you can reduce manure-related risks to drinking water consumed by your family and neighboring communities. Safe drinking water is everyone's responsibility, so learn how to take actions to protect this vital resource.

A manure management plan is your key tool. This plan will spell out every aspect of management such as preventing runoff from livestock or poultry facilities, proper storage of manure, accurate manure and soil testing, and effective use in the field. By taking credit for nutrients in manure, you can save money on fertilizer. A plan can even help you make changes in diet to reduce the nutrient content of manure.

You can take concrete steps to keep manure in its place and out of drinking water. Maintain a buffer between water sources and places where animals live or manure is stored. The proper separation distance varies. For example, manure storage facilities should be located at least 100 feet downhill from wells, and 250 feet if they are earthen pits. Be careful about spreading manure too close to waterways particularly if fields are steeply sloped. Fences making good neighbors by excluding grazing animals from waterways.

Ask yourself these questions to see if you are doing your part to protect everyone's drinking water.

• Has it been longer than one year since you reviewed your nutrient management plan?
• Does runoff flow from livestock facilities without being contained and filtered?
• Do you store manure without routinely inspecting and maintaining the facility to prevent failures or leaks?
• Is your well or a water body within 100 feet of these pollution sources: loafing areas, livestock yards, manure storage facilities, land that has received manure applications?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are ready to learn about actions to avoid problems. Even if you answered "no" to each question, you may still have room for improvement. Are you paying attention to details such as proper calibration of spreading equipment to prevent over-fertilization and reduce runoff problems?

What can you do?

Farm*A*Syst can help you take action. Based on the concept of a home energy audit, Farm*A*Syst is a tool that non-experts can use to identify a range of environmental and health risks in and around the farm. In addition to livestock and manure management, Farm*A*Syst enables you to reduce a range of risks on the farmstead — pesticide and fertilizer handling, petroleum storage, private well maintenance and septic systems care — and in the field — pest management, soil erosion and pasture management.

For information about the Farm*A*Syst program in your state, you can locate a local program coordinator by visiting the Farm*A*Syst web site, http://www.uwex.edu/farmasyst. You may also contact the national Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst office at 303 Hiram Smith Hall, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1289, 608-262-0024, email: farmasyst@uwex.edu. These groups also may have program information: local county Extension office, Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservationist or state water quality agency.