Alabama Certified Animal Waste Vendor

Re-Certification Training

Module R2.  The Skeleton Nutrient Management Plan and Record Keeping Requirements

We begin with the CAWV definition from:

ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

FIELD OPERATIONS DIVISION - WATER QUALITY PROGRAM

CHAPTER 335-6-7

NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES)

335-6-7-.02 Definitions

(o) “Certified Animal Waste Vendor” (CAWV) means any person certified by the Department, or certified by another agency in cooperation with the Department, to accept liability and responsibility for AFO waste, obtain required continuing education, keep required records, and effectively manage, handle, transport, store, and properly land apply AFO waste in a manner that meets or exceeds NRCS technical standards and guidelines, manage animal mortality in a manner that meets or exceeds ADAI requirements, prevents discharges, and ensures protection of groundwater and surface water quality in accordance with the requirements of this Chapter, and the requirements of the AWPCA, CWA, and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. The CAWV is responsible, in cooperation with the AFO owner/operator generating the waste/ wastewater or land owner(s) receiving the waste/wastewater, for ensuring the suitability of each site prior to applying waste/wastewater, including but not limited to, proper timing of waste/wastewater application, proper calibration of equipment, ensuring that required waste/wastewater characterization and soil testing have been properly performed, ensuring that required inspections are properly performed, ensuring that required sampling of any discharges are properly performed, and ensuring that the land owner(s) or others receiving the waste/ wastewater are informed of the requirements of this Chapter.

and a form that tells the CAWV customer that the CAWV is accepting all legal responsibility and liability for handling litter bought by the CAWV: 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ACES/AU Form R-9 POULTRY LITTER/ANIMAL MANURE BY-PRODUCT

Responsibility/Liability TRANSFER FORM

I, _______________________ have received approximately _____ tons of poultry litter/animal manure by-product from __________________, who is (CHECK ONE)

 _ the original poultry litter/animal manure by-product producer; OR

 _ a third party who obtained the poultry litter/animal manure by-product from the producer; OR

 _ an Alabama Certified Animal Waste Vendor (CAWV).

The poultry litter/animal manure by-product came from ____________________ farm located near ________________, in __________ County, Alabama.

I am accepting this poultry litter/animal manure by-product with the understanding that I am responsible for making sure that the litter/animal manure by-product is utilized in accordance with all regulations pertinent to ADEM Animal Feeding Operation/Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Rules. If I have a current Alabama CAWV #, I am also accepting liability for this poultry litter/animal manure by-product under these same ADEM Rules (see Rule 335-6-7excerpt page 2, R-9).

These rules state, among other things, that:

1)           the litter/animal manure by-product must remain covered and positioned to ensure no contact with stormwater until it is spread,

2)           a soil sample of the planned application field for the intended crop, following Auburn University Soil Testing Lab recommended procedures, will be taken no earlier than 3 years prior to planned litter application, and submitted to AU Soils Testing Lab (or an AU-approved soils testing lab),

3)           a Phosphorus Index for Alabama (NRCS Agronomy Tech Note AL-72 Jan 2001) will be calculated for each planned application field prior to land application,

4)           AU Soils Testing Lab (or AU-approved soils testing lab) recommendations based on the soil sample test in 2) above will be used, along with the application field Phosphorus Index (PI), to determine litter application rates and timing that will be in accordance with NRCS Conservation Practice Standard “Nutrient Management Code 590”,

5)           other NRCS590-required land application procedures, including buffer/set-back distances from surface water, water wells, public roads, property lines etc., appropriate vegetation type and               height at application, and at-least-annual spreader truck calibration, will be followed.

I also understand that:

1)           field conditions and land application activities must be recorded to show compliance with     ADEM rules.

2)           litter/animal manure by-products can only be spread when weather conditions are appropriate and this must be validated by the spreader truck operator having a printout of the current  National Weather Service forecast showing the chance of rain for the planned application field being less than 50% for the next three days or a copy of the Alabama Animal Waste/Nutrient     Land Application "farmers_map" for the day(s) that the litter/animal manure by-product is            applied.

  ________________________________ Date: _______/_______/_________

 Signature of individual receiving litter

 Address of individual receiving litter                    ___________________________

 Phone number of individual receiving litter    ___________________________

 FOR CAWVs ONLY: CAWV Name:  ___________________________________                                                          CAWV #: ______ CAWV Expiration Date ______ /______ /_______

________________________________________________________________________________________

In this module, we will review the short cuts that a CAWV can take and still meet both the ADEM Rule and the NRCS Conservation Practice Standard "Nutrient Management Code 590", particularly when no written nutrient or waste management system plan exists for the fields where a customer wants a CAWV to apply animal manures or litter.  We will also review your record keeping responsibilities as a CAWV.

A "Skeleton Plan" is what we are calling the absolute minimum practice that you should follow in a situation where there is no other written nutrient or waste management system plan to follow. A "Skeleton Plan" is based on a "worst-case" scenario of the P-Index and, as such, is the "safest" way to follow NRCS 590 without actual measurement of buffer and setback areas in a field.

When you are spreading litter on a field that does not have an NRCS-approved or owner/operator simplified nutrient management plan, you have two options.

• (N Option) You can spread animal waste based on the N recommendation for the crop but you must stay at least 200 feet from any water or drainage ditch, or

• (3xP Option) you can spread within 50 feet from any water but it must be a reduced 3xP rate.  The term "3xP" refers to three times the estimated crop removal of phosphorus (P).

In either case, where water leaves the field, it must pass through a grass filter strip or riparian forest buffer.

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Here are estimated tons of broiler litter per acre that can be applied based upon the recommended N rates for the crop.  Since we are not considering the P or K that is applied, we must stay at least 200 ft from any water.

For example, the recommended fertilizer N rate for hybrid bermudagrass hay is 100 lb. N per cutting (from NRCS Code 590 Table 5 and Auburn University's recommendations).  A ton of broiler litter surface applied will result in 47-58-45 pounds N-P₂O₅-K₂O per ton.  Therefore,

100 lb. N/acre recommended ÷ 47 lb. N/ton of litter = 2.1 ton litter per cutting

Here are the 3xP rates that can be applied within 50 ft of water.  The term "3xP" refers to three times the estimated phosphorus (as P₂O₅) removal by the crop.

These values are found in NRCS Code 590 Table 6.  For example, a ton of bermudagrass hay will remove 50-12-43 pounds N-P₂O₅-K₂O (from NRCS Code 590 Table 6). If you expect to get 2 tons of hay per cutting then three times the total P removal will be 

3 x 12 pounds P₂O₅/ton x 2 tons/acre = 72 pounds P₂O₅

Recalling from NRCS Code 590 Table 1, that a ton of broiler litter surface applied contains 58 pounds P₂O₅, then 72 pounds P₂O₅ ÷ 58 pounds P₂O₅/ton = 1.2 tons litter per cutting.

Notice the rates for pasture.  Grazing cattle just doesn't remove many nutrients. Most nutrients are recycled back onto the pasture.  From Table 6 in NRCS Code 590, we see that 300 pounds beef would remove about 9-7-1 pounds N-P₂O₅-K₂O.  Three times P removal is still only 21 pounds P₂O₅.

21 pounds P₂O₅ ÷ 58 lb. P₂O₅/ton litter = 0.4 tons litter per acre

Therefore, we really have to be careful when spreading litter on pastures without a plan.  In most cases, choosing the Skeleton 3xP rate for pastures is just not practical.  It might be easier to choose the Skeleton N rate and stay 200' from water or ask the owner/operator to make an owner/operator simplified plan before you apply any animal manure to that field.  Nutrient Management Planning for Small AFO's: Broiler Operations (ANR-926 Oct.2001) provides information that an owner/operator can use to develop an owner/operator simplified plan.  This will protect both the owner/operator and the CAWV.

In an NRCS-approved plan or even a simplified plan done by the owner/operator, accurately calculating the spreadable acres in a field involves figuring areas of all field borders, buffers, drainage ways, water ways, slopes, etc.  In the above example, a field of 19.5 acres actually has less available for spreading of animal waste because of the "road buffer" (0.7 acres), a "spring branch buffer" (1.2 acres), a "well buffer radius" (1.0 acre), and a "woods buffer" (0.5 acre) where the water drains off the field.  There is also 0.6 acres of trees in the middle of the field where we can not spread.

Spreadable acres in this example, after figuring and subtracting these actual buffer areas, is 15.5 acres instead of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) value of 19.5 acres shown on the "official" aerial photo.

• If you use the N rate, multiply the FSA acreage by 0.6
• If you use the 3xP rate, multiply the FSA acreage by 0.7

Here is how our 19.5-acre field would have worked out using the spreadable acre estimate shortcut.

Therefore, it is really to everyone's advantage to have either an NRCS-approved or owner/operator simplified plan in place before you attempt to spread animal wastes.   Nutrient Management Planning for Small AFO's: Broiler Operations (ANR-926 Oct.2001) provides information that an owner/operator can use to develop an owner/operator simplified plan.  With this plan you should be able to spread nutrients on more acres than you would by estimating spreadable acres under the Skeleton Plan.

So, with no existing plan, here are the procedures we have discussed to make a "Skeleton Plan".  

• First, get a map.  The landowner may be able to provide this map, or you can obtain it from the FSA office. 
• The landowner should mark all the features such as wells, ditches, springs, creeks, rivers, public use areas, etc. on the map. 
• You should look over the field to make sure the buffers and filter strips are OK and mark them on the map. 
• Use the spreadable-acres shortcut (0.6 or 0.7) to determine the spreadable acres and apply only to those acres.
• Before you begin land application, check the National Weather Service forecast for the intended land application field.
• To protect water quality and reduce the impact of animal manures moving off the application field into nearby surface waters, NRCS uses weather forecasts to guide when these animal manures can be land-applied.

The latest NWS forecasts for most counties in Alabama can be accessed on the Internet at the following address:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?CityName=Auburn&state=AL&site=BMX

Type in the zip code of the U. S. Postal Service address nearest your intended application field and this page will give the NWS 72-Hour forecast for that zip code. 

See BLOUNTSVILLE, AL NWS Forecast for January 4, 2007 below.

ADEM and NWS both realize there are times when, even with a 50%-or-more rainfall forecast, expected rainfall amounts may not be enough to move animal manures off the field into nearby streams.  These agencies have developed the "farmers map" to address this.

If the 72 hour NWS forecast does call for 50%-or-more rain, you may still be able to land apply, if the county is rated favorable for spreading on the Alabama Animal Waste/Nutrient Land Application Map ("farmers map").  This "farmers map" is located at the following National Weather Service website:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/data/farmers_map/ farmers map.html

Note: THIS "farmers map" FORECAST IS VALID FOR ONLY TWELVE HOURS.

A convenient way of recording NWS weather forecasts for land application of animal manures is to make and save a printout of the latest forecast for the intended land application field.  If you have difficulty loading any of these National Weather Service web pages, you may need to get the latest version of Macromedia's Flash reader.  It can be gotten at http://www.macromedia.com/support/players/

Record keeping is a most important responsibility of the CAWV.

RECORDS ARE THE ONLY EVIDENCE YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE HANDLING ANIMAL WASTES IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MANNER.

Without these records, inspectors from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) have no evidence that you are following any type of plan.

How you keep your records is up to you.  You can use a notebook in your truck, a laptop computer, or an elaborate filing system.   You can use a GPS system or just a field map.

REGARDLESS, THE BASIC INFORMATION PRESENTED ABOVE MUST BE KEPT. 

As a CAWV, keeping these types of records is also just a good business practice.

Examples of forms that may be used are available for downloading and copying from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System Animal Waste Management website at this address: http://www.aces.edu/dept/aawm/RecordKeeping.php

The Poultry Litter/Animal Manure By-Product Responsibility/Liability TRANSFER FORM shown at the first of this module is an example of a CAWV transfer record document that is available and acceptable to use.

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Here is an example of a land application record document that is available and acceptable to use.

NRCS 590 requires that the application rate/amount of poultry litter and animal manures NOT EXCEED 110% of the rate/amount needed to meet the N recommendations of the target crop.   Application rate/amount of P CAN EXCEED 110% of recommended P when using poultry litter or animal manures for the P source BUT EACH FIELD MUST HAVE A P- INDEX evaluation to guide P application rate. 

IN EITHER CASE, APPLICATION EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE CALIBRATED TO ALLOW THE CAWV TO STAY UNDER THE 110% LIMIT.

The CAWV must keep records of his spreading equipment calibration.  The following Cooperative Extension Circular gives a good overview of spreader truck calibration:

www.aces.edu/department/aawm/anr-889.pdf

This website, http://home.centurytel.net/ke4rop/litter/ has the same information with more color photographs of actual spreader truck calibration.

Please return to the Course Content page (click >Course Content...> on the WebCT navigation bar at the top of this window) to take the Self-Help Test for this Module.