CSIF Tips of the Month – January 2014

01-03-2014 in Through The Gate

Rules and Regulations Highlight

Winter Feeding Areas

Areas where cattle are wintered on corn stalks or other crop residue are on environmental regulators’ radar.

In particular, DNR and EPA are looking for winter feeding areas that have manure discharges that reach a water source.

Important factors include the number of animals, size of the area, amount of time livestock was in that area and proximity to an existing feedlot. The amount of crop residue remaining on the field will likely be looked at to determine if it is a “feedlot” or “winter feeding area.”

The key is to make sure there is no runoff to a water source – be sure to keep bale feeders, feed bunks and other feeding areas as far from streams, ditches and waterways as possible.

For more information, call the Coalition at 1-800-932-2436.

Manure Applicator Training Reminder and Clarification

State law requires all commercial manure applicators and confinement site manure applicators with more than 500 animal units in confinement to attend annual training to handle, transport or land-apply manure.

Commercial manure applicator training is scheduled for Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. – noon and is offered at many county extension offices around the state. Click here for a complete list of locations.

Training for confinement site manure applicators will be available at various locations and dates around the state during January and February. For the full list of workshops, click here.

Confinement site applicators may have received a letter from DNR during the month of December stating he or she needs to take a remedial exam for manure applicator certification. To clarify, these letters were sent to people who missed one of the annual two-hour training sessions sometime in 2012 or 2013. If you received this letter and are confident you did not miss training, you must submit proof of attendance to change the record. (A copy of the canceled check you paid DNR for your manure applicator certification education fees should suffice.) Even if you attended training, but did not submit your payment and paperwork to DNR, the training requirement was not met. For more information, call Colleen Zeliadt with the Iowa DNR at 515-281-5648.

For more information about manure applicator certification, be sure to visit the Iowa Manure Management Action Group’s website.

Quote of the Month

“I contacted the Coalition because I was trying to site a hog barn, so I could stay on the farm and not have to go into town to work anymore. They came down and helped me pick out a good location that was neighbor-friendly and complied with all the rules and regulations. I strongly recommend using the Coalition early on in the process.” – Travis, Lucas County

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