The Rural Voice, 2005-03, Page 45Advice
Choices in how to meet NMP requirements
By Jacqui Forbes
OMAF Nutrient Management
Specialist, Clinton
July 1, 2005 is fast approaching
for those farms at or above 300
Nutrient Units. These farms will
have to submit their Nutrient
Management Strategy/Plan for
approval. For those farms that want
to access the Financial Assistance
Program administered by Ontario
Soil and Crop Improvement
Association, and who want money
for manure storage, the deadline is
March 31, 2005.
As the Nutrient Management
Spebialist for the area, the most
common questions I get are related to
manure storage. Producers
frequently ask me, "What type of
storage do I need? How many days
of storage do I need?". It is
important for the producer to first
identify what they need to satisfy the
requirements of the legislation. This
is frequently different than what the
producer might like to have.
The regulation requires farms that
are phased in to have a minimum of
240 days of storage, but there are a
few exceptions. The size of the
storage is based on a number of
common-sense factors — the type,
size and number of livestock,
whether the manure is solid or liquid,
and other materials that are put into
the storage, such as runoff or
washwater.
Other considerations are the
frequency of land application, or how
often manure is transferred off the
farm to another farm. At that point, a
calculation can be done to determine
how much manure is produced on the
farm and how many days of storage
there are in each of the storage types
on the farm.
So what do I do if I don't have
240 days of storage, even with
temporary field storage areas? The
first option is to build a permanent
storage facility that will get my farm
to 240 days. While this is the option
that is most commonly thought of,
there are other options that should be
explored.
The second option is that I
transfer manure off the farm that
eliminates the need for 240 days. For
instance, a poultry farm that transfers
manure to a broker after each turn
would only need storage for each
turn.
The third option is called "period
of use", and it applies mostly 'to the
horse, beef and dairy industries. If
the animals are only in the barn for
six months, and on pasture for the
rest of the year, then six months of
storage is all that is required.
The fourth option is frequency of
land application that eliminates the
need for 240 days, but this can only
be used by existing farms that
haven't expanded their operation
since fall, 2003. So, if you land
apply in spring and fall, then you
would only need six months of
storage. Keep in mind that its
always a good idea to have a
contingency plan in case something
goes awry — such as if it rains every
week in November and you can't
spread as planned.
Finally, the days of storage
required for existing operations is
based on the number of animals on
the farm. This is very different from
new or expanding operations, which
must build the manure storage for the
capacity of the barn, regardless of
how many animals are actually
onsite.
If, in the end, you do decide to
build additional storage, you need to
be aware of a part of the Regulations
called the Construction and Siting
Protocol. This Protocol details the
design and siting standards which
apply to new and expanding storages.
The Regulations and Construction
and Siting Protocols do provide
producers with a number of options
in regards to the design of their
storage. Storages can be lined or
unlined, and made of concrete, steel
or earth. Other manure storages that
are acceptable include the "pack" in a
barn, an outdoor confinement area,
and temporary field storage.
The choice of which is most
appropriate is made by the farmer,
however, OMAF staff are available
to assist farmers in looking at the
choices. Depending on the site, a
temporary field storage area can be
used for a maximum of 300 days!
Mounding in an outdoor confinement
area may also result in sufficient
manure storage.
If you have any questions about
sizing manure storage, then please
feel free to contact me at the Clinton
Resource Centre, or one of my
counterparts in Nutrient Management
Branch. You can find our contact
information on OMAF's website at
http://intra.omafra.gov.on.ca/division
s/ard/nmb/index.html.0
OMAF offers new
publications
The following new, free
publications are now available:
Evaluating the Feasibility of
Business Opportunities, order #03-
051, Agdex 811.
A GROWER'S HANDBOOK,
Controlling Corn Insect Pests with Bt
Corn Technology.
Farm Succession Planning Steps and
Checklist, order #04-085, Agdex 812
(a companion to OMAF factsheet
Components of a Farm Succession
Plan, order #04-073).
Nutrient Management Act, What
Rural Neighbours Can Expect from
Large Livestock Operations, order
#04-047.
Nutrient Management Act 2002,
Farrar Units - What Operations and
Land to Include, order #04-017.
Discussion of Terms Under the
Nutrient Management Act, 2002,
order 04-023, Agdex 720/538.
Nutrient Management Act 2002,
Recordkeeping; replaces Nutrient
Management Act - Farm
Recordkeeping, order 04-007.
2005 Field Crop Budgets,
Publication 60. This is a 20 page,
self -cover publication, replacing the
web -only version that had been
available since 2003.
2005 Supplement, Nursery &
Landscape Plant Production and
/PM, Publication 383S, available
separately but will be automatically
included with all orders for
Publication 383.
Legislation and Farming Practices,
replaces factsheet 94-047, order 04-
071.0
MARCH 2005 41