The Rural Voice, 1999-12, Page 43an innovative and unique partnership
with local farmers to improve water
quality. The Region of Waterloo
Rural Water Quality Program was
used as the model for the Wellington
County program. An advisory group
of farmers representing a number of
commodity groups sat down with
City and County representatives and
developed a list of best management
practices and associated grant rates
that are appropriate to Wellington
County. Brad Whitcombe, Chair of
County Planning and Transportation
Committee says he was impressed by
the representatives of the Wellington
County farm organizations and their
level of commitment to
environmentally responsible farming
practices.
Financial incentives ranging from
50 to 100 per cent are available to
farmers for management practices to
improve and protect water quality.
Stream buffers, livestock access
restriction, well -head protection and
erosion control are a few of the
practices eligible for financial
incentives. The Grand River
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40 THE RURAL VOICE
News
Conservation Authority is
coordinating the delivery of the
program. Landowners interested in
the Rural Water Quality Program
should contact their local
Conservation Authority or the Grand
River Conservation Authority at 621-
2761. For further information, please
contact: Tracey Ryan, Soil and
Water Conservation Advisor, Grand
River Conservation Authority 519-
621-2763 ext. 269 or Gary Cousins,
Director of Planning and
Development, County of Wellington,
519-$37-2600 ext. 219 or Terry
Hearn, Assistant Director of Works,
City of Guelph, 519-837-5604.0
Care with manure
important poultry
producers told
Just because they use dry manure
doesn't mean they don't have to be as
careful as other farmers with their
manure, Hugh Fraser an OMAFRA
engineer specializing in manure
management told poultry producers
at the poultry producer update
meeting in Seaforth, October 28.
There are plenty of myths
regarding poultry manure said Fraser,
who works out of the Niagara area,
with Ontario's greatest density of
poultry producers. One of the myths
poultry producers often have is that
it's liquid manure that causes the
problems and that poultry litter is so
dry that it can sit outside and will
absorb all rainwater and not have any
run off.
"If handled improperly poultry
manure poses the same threat to air,
soil and water as liquid manure,"
Fraser said. "We have to recognize
that it is not business as usual. Be
proactive in your approach to
handling ,and storing poultry
manure."
Still, poultry has its advantages,
Fraser said. Using a typical
expansion of a poultry operation, he
went on to show that poultry barns
can be located much closer to
residences than might be expected.
Minimum Distance Separation
requirements vary according to the
kind of animal in the barn — usually
because of the potential for odour
problems — and poultry fares well in
comparison to other animals. Still, he
said, don't cut corners in putting
enough distance between your barn
and your neighbours. Few people
want to spend an extra $1,000 on
gravel but that's a mistake.
"The best money you can ever
spend on your farm is to make your
lane a little longer," he urged. If you
can build your barn out of sight, so
much the better, Fraser said. "People
smell with their eyes."
In the Niagara area complaints
don't usually come because of the
barns themselves but because of
manure storage, Fraser said. The
manure pile can get large: 25,000
birds produce enough manure in a
year for a pile 40 feet wide by 160
feet long by six feet deep, he said.
That's a lot of manure to be keJ in a
covered storage area.
Producers can also used a three -
walled open storage area with a pit to
catch run-off water. "I know there is
run-off from poultry manure," he
said. That run-off must be collected
before it causes problems. •
A third option is tarping the pile..
Because they're difficult to move
tarps aren't in use much in Ontario
right now but Fraser thinks they'll be
.used more. In Quebec the ministry of
the environment has told beef and
poultry producers they have to tarp
manure piles in the winter. Initial
research from Quebec shows runoff
from both tarped and untarped
manure piles. The run-off from
tarped piles of poultry manure may
be because of composting going on
under the tarp, producing water
vapour, Fraser says. Likely in the
future there will be "smart" tarps that
will keep rain out but allow air from
inside to escape, Fraser said.
Fraser is hoping to perform a
research project to see how much
run-off there is from poultry manure.
Managing nutrient inputs from a
25,000 -bird flock revolves around the
high phosphorous level in poultry
manure, Fraser said. It's very
difficult to apply manure at the low
rate required to prevent overloading.
You'd need to put only four tons per
acre (a layer about an eighth of an
inch deep) if you were spreading
3f•