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Illinois Pork and Farm Bureau hosting meeting series about final CAFO rules
 


By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — With final rules for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) revealed by the Illinois Pollution Control Board, the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA) are hosting a series of meetings across the state to educate producers about the new rules.
“For many years farmers have heard about the pending CAFO rules,” said Jim Kaitschuk, IPPA executive director. “The CAFO rules are now finalized for Illinois and the time has come for livestock farmers to pay attention to how these rules will impact their farms.
“It is important to note that portions of the updated rules impact all livestock farms – not just those required to obtain NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits from Illinois EPA.”
The new rules direct when livestock farms must secure NPDES permits from the Illinois EPA. They also outline protocols for applying manure as fertilizer on farmland, manure management plans and recordkeeping, among other requirements.
Kaitschuk, along with IPPA consultant Ted Funk and Lauren Lurkins, director of natural and environmental resources for IFB, are winding down a series of informational meetings for all livestock producers with stops yesterday at the Knox Agri Center in Galesburg, today (Nov. 19) at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau in Sycamore and Nov. 20 at the Evergreen FS Auditorium in Bloomington.
Lurkins said the goal of the meetings is to advise livestock producers on how to best operate their farms to avoid any accidental manure discharges and stay in compliance with the new CAFO rules. But first up is setting the record straight on exactly who the new rules affect.
“The (CAFO) name is a misnomer,” Lurkins said. “The rules apply to any animal feeding operations – or AFOs, if you will.”
During the first meetings in the seven-city informational tour, producers often expressed surprise at some of the requirements for their operations detailed in the final CAFO rules, according to Lurkins.
“There will be plenty of surprises for those who have not been following the background of the rule, which has been bounced around on the federal level for two decades, resulting in a very long rulemaking process before the Illinois Pollution Control Board to bring the rule in line with the federal rule,” she said.
“There are elements of the rule that are applicable to all livestock farmers and all animal feeding operations. There are some things that (producers) are not going to love.”
For instance, “there are some new rules on temporary manure stacks for smaller operations that usually stack manure for less than six months. A new requirement (dictates) a cover and pad or other control to prevent leaching into groundwater or surface water,” Lurkins said. “I think there will be some pushback on that issue.”
In addition, the new rules direct new livestock facilities to have 120-day storage tank or holding pond storage capability. There are new rules regarding vegetative filter strips or other field runoff applications. There is also a much greater emphasis placed on producer recordkeeping.
Adding to the confusion, the new rules for CAFOs refer to “small,” “medium” and “large” feeding facilities instead of using head counts to determine classification as directed by the Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA). Producers attending the IPPA-IFB sponsored meetings are also asking many questions about how the current U.S. EPA “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) debate will affect CAFO rules.
At the heart of the issue is whether the new rules require farmers to apply for a NPDES permit for their operations, something the trio of experts are helping farmers to determine during the meetings. Preventative measures farmers can take to head off possible state EPA scrutiny of their operations are front and center, as well.
“We’re looking at common issues IEPA may find on a farm, and the best practices livestock producers can follow to avoid enforcement action,” said Lurkins.
Livestock producers who aren’t able to attend the informational meetings still have myriad resources at hand to help them understand the new CAFO rules and NPDES permit process, she added. “All of the commodity groups and the Illinois Farm Bureau are here to help. There are also technical advisors and attorneys who can (help). Farmers do not need to feel alone facing these new CAFO regulations, though it can seem that a whole lot is changing in their world,” she said.
Producers seeking more information about CAFO rules and NPDES permits can contact the IPPA office at 217-529-3100, or their county Farm Bureau office.
11/20/2014