Farmers who run confined animal feeding operations (hog, cattle,
dairy, and poultry farms) usually dispose of manure by spreading
it on cropland as a soil amendment and source of nutrients. Because
manure is expensive to transport, producers may apply more than
crops can use, especially on fields nearest the production facility.
Excessive manure applications increase the potential for contamination
of surface and ground water. To address water quality concerns,
USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) together
developed a strategy for improving manure management. A primary
emphasis of the joint strategy is to limit application of manure
nutrients to rates that the soil can store and crops can use. USDA
will provide technical and financial assistance to help operators
develop and implement comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMPs).
EPA published regulations in February 2003 that will require over
15,000 concentrated animal feeding operations to implement CNMPs.
This emphasis on manure
management presents a new challenge to large livestock and poultry
operations, particularly in areas with relatively high animal concentrations
such as the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which covers parts of Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Recent ERS analysis indicates that
better manure management will likely require manure to be applied
to more land than currently,
raising hauling costs for many animal producers. An operator’s
need to access additional land for manure application will depend
on the volume of manure for disposal relative to cropland area
currently receiving manure and the nutrient uptake of the crops.
The willingness of crop farmers to accept manure on their land—considering
manure’s variable nutrient content, potential odor, and handling
cost—affects the amount of land available for manure application
and the distance manure must be hauled. A low willingness by crop
producers to accept manure may cause some manure to be hauled long
distances to access sufficient land to avoid overapplication of
manure nutrients.
As part of the ERS study, analysts examined the
feasibility and cost of applying manure in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
at rates
not exceeding crop uptake. For all the nitrogen in manure to be
used by crops within 100 miles of the manure’s origin, crop
farmers in the region would have to accept manure as the only nitrogen
fertilizer source on at least 20 percent of total cropland. Under
a more stringent standard, where applied manure does not exceed
crop phosphorus needs, crop farmers within a 100-mile radius would
have to accept manure as the only phosphorous source on at least
60 percent of the total cropland.
USDA financial and technical assistance
in managing and utilizing the nutrients in manure could increase
crop farmers’ willingness
to accept manure application on their land. Where hauling costs
for manure land application are high, the ERS analysis indicates
potential to reduce the amount of land receiving manure by expanding
industrial processes that use manure to produce energy or commercial
fertilizer products, and by feeding animal rations that lessen
manure nutrient content.
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