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Contingency Plans Help If Weather Creates Manure Problems
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Brutal weather last winter not
only contributed to frozen water
lines, rolling power outages, and
collapsed buildings. Those who
handled manure faced additional
difficulties as well, including top
ping off of facilities and a general
inability to spread the material.
“Last winter, particularly with
the heavy snows, the ice cover, the
melting and everything there
were just a lot of complaints that
we had to respond to.” said Don
Robinson, administrator for the
Lancaster County Conservation
District
Fines were levied by the Pen
nsylvania Fish and Boat Commis
sion on a few farmers who allowed
manure to run into gutters and
waterways, a violation of the Pen
nsylvania Clean Streams Law,
according to Derek Pritts, water
ways conservation officer with the
Commission.
The fines ranged from $250 to
$5,000 per day. One farmer was
cited for a fifth offense, with a fine
of $3,000.
While most farmers
are in compliance and
do their best, a small
percentage need to be
aware that a discharge,
even if accidental or an
act of nature, is still pun
ishable with a fine under
the Fish and Boat Code,
according to Pritts.
But although the
winter was harsh, inci
dences of violations
have remained statisti
cally the same year to
year, according to Pritts.
Whatever the weather,
farmers should have
some sort of plans work
ed out to ensure that dis
charges do not move
into any form of water
way. Discharges
include manure, milk,
milk waste, silage, and
other materials.
“The farmer was
really in a bind last wint
er,” said Robinson. “It
was such a tough winter.
Their manure storages
were filled to capacity,
threatening to overrun.
Even the best of far
mers, the good planners,
still got caught short.”
In some cases, the
six-month standard stor
age plan was exceeded
because of the big
snows and bitter cold.
Farmers couldn’t get the
pits emptied because of
subsequent crusting.
They couldn’t get out
into the fields.
Consequently, far
mers were calling for
help from the conserva
tion districts all
throughout the state. In
Lancaster, conservation
technicians had a diffi
cult time coming up
with adequate
recommendations.
Some options were
provided, according to
Robinson, including
placing manure into
fields farthest away
from a stream or taking
the manure to a neigh
bor’s storage unit.
Robinson provided the follow
ing “common-sense” approaches
to dealing with manure during a
harsh winter and what to do to pre
vent being cited:
• Make sure facilities have
adequate storage. The industry
standard is six months. Adequate
storage is the first priority.
• Have contingency plans in
case there is an accident or if bad
weather creates an overtopping
situation. Know how to contain a
possible spill and what to do to
cleanitup. “Knowing what you’re
going to do ahead of time is often
times good prevention,” said
Robinson.
“Ask yourself, if this happens,
how will I handle the situation?”
said Pritts.
• Put in grass buffer strips
between the crop field and the road
ditch, especially if the ground
slopes near a creek ex road ditch. In
many cases, an adequate strip can
contain manure once melting
starts. Soil Conservation Service
(now Natural Resource Conserva
tion Service) guidelines call for a
20-foot buffer strip and two feet
for every percent of slope, accord
ing to Robinson.
■ Install adequate conservation
measures. That is “probably the
most important thing that farmers
can do to head off potential prob
lems like this,” said Robinson.
These measures include the instal
lation of contour strips, terraces,
diversions, tillage options, and
good residue management.
But with a harsh winter like last
year’s, farmers with good conser
vation practices “experienced
Water;
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Cq.)
Regulation of water use and jts
impact on agriculture has received
a lot of attention in the past year.
The regulations which were
reviewed in public hearings this
past summer have been withdrawn
and a new proposal is currently
under consideration by the Sus
quehanna River Basin
Commission.
This proposal will be discussed,
as well as topics on irrigation man
agement, at a meeting on Feb. 22 at
the Sheraton Inn Harrisburg.
The Sheraton is located at the
Union Deposit exit (exit 29) off of
interstate 83. Registration begins
at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will
problems,” said Robinson. “Even
-tite best of designs, in a winter like
last year, where you could not get
out in the fields or where you
didn’t get it completely emptied,
the farmers need to have a conting
ency plan in mind.”
It is better to be prepared and to
work with the conservation district
ahead of time than to face stiff
Rights Meeting Set
conclude at noon. include Pennsylvania water law,
Topics on the agenda include Maryland’s water registration
drought patterns in Pennsylvania, program, and registration of agri
designing and managing an over- cultural water use in Pennsylvania
head irrigation system, designing _ w hat’s in it for agriculture?
and managing your trickle irriga- For more information or to
lion system, and consumptive register, contact Leon Ressler,
water use in agriculture. p en n State extension office, (717)
Other topics to be discussed 394-6851.
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fines, according to Prltts. ine
Commission works closely with
the district to ensure compliance.
“Most farmers don’t like to be
caught in a situation like that,”
said Robinson, “and they’re usu
ally very willing to work with the
district to come into compliance.’ ’
For more information, contact
Robinson at the conservation dis
trict. (717) 299-5361.
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