A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15, 2003 Nutrient Management Planning (Continued from Page A 1) minimize the impact to farm pro- duction. According to a publication is sued by Penn State, the P- Index is a field evaluation tool that was developed to identify areas that have high vulnerably or risk to phosphorus loss to surface water bodies. The P-Index is formulated from the phosphorus sources of a field, such as soil test, fertilizer application, and manure applica tion; and transport factors, such as distance to a body of water and any modifications done to a field to reduce or increase the transport of phosphorus. In Lancaster County, several farms have already begun the conversion from an N-based plan to a P-based plan. Brubaker Farms operates a dairy and poultry operation that falls under CAFO regulations. Brubakers work to manage their manure from the farm through effective re cord keeping and nutrient management planning. According to Kevin Seibert, nutrient management technician for the Lancaster County Conser vation District, his staff has re viewed between 10-12 plans for the P-Index. The main driving factor of a P-based plan at this point is to meet the USDA Natu ral Recourses Conservation Serv ice’s (USDA-NRCS) requirement for a P-based plan for the nutri ent management standard called 590. This standard is used for farm projects that will utilize USDA NRCS cost-sharing programs such as Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and for technical assistance for ma nure storages and projects that change the manure handling on a farm. One farm that has taken the step to adjust to a P-based plan is Streambank fencing and crossings are two of the best management practices used by the Brubakers to control phosphorus. Brubaker Farms of Mount Joy. Operated by Luke Brubaker along with his sons, Mike and Tony, they have more than 600 dairy cows, 450 calves and heif ers, and 48,000 broiler chickens. This 1,000-acre dairy and poultry operation also is classified as a concentrated animal feeding op eration (CAFO.) A CAFO is defined as a farm with greater than 300 animal units and is permitted for opera tion under the Federal CAFO program, administered by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Under current regulations, the Brubaker Farm is a volunteer farm for the Nutrient Manage ment Act (Act 6). > ((When the milk price is low, it’s going to impact dairy farmers very much. Because if they do not get any help from NRCS to build a pit or to do conservation practices, they are going to say, 1 can’t do it’ss Luke Brubaker ♦?*/> ~? v ’ tastißjrdaUoisilps ’ • rdf*to|shtp {X&pte arcitt&jbtt' County. For generations, we’ve remained Independently owned and locally managed. Firmly dedicated to serving die interests of of lancastcr our customers with honesty and integrity and providing them with the Innovative banking services Aid wWle, wlth today's mergers and bank consolidations, feose values may seem a bit old-fashioned. for us ft’s slinply how we think a bank should do business. *( Because vwfie not & bigness niensfy to create profits. According to Luke Brubaker, the decision to switch from their N-based plan to a P-based plan was simple. It was to keep pace with future plans of the opera tion. However, as they have switched over, Brubaker notes there has been some management changes. “It will take more recordkeep ing,” said Brubaker, “But we had what we feel were good records beforehand. So, in our case it was not as difficult.” Brubaker also accounts their management changes because of the P-based plan were minimized becasue of the farm’s long- term (Turn to Page A 26) 1$ the kind of irtncrshlps.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers