A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15,* 2003- ■
Nutrient Management Planning
(Continued from Page A 24)
commitment to the implementa
tion of best management prac
tices (BMPs) on the farm through
their original N-based plan and
their conservation plan.
To date, Brubaker farms has
an estimated 17 BMPs to help
manage their nutrients, from ad
dressing rainwater in the ham
yards, to provide better field
management, and to improve
manure handling.
However, Brubaker said a
farm that is just beginning a con
servation program “might have
to do a lot more work if starting
from square one.”
Seibert also notes that the P
based plan will change the focus
on BMPs from the obvious prob
lems that are addressed in a N
based plan to include the more
subtle problems causing soil ero
sion.
In the mechanics of writing a
nutrient management plan, a
plan writer will evaluate a field
using the P-Index to appraise the
phosphorus pollution risk.
Based on thresholds, if the
index rating is low to medium, a
farmer can continue to apply ma
nure to meet the nitrogen re
quirement of a field.
If a high index is calculated, a
farmer is limited to spreading
manure to only meet the phos
phorus requirement of a field.
If it is very high, a farmer will
be restricted from the application
of any manure on a field.
In high and very high indexing
fields, farms will have to meet ni
trogen requirements with com
mercial nitrogen fertilizers in
stead of manure.
As Pennsylvania moves to P
based plans, Seibert expressed
concerns on the P-Index in pas
tures.
“Smaller farms who pasture
their livestock may become a
problem. There are some pas
tures that 1 have seen on plans al
ready where you cannot apply
any more phosphorus as the plan
reads. Therefore they have to
abandon their pastures,” said
Seibert.
Seibert stresses that for farms
that are forced to abandon pas
tures until the phosphorus is re
duced could seek alternatives,
such as new pasturelands or
moving to total confinement.
These changes could impact the
management of livestock, ma
nure storage, and facilities.
Seibert said that pastures
might be an area that may need
to be revisited with the Act 6 to
ease the potential economic
stress, balancing it with environ
mental needs without totally
abandoning pasturelands.
The Brubaker farm only uti
lizes pastures for their heifers,
with their milking cows held in
({Smaller farms who pasture their livestock
may become a problem. There are some pas
tures that I have seen on plans already where
you cannot apply any more phosphorus as
the plan reads. Therefore they have to aban
don their pastures. 5 5
confinement. Although the pas
ture management has been able
to remain the same, their han
dling of crop fields near water
ways has not.
“We have to be more aware of
our soil tests closer to the
stream,” said Brubaker. “We
might have to manage the 150
feet to the stream differently,
then back from that stream, with
more record keeping and under
standing of the P-based plan
how it works and to know how
to apply manure.”
Brubaker also holds firmly to
the belief that farmers want to be
good stewards and adapt to the
new standards.
“Farmers will want to try and
do their best to meet the plan,”
said Brubaker, “But it might be
difficult in some situations.”
For Brubaker, he is a firm be
liever in building his farm for the
future, noting the need to be sen
sitive to community needs, keep
the farm economically sound and
environmentally friendly.
But, it is economics that have
slowed the Brubaker farm to the
implementation of several new
best management practices on his
farm such as a methane digester,
a manure solids separator, and a
manure storage facility. Brubaker
has filed for grants to help reduce
Kevin Seibert
the costs for these new practices;
however, moving to a final stage
is economically driven.
“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, ‘I
can’t do it.’”
Under the P-based plan, Bru
baker continually stresses man
agement. If the farm was unable
to use all of their manure and
would have to move to exporting,
it could cause a monetary loss to
the farm and “put them at the
mercy of other landowners” to
take the manure.
“In our case, if we could not
manage the plan properly to use
our liquid manure, that would be
devastating to our operation,”
said Brubaker. “We might not
have anywhere to go with it.”
Another cost to the farm be
sides manure exporting would be
the use of commercial fertilizers
to meet crop needs instead of
using manure to meet nitrogen
needs in fields where there was a
phosphorus application limit.
Goodlander said that the com
mission is working on identifying
areas that could be most prone to
high phosphorus index and help
to identify alternative methods
for. addressing high P-Index con
cerns.
“The commission does feel
they have a role to play to help
for farmers through the process.
Because as we revise our regula
tions to require this second look
at phosphorus, we also need to
help farmers to address that,”
said Goodlander.
The cost of P-based planning is
not just limited to the costs for
the implementation of a plan, but
also the time and effort that will
have to be taken to write and re
view a P-based nutrient manage
ment plan.
To help farmers defray the
costs of revising a nutrient man
agement plan to include the P-
Index, the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture’s (PDA) Plan
Development Incentives Program
(PDIP) is adding a section to
allow for cost sharing the cost of
one plan revision and soil testing.
For Seibert, the P-based plans
in Lancaster County accounted
for only one percent of reviews
((Farmers will
want to try and do
their best to meet
the plan. But it
might be difficult
in some situa
tions. 5 5
Luke Brubaker
completed so far this year; how
ever, the time needed to properly
review the plans were 2-3 times
longer in comparison to an N
based plan. In conservation dis
tricts with a high number of nu
trient management plans, this
will create an added workload.
To do an effective job at the re
view process, Seibert stresses the
district will have to consider add
ing onto his staff to do everything
correctly or something may be
missed.
As the commission moves for-
ward on preparing their revisions
for public comment, the P Index
and other changes will be up for
evaluation by the fanning com
munity and public.
‘Tt new world of nutrient man
agement, it’s more detailed,” said
Goodlander in regards to the use
of the P-Index and Act 6
changes. “Look at the world of
agriculture and the world of peo
ple looking at agriculture. As the
world moves on, agriculture is
going to be more challenged to
document 1 that they are doing
things well. The nutrient man
agement act provides them the
opportunity to document that
they are doing things well.”