Be PreparedBe Preparedoror

Be Prepared to PayBe Prepared to Pay

Emergency Response Planning for

Dairy Farms in East Central Wisconsin

Why Worry?Why Worry?

“Problems occur only on large farms”

– ~10% occurred on farms > 600 cows*– ~50% occurred on farms with < 150 cows*

* (Preliminary data from the past 12 months)

“Incidents are rare”

– ½ of 1% of Wisconsin dairy farms experienced a manure spill or runoff incident within the past year

Why Worry?Why Worry?

“Nobody cares”

– DNR in their Northeast Region receives 4-10 calls per day during spring/fall hauling season from citizens and neighbors.

“Nobody’s Watching”

– Citizens are now being trained to grab water and tile drain samples

– Video cameras and small aircraft are in regular use.

Obvious ProblemObvious Problem

Obvious or Obvious or Perceived Problem?Perceived Problem?

Why WorryWhy Worry

Fines are small

– $ .25 to $27.00 per fish killed– Citizen pressure to have restitution made

It’s the applicator’s responsibility, not mine

– The Generator of the manure and waste is the one ultimately responsible for what happens – State law

Why create a Why create a spill response plan?spill response plan?

Ability to keep a small problem from becoming a large problem

Assurance that if something happens while you are at an auction or school event, family / employees know what to do.

Goal:Goal:Prevent Problems before they happenPrevent Problems before they happen

MUST BE practical!

Why create a Why create a spill response plan?spill response plan?

Potential 10% discount on farm liability insurance

Should something happen, you will be treated differently if you are following a written plan vs. the seat of your pants.

Spill Preparedness PlanSpill Preparedness Plan

Can be simple or complex

Written steps that you or someone not familiar with the operation could follow

Spill Preparedness PlanSpill Preparedness Plan

Put yourself in the following situation:

– Neighbor attending cousin’s wedding

– Asks you to “watch the place” between relief milkers

– You stop at Noon Tuesday to discover that water cup stuck on, fuse blew on pump, manure/water now flowing out south end of barn.

What do you need to know?

Spill Preparedness PlanSpill Preparedness Plan

?

What do you need to knowWhat do you need to know

Think about the 3 C’s:– Control– Contain– Cleanup

3 C’s3 C’s

Control: Stop the flow of manure

Contain: Keep manure from leaving site

Cleanup: Restore site to proper condition

ControlControl

Stop the flow of manure

– Water pump switch

– Flip breaker for reception pit pump

Plan should detail where these are

ContainContain

Prevent manure from moving

– Where is tillage equipment?

– What can I use for a dam? Straw, waste feed, sawdust Payloader, skidsteer, manure spreader

Plan should detail where these are

ContainContain

Prevent manure from moving

– Who can I call to help?

– What are their phone numbers

– Who are the downslope neighbors (tenant and landlord) and what are their numbers?

Plan should list this information

ContainContain

Manure in surface water

– Where will it flow to? Maps showing local roads, drainage patterns

– Where to dam first? Downstream, upstream, downstream?

Plan should have a map of the local area with road names

ContainContain

Manure and ground water

– Where will it flow to? Are their tile inlets, thin soils, or exposed bedrock?

– What about downslope fields?

Plan should have a map of the with these areas noted

Containment with TillageContainment with Tillage

CleanupCleanup

Land apply manure at normal rates

– Follow guidelines in nutrient management plan Follow setbacks to prevent a secondary problem

– Where do you go in the middle of summer (or winter)

Will neighbors allow you to use their half-full pits?

Plan should have a list of other nearby manure pits

CleanupCleanup

Restore to prior condition

– Field Tillage or re-seed

– Road ditch Re-seed, control erosion

– Stream DNR will determine restitution

CleanupCleanup

SummarySummary

Fines are lower if plan is followed

Written plan should be easy to follow

Written plan should be in an easy-to-

find location

““Happy is the farmer who Happy is the farmer who

has plenty of manure—has plenty of manure—

His yield will be great.”His yield will be great.”

www.wimanuremgt.orgwww.wimanuremgt.org

Questions?Questions?