BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are offering an environmental training session for operators of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) on March 29 at the Crossroads Convention Center, 100 Fourth St. S.W., in Huron.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the program following at 8:45 a.m. and concluding at approximately 4:45 p.m.
“Past attendees of this program have come away with at least one new practice they consider adopting related to land application, livestock feeding, air quality or soil conservation,” said Bob Thaler, professor and SDSU Extension Swine Specialist.
Training is required for permit holders
In spring 2017, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources reissued the General Water Pollution Control Permit for CAFOs. The new permit requires existing permitted operations to obtain coverage under the proposed permit one to four years after the general permit is issued.
One of the proposed permit conditions for existing permitted operations is that an onsite representative attends an approved environmental training program within the last three years prior to obtaining a new permit. Additionally, if the person who attended training no longer works at the operation, another representative must attend training within one year.
This training program meets the requirement of the proposed permit if it is attended within three years of the new permit’s approval. Manure applicators, producers and any other interested individuals not applying for a permit are also encouraged to attend.
Speakers include John McMaine, SDSU Extension Water Management Engineer, on Water Quality; Bob Thaler, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist, on Livestock Nutrition Options for Altering Nitrogen and Phosphorus Content of Manure; Jason Roggow, Natural Resources Engineer for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, on South Dakota DANR Livestock Permit Program; Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist, on Managing Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Land Applications of Manure; Kent Vlieger, Soil Health Specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture NRCS, on Soil Erosion and Infiltration; and Xufei Yang, SDSU Extension Environmental Quality Engineer, on Air Quality and Odor.
To register for the training, visit extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “CAFO”. To cover the cost of the event, registration cost is $50 and includes lunch, breaks and training materials.
For event details and questions, contact Bob Thaler, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist at (605) 688-5435 or [email protected]; or John McMaine, SDSU Extension Water Management Engineer, at (605) 688-5141 or [email protected].
