Revised Manure Management Manual

New Online tool assists farmers in developing plans
Rebecca Ranck, Compliance Coordinator
On October 29, 2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection published the final revision of the Manure Management Manual. The Land Application of Manure supplement to the Manure Management Manual is established under 25 Pa. Code Section 91.36(b) and provides the opportunity for small farms to develop and implement manure management plans, which are consistent with the criteria required by the DEP for any permit it administers.

PA One Stop was created to provide online tools to help farmers meet regulatory requirements for Conservation and Nutrient Management Planning.

Revisions to the manual began in 2009 with an initial discussion at the December 2009 Agricultural Advisory Board. The DEP worked with a subcommittee of the Board that included farm organizations, environmental organizations, Penn State University, NRCS, and the State Conservation Commission Staff to develop the major changes in the manual. On August 14, 2010, the revisions made to the manual were published for comment in the PA Bulletin. The 90-day comment period ended on November 13, 2010.

During the comment period, DEP received comments from 164 individuals. Many of the changes made to the manual were based on the comments received. The most significant changes included reducing the proposed 150-foot setback from environmentally sensitive areas to 100 feet—specifically noting that winter application is discouraged but not prohibiting this practice. Also, a “workbook” was created that can be filled in to create a manure management plan.

DEP will be conducting training of technical service staff and outreach to the agricultural community to create awareness of the revised Manure Management Manual. DEP will be partnering with Penn State, county conservation districts, and others to fulfill the outreach goals.

PA One Stop
PA One Stop was created to provide online tools to help farmers meet regulatory requirements for Conservation and Nutrient Management Planning. This tool was developed by Penn State in collaboration with the PA State Conservation Commission, the PA Department of Agriculture, the PA DEP, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, and the National Consortium for Rural Geospatial Innovations in America to assist farmers with the development of manure management plans and maps associated with those plans. You can find the tool at: www.paonestop.org. This tool will be able to generate high-quality maps based on aerial imagery; allow farm information to be saved online for future edits and usage; automatically calculate field acreage; help to meet regulatory requirements designed to protect water sources; and allow farms to extract NRCS soils data for individual fields. This tool does not require any specialized software, and plans can be completed through a secure online interface.

What are Enzymes?

Enzymes help make nutrients more available to the animal
Enzymes are proteins or protein-based molecules that increase nutrient utilization in feed. They have two key roles—they break down a larger molecule into one or more smaller molecules or they combine smaller molecules into a large molecule. Either way, enzymes help convert a less digestible component of feed (e.g. fiber) into a more usable form for the animals to utilize for growth, egg production, etc.

Enzyme supplementation in animal feed shows numerous benefits including improved gut health by making nutrients more available to the animal and less available as a nutrient source for “bad” bacteria. By making nutrients more available, enzymes also reduce feed costs, improve feed conversion, and improve the consistency in the diet. Finally, since nutrients are more available for the animal to use, less quantities of nutrients are excreted in waste thereby conferring environmental benefits to diets supplemented with enzymes.

Wenger Feeds reformulates a feed when an enzyme is added and does not add the enzyme “on top” of the feed. This reduces feed costs because the enzyme is given an energy value within the diet based on the increased energy release from ingredients already in the feed. This reformulation process results in no change in animal performance but does reduce feed cost. Enzymes added in addition to the current formulation can increase animal performance by increasing weight gain and improving feed conversion.

Enzymes commonly used in animal feed address different challenges with feed ingredients. Xylanase breaks down fiber common in ingredients like corn, wheat, wheat middlings, and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and releases starch as a readily available energy source.  Amylase specifically improves starch digestibility, especially for young animals. As the name suggests, protease breaks down protein and helps release carbohydrates bound in the protein fraction. Phytase breaks down phytate and makes phosphorus more available to the animal thereby reducing the need for inorganic phosphorus supplements and reducing phosphorus excretion in waste, a key environmental benefit.

Wenger Feeds uses enzyme products which include a combination of xylanase, amylase, and protease.  The combination product helps to improve the availability of nutrients through more than one mode of action, as discussed previously. The company is currently researching another enzyme product that includes a different type of amylase as well as higher inclusions of xylanase and protease. This enzyme product may work better with higher fiber diets that contain more DDGS, wheat middlings, or other byproducts. The company may recommend the use of this new product if a producer switches to a diet containing higher levels of byproduct ingredients.

Enzymes are temperature sensitive. Therefore, when they are added to the pelleted feed, the temperature at the pellet mill must be closely monitored to make sure the activity of the enzymes is not destroyed. Phytase, for example, is often sprayed on to pelleted feeds after the pelleting process.

If you have a question about enzyme use in your feeds, see your Account Leader.

Regulatory Updates and Opportunities

Updates
The Pennsylvania Code Chapter 102, Erosion and Sediment Control, was recently changed, requiring that all conservation and/or erosion and sediment control plans must now address animal-heavy use areas (barnyards, exercise lots, feeding areas). Your nutrient management plan may already address these areas, but it must also be included in your conservation plans. All areas (cropland and pasture) within 100 feet of surface water must maintain a minimum of 25% plant/cover crop residue at all times. Both of these went into effect as of November 2010. Please contact your consultant or local NRCS office if your plans were developed prior to November 2010.

The State Conservation Commission recently revised the Act 38 Nutrient Management plan template to include addition information on manure spreader calibrations. Beginning immediately, all nutrient management plans submitted for review must list the following information relating to the manure spreader used and its calibration:
•    Manure spreader identification
•    Manure spreader capacity (gallons or tons per load)
•    Tractor identification (if applicable)
•    Equipment settings (speed, gear, rpm, pto, etc.)

Opportunities
There are several funding opportunities still available:
•    Buffer Bonus Program: Provides farmers with a $4,000 per acre voucher towards the installation of on-farm Best Management Practices in addition to the standard CREP payments for the installation of 35 foot vegetated stream buffer. This includes money to meet baseline compliance and provides additional voucher money for implementing any nutrient or sediment planning on the farm, which includes crop scouting.
•    PennVest: State-issued grant money that typically provides farmers with 100% funding for the installation of nutrient and sediment-related best management practices (i.e. manure storages, barnyards, etc.). The state issued grant money does not create a tax liability for the operator as all the money is dispensed directly to the contractors and/or consultants involved.
•    EQIP: Administered through NRCS to provide payments for the installation of on-farm best management practices.
•    Bay Farms: Provides farmers with the funding to cover the cost of soil nitrogen testing (PSNT) and stalk nitrogen testing (CSNT) for corn as advanced nutrient management.
•    CREP: Administered through NRCS and provides funding for the installation of stream bank buffers and crossings as necessary. Cropland rental payments typically range from $200-$350 annually.
•    REAP: State tax credit program that offers tax rebates of 50-75% towards the development of nutrient management or soil conservation plans, manure storages, no-till planters, drills, low disturbance manure incorporation tools, and other practices.
If you are interested, contact your local Conservation District, NRCS office, or nutrient planning consultant.