United States
     Environmental Protection
     Agency
Office of Enforcement
& Compliance Assurance
Washington, DC 20460
EPA3Q5-F-GG-GG8
August 2000
www.epa.gov


                                                 Ag  Center
                                                        Helping Agriculture Comply with
                                                        Environmental Requirements
FOCUS    ON
        Agriculture  Compliance
        Assistance  Project:   Livestock
        This fact sheet will tell you about a national project to develop programs and materials that will
        help livestock producers comply with environmental regulations.
        Three-year project
        The U.S. Department of Agriculture
        (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental
        Protection Agency (EPA) are
        cooperating in a 3-year national project
        to help livestock producers implement
        sound environmental management
        practices and comply with
        environmental regulations that affect
        their businesses.

        The livestock management compliance
        assistance project, for which
        approximately $300,000 has been
        allocated, is being funded through a
        cooperative agreement administered by
        USDA's Cooperative State Research,
        Education, and Extension Service
        (CSREES) andEPA's National
        Agriculture Compliance Assistance
        Center (Ag Center).
            Nationwide team
            A peer review process chose a project
            with the University of Nebraska and
            North Carolina State University as
            co-leaders. Other cooperators include
            12 other universities and additional
            federal and education-related
            participants. (See list of cooperators
            below.)


            The nationwide team of project
            participants will work closely with the
            Ag Center and CSREES to increase
            livestock producers' understanding of
            the principles of environmental
            management and to foster compliance
            with all environmental requirements
            that affect this key segment of U.S.
            agriculture.

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The project will
develop materials
ana. other tools to
help producers use
common-sense,
cost'effective
approaches to
meeting
environmental
requirements.
The project will
develop a national
"core curriculum"
on management
and compliance.
OBJECTIVE I
Develop a nationally recognized,
producer-oriented core
curriculum addressing high
profile livestock environmental
issues.
A key product of the project will be a
high-quality core curriculum, on
management and compliance topics.
Experts who have pioneered similar
resources will lead this effort. The
curriculum will be reviewed and pilot
tested in five geographic regions to
ensure that it is relevant to regional and
livestock species differences.
Livestock environmental issues to be
addressed include
•   manure storage
•   advanced waste  treatment systems
•   odor management
•   land application and nutrient
    management.
The curriculum modules will include
•   a reference publication for livestock
    producers that describes design
    requirements, management
    practices, planning tools, and
    compliance issues
•   teaching aids for information
    providers, including pre-planned
    presentations with electronic visual
    aids
•   electronic and/or printed tools for
    facilitating more complex design
    calculations and recordkeeping
    processes.
The national core curriculum will be
delivered to livestock industry
information providers through five
regional meetings. These five symposia
will provide in-depth inservice
education for public sector information
providers (such as Extension educators
and Natural Resources Conservation
Service staff), engineering and
environmental consultants, and key
representatives of private sector allied
industries (such as crop consultants and
livestock feed consultants).


OBJECTIVE 2
Provide livestock producers and
information providers access to
these curriculum resources
through  multiple, readily
accessible delivery
methodologies.
The project will provide
•   electronic access to the new
    resources
•   regional access to in-depth
    educational programs for
    information providers responsible
    for delivering these resources
•   access to  printed publications.
                        Ag Center Fact Sheet Series                                                      Page 2
                        Compliance Assistance/EPA/USDA National Projects/Agriculture Compliance Assistance Project: Livestock

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The Ag Center
welcomes
comments on this
document and its
other services.
The project will identify
•   technical resource contacts
•   publications that discuss best
    management practices (BMPs) for
    storage, handling, and land
    application of manure
•   available web-based and stand-alone
    software for sizing storage structures,
    nutrient management, record-
    keeping, or other technical
    applications
•   state and federal regulations
    addressing animal manure
    management.

Cooperators
•   North Carolina State University
    (project co-lead)
•   University of Nebraska (project co-
    lead)
•   Cornell University
•   Pennsylvania State University
•   University of California - Davis
•   Farm*A*Syst
•   Iowa State University
•   Kansas State University
•   Mid West Plan Service
•   Natural Resources Conservation
    Service, USDA
•   Agricultural Research Service,
    USDA
•   North Carolina A&T University
•   Purdue University
•   University of Georgia
•   University of Illinois
•   University of Minnesota
•   University of Missouri
•   Texas A&M University
USDA/EPA contacts
•   Denis Ebodaghe
    National Program Leader-Small
    Farms, USDA, Mail Stop 2220,
    Washington, DC 20250-2220
    Telephone: 202-401-4385
    E-mail: debodaghe@reeusda.gov

•   Ginah Mortensen
    Director, EPA National Agriculture
    Compliance Assistance Center
    Telephone: 1-888-663-2155
    E-mail: mortensen.ginah@epa.gov

For more information
You can get more facts about
compliance by calling the Ag Center's
toll-free number. Materials can be sent
to you by fax or mail, or you can talk to
an Ag Center representative. For a list
of all publications available from the Ag
Center, request document number
10001, "Ag Center Publications."
                                                                     National Agriculture Compliance
                                                                     Assistance Center
                                                                     901 N. 5th Street
                                                                     Kansas City, KS 66101

                                                                     Toll-free:   1 -888-663-2155
                                                                     Internet:    www.epa.gov/oeca/ag
                                                                     Fax:       913-551-7270

                                                                             United States Environmental
                                                                             Protection Agency
                                                                             Washington, DC 20460
                        Ag Center Fact Sheet Series
                                                                                                  PageS

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