Meeting on Changes to IDEM Confined Feeding Rules

Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Ag Commodity groups and Purdue Extension are organizing a series of meetings to update producers on the changes to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM) Confined Feeding Rule. The programs will be held on June 19 in Decatur County, June 26 in Wells County and June 28 at the Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center (SIPAC) in Dubois County.

I will be hosting a live videoconference of the Tuesday, June 26 meeting from 1-4 p.m. at the Clinton County Extension Office, 1111 South Jackson Street in Frankfort. I don't have a lot of details at this time however I'm sure I'll have copies of program materials to hand out so I'd appreciate you letting me know if you're planning to attend. You can call our office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or you can e-mail me.

The complete program agenda is listed below:

CFO and CAFO NPDES Compliance Education Meetings

Welcome – Greg Slipher

Fact sheets & Comparison document

Rule Development Process – Andy Tauer

·         Timeline

·         Ag workgroup, member input, submission of comments

·         Negotiated compromise where possible but some issues unable to change

o   Groundwater monitoring requirements

o   Phosphorus soil test limits

o   Restrictions on application to frozen or snow covered ground

CAFO NPDES Rule Requirements – Josh Trenary

·         Only actual discharges require an NPDES permit

o   Ongoing discharges, such as non-contact cooling water from dairies 

o   Operations with a history of accidental discharges may also be required to maintain their NPDES permit if they can’t show that the cause of the discharge has been remedied

·         Transition to CFO

·         General permits going away

·         Nutrient Management Plans requirements

o   Public notice and comment

o   Substantial changes

·         No application to frozen or snow covered ground unless allowed under permit

·         Steps must be taken to prevent contamination to stormwater

·         Digesters, etc

CFO Rule Requirements – Justin Schneider

·         Alternative design or compliance approach

·         Manure application will be based upon both phosphorus and nitrogen limits

o   Applications to fields over 200 ppm of P is prohibited for most large CAFOs and all newly constructed operations

o   Existing CFOs and large CAFOs constructed prior to February 13, 2003 have seven years to phase-in application restrictions to 200 ppm of P

o   Some allowances made for nitrogen loss estimates

·         Application to frozen or snow covered ground is restricted

o   Large CAFOs may not apply to frozen or snow covered ground

o   Emergency applications with prior approval allowed for CFOs

o   CFOs with one-hundred twenty days or less approved storage can seek approval to apply

·         Ground water monitoring may be required

·         Storm water management must be implemented – Josh Trenary

·         A professional engineer must certify the construction of all liquid manure storage structures – Mike Dunn

·         Construction standards and technical resources – Mike Dunn

·         How to use forms – Record keeping – Tamilee Nennich/Mike Dunn

Lawsuit Related Issues – Justin Schneider

·         Permit appeals

·         Nuisance suits

Outreach prior to decision to construct or expand – Greg Slipher

Q & A - Presenters