Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plans

Many of you have likely heard of the SPCC regulations. I don't know a ton about them though I have worked with CAFO's and CFO's to develop spill response plans for their operations.

In any case, this post is a reminder for those of you who haven't started working on these that they are due by May 10, 2013. That may seem like a long time from now but if we have another dry spring and you're in a tractor cab by the middle of March again it may come pretty quickly.

Here is the link to the EPA SPCC Page for Farmers.

If you are a Tier 1 facility you can develop your plan yourself and self-certify. To be a Tier 1 facility you must have :

• A total aboveground oil storage capacity of 10,000 U.S. gallons or less;
• No aboveground oil storage containers with a capacity greater than 5,000 U.S. gallons; and
• No discharges to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines in the three years before the SPCC Plan is certified, as described below:

A single discharge greater than 1,000 gallons, or
Two discharges of oil each greater than 42 gallons within any 12-month period.

If your farm storage of oil or oil products exceeds the Tier 1 levels, your plan will need to be certified by a professional engineer.

For information on whether you need to file an SPCC Plan see this fact sheet: Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Program: Information for Farmers

And I'm sorry but I don't know what Could reasonably be expected to discharge oil to waters of the US or adjoining shorelines, such as interstate waters, intrastate lakes, rivers, and streams means. If you have a question about that, you should check with a plans development specialist. Though my guess is that with the number of ditches, field tile and small streams we find in Central Indiana, most area farmers will need to develop a plan.

Purdue Corn and Soybean Trials

A quick post to mention that the Purdue Corn and Soybean Trial results are available at the following link.

2012 Purdue Corn and Soybean Trials

Clinton County Winter Ag Newsletter

For those of you who aren't on our mailing list, I recently finished an Ag Extension Newsletter which is available online. This PDF is the same as the one mailed out minus the Irrigation Program Flyer.

Ag Outlook Breakfast & Pesticide Applicator Training

This will be along the lines of a "save the date" post however I want to mention that we've scheduled the Ag Outlook Breakfast for Friday, March 1, 7:30 a.m. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds 4-H Building in Frankfort. Purdue Ag Economist Chris Hurt will be on hand to provide his Outlook for 2013. The program is free and designed to help farmers, land owners, input suppliers, and those interested in agriculture make better business decisions in the coming year.

The breakfast and program are sponsored by The Farmers Bank and Regions Bank. Now there's a lot of time between now and the program but because we are serving a meal and need to know attendance numbers, pre-registration for the program is required. Please either call the office at 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mail me at cemanuel@purdue.edu if you are planning to attend. The registration deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26. And don't worry, I'll have additional information as we get closer.

Later that same morning, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. we'll have a Private Applicator Recertification Program(PARP), also at the Fairgrounds. Christian Krupke from Purdue Entomology will present an Insect Control Update and Bill Johnson from Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology will provide a Weed Control Update. The regulatory topic will be on Indiana’s New Fertilizer Rule. The cost for this program will be $10. All Clinton County Private Applicators will be mailed additional information as we get closer. I also intend to request CCH's for commercial applicators.

Central Indiana Pork Conference

The Seventh Annual Central Indiana Pork Conference (CIPC) will be held on Wednesday, February 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m at Rossville High School. The cost of the program will be $20 per person and will include lunch.

There will be a variety of topics covered including state and federal legislative and regulatory changes, including the new fertilizer rule. This has been a highly successful, well attended program in past years. I have a web page for this program with additional information, including a flyer and registration form.

Upcoming Irrigation Workshop

I apologize for not posting lately. With my covering 4-H in Clinton County it seems like this blog has been the main casualty of these extra duties. However I have several activities which I want to mention.

I've set up an Irrigation Workshop on Tuesday, January 22 at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds in Lafayette. This will be an all-day program primarily featuring Lyndon Kelley, Extension Irrigation Specialist. We will be covering a variety of topics that day and I encourage you to attend if you’ve given any thought to installing irrigation on your operation.

Lyndon has done a lot of irrigation work in Northern Indiana and I've been told he puts on an excellent program. Click this link for the program flyer and registration information.

Grain Quality Issues in Corn

As I'm sure you're aware, 2012 is shaping up as another year where we may encounter grain quality issues with corn. This is always a risk with severe drought stress, particularly if that stress took place during pollination. While Clinton County isn't in as bad shape as many other places, with the recent wetter weather just as harvest is starting up, I'm sure we'll run into it. Every grain buyer in the area, so far as I know, is testing for Aflatoxin, an indication that they've found it in some loads.

Purdue has a web page on this topic with a great deal of information: Managing Moldy Corn

Here are a few of the key concepts as you go into harvest. Keep in mind most of these these (there are a couple of exceptions) won't help with Aflatoxin already present; they help get rid of the Aspergillus fungus which produces Aflatoxin.

One key is minimizing damaged kernels. This corn crop is drying down fast as it's maturing at such an early date. If you think you're at risk for Aflatoxin, make sure you get in the field early enough to keep from having too many damaged kernels and keep fines down to a minimum.

Dry corn a bit more than usual if you plan to store it. If you usually store at 15.5%, think about storing at 14 or 14.5. Also, cool your grain as quickly as possible (an obvious problem in mid-September) without creating moisture issues from condensation. Aspergillus growth is greatly reduced at temperatures below 55 degrees.

Broken kernels and fines generally contain promote fungal activity. If possible, screen your grain before putting it in the bin (or, if you think there's an issue, before taking grain to the elevator). If you can't do this, "core" your bin once it's in storage.

Aflatoxin can cause Human health issues so be careful about breathing in dust. Consider wearing a mask or respirator and change your clothes after handling grain.

USDA's Risk Management Agency has put together a list of Eastern Corn Belt labs which will test for Aflatoxin. You can find that in this publication. Purdue's Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab will also test for it. I don't know why, but they aren't on the list of certified labs in the USDA publication so check with your insurance agent if you're testing for insurance purposes.

If you think you have Aflatoxin, contact your crop insurance agent before you harvest.