Douglas County FAQs
Search for "Agriculture" returned 18 records from our FAQs
Category
I'll just pay the fine; isn't that cheaper?
In the most severe cases in the state, a few producers have been fined for their lack of efforts to become compliant in a timely manner. In all of those cases, the producer has been mandated to make the fix, plus pay a fine on top of that. Opting to pay a fine instead of making steps towards compliance just doesn't make sense.
Category: Agriculture
Am I in trouble?
NO! Open communications between the producer and the feedlot coordinator are the key. Here in Douglas County, we work along side our producers in meeting compliance standards. We value producer input in determining what is reasonable and realistic when fixing a pollution hazard. Yes, there are certain regulatory procedures that are required of delegated counties like Douglas County, but what is most important to us is that our producers are informed of the rules and regulations out there and are making sincere efforts and knowledgeable decisions in their attempts to achieve compliance. There is funding available for "fixes" through NRCS, SWCD, and the various watershed districts within Douglas County. Contact your feedlot coordinator. She is there to help.
Category: Agriculture
So why is it okay that I spread my milk house wastes in my fields but not daylight it into a grassy area of my land (the same place it’s been going the last 40 years)?
Again, nature has a way of cleansing itself, but when a high concentration of high B.O.D. material settles in one spot, Mother Nature can’t overcome. If you spread a small layer of the wastes over a large area of vegetation (your cropland, pastures, or hay fields), the land can accommodate and use natural processes to cleanse the waste material before reaching ground water.
Category: Agriculture
What’s all the fuss about the way my milk house wastes are handled? It’s just soaps and a little milk!
Well, what is gross about human sewage? Besides the smell, it’s the fact that sewage is home to a myriad of bacteria, E. coli, being one that thrives particularly well in doo. Who would have thought it, but the residues found in milk house wastes also are a favorite bacterial hang-out. To simplify it, the B.O.D. measure in a particular volume of water determines the prevalence of bacteria. Here are some explanatory facts for you:
- A clear, clean water lake has a B.O.D of 2 ml/L of water.***
- Raw sewage has a B.O.D. of 100-500ml/L of water.****
- PER cow, milk house wastes carry an average B.O.D. of 28 ml/L of water per day.
- Thus, using my farm as example, milk house wastes resulting from my 41 cow dairy have an average B.O.D. of 1148ml/L of water per day discharging into our manure pit. (Raw milk tends to carry higher B.O.D. levels. That is why pasteurization of raw milk is often recommended.)
- The state daily limit for discharge of B.O.D. to a water of the state is 25 ml/L !
***/**** www.polyseed.com
The bottom line? Take time to examine your current waste house handling system as many of our systems are outdated. If you feel your system is in need of an eventual upgrade, take the bull by the horns. Don't be afraid to initiate this discussion with your feedlot coordinator. Ask her for resources and possible solutions for the future. Together, we can make a plan!
Category: Agriculture
What is the difference between a short and a long term stockpile?
Short term stockpiles (in place for no longer than 12 months) are not located in the same place year after year. Vegetation is allowed to flourish following removal of these stockpiles. Long term stockpiles are often there for the duration of the site’s operation. Long term stock pile sites must be located on an impervious pad.
Category: Agriculture
Why can’t I stockpile anywhere I choose; it’s my land?
“This land is my land; this land is your land…” As the song suggests, the surface of the land is yours at purchase but the effects on all citizens of how you manage that surface area is your responsibility. In other words, you are obliged to protect us in your land use practices. Knowing the soils on your property and the characteristics of those soils are important in applying best management practices. Request a soil map from your feedlot coordinator. Certain soils have the tendency to sieve water/ liquid wastes through their layers rapidly. In others, this “leaching process’ is slower, allowing for more absorption by vegetation and other elements in the soil. The depth of the water table below the soils is often characteristic of a particular soil type as well. Water tables (depth to groundwater) can be as shallow as 0 inches from the surface of the land! Last, never, ever stockpile on gravel pit sites or in/on surface waters.
Location Restrictions Feature
Water of the State, Tile Intakes, Road Ditches, Sinkholes, Non-Farmed Wetlands, and Rock Outcroppings
Private Well
Public Water Supply Well
Shoreland or Floodplain
Land with greater than a 6% slope
Land with greater than 2% slope and no clean water diversions and erosion control measures
Land where soil texture to a depth of five feet, except the plow layer, is entirely coarser than a sandy-loam
Sand/Gravel Pits, Quarries, On Bedrock
Drain Tile with less than 3 ft of soil cover
** copied from www.pca.state.mn.us
Requirements
Setback of 300 ft of flow distance and at least 50 ft horizontal distance
Setback of 100 Ft
Setback of 1,000 ft
Stockpiling is prohibited
Stockpiling is prohibited
Stockpiling is prohibited
Stockpiling is prohibited
Stockpiling is prohibited
Setback of 100 ft
Category: Agriculture
What are the land application setbacks?
Sensitive Area
Lake
Perennial Stream
Intermittent Stream
Protected Wetlands (10+ acres)
Drainage Ditches (no berms)
Sinkhole (no berms/diversions)
Mine, Quarry, or Gravel Pit
Open Tile Intakes (including rock/blind inlets)
Road Ditches
High Phosphorous Soils
DWSMA/Wellhead Protection
Steeply Sloping Land
Non-Protected Wetlands
Frequently Flooded Soils
High Water Table Soils
Coarse-Textured Soils
Shallow Soils Over Bedrock
No Incorporation or Incorporation after 24 hours
300 ft b
300 ft b
300 ft c
300 ft c
300 ft c
300 ft up / 50 ft down
50 ft
300 ft
No application directly into the road ditch
Permit may be needed - No soil-P buildup at some sites
Permit may be needed
Permit may be needed
Consider developing a management strategy
Consider developing a management strategy
Consider developing a management strategy
Consider developing a management strategy
Consider developing a management strategy
Injection or Incorporation within 24 hours
25 ft d
25 ft d
25 ft d
25 ft d
25 ft d
50 ft
50 ft
0 ft
Category: Agriculture
What is an interim permit?
Once a pollution hazard has been identified by the feedlot owner and/or feedlot coordinator and the planning phase has been initiated for fixes, an interim permit is applied for. This permit allows the feedlot owner to continue in operation while known hazards are being addressed for up to 2 years.
Category: Agriculture
Who must operate under a Manure Management Plan?
Producers who are working under a permit, interim, construction, or NPDES for site over 1,000 AU, and have 100-299 animal units on site must operate under a manure management plan. Producers with 300+ AU must operate under a manure management plan UNLESS all manure is being applied by a certified land applicator. All producers with over 100 AU are required to sample their manure for both liquid and solid manure. For $20 the DHIA lab in Stearns will send you the kit and conduct the analyses.320-352-2028
Category: Agriculture
Who must maintain manure application records?
Any producer with over 100 or more animal units must maintain records. Ask for a manure record keeping form(s) from your county feedlot coordinator.
Category: Agriculture