South Dakota Ag Connection - CAFO Training Session Set for Feb. 25 in Huron

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CAFO Training Session Set for Feb. 25 in Huron
South Dakota Ag Connection - 02/08/2010

An environmental training session for operators of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, is set for Feb. 25 in Huron.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Crossroads Convention Center, 100 Fourth St. S.W. in Huron. The cost is $40 and includes lunch, breaks, and training materials. The program begins at 8:50 a.m. and concludes at approximately 4:45 p.m. To register for the training, call Candy Willms at 605-688-5141.

Specialists from South Dakota State University, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are offering the training.

This training fulfills the environmental and manure management training requirement to obtain a livestock permit for CAFOs from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Producers and any other interested individuals who are not currently applying for a permit also can benefit from the information and are encouraged to attend. Current federal (EPA, USDA) and state water pollution control programs encourage livestock producers, even those who do not need permits, to voluntarily adopt livestock production and manure management practices that protect water quality.

During the morning session, South Dakota Cooperative Extension Air Quality and Waste Management Specialist Erin Cortus will discuss water quality, and Extension Swine Specialist Bob Thaler will discuss livestock nutrition options for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus content of manure. Jeanie Votava, a natural resources engineer with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, will give an overview of the South Dakota DENR Livestock Permit program.

In the afternoon, South Dakota State University plant scientist professor Ron Gelderman will discuss managing nitrogen and phosphorus in land applications of manure. Jeff Hemenway, a conservation agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will talk about practices for reducing soil and manure loss from fields. Gelderman and Hemenway also will host a session on using worksheets for land application of manure. Extension Farm Machinery and Safety Specialist Dick Nicolai will conclude the day's training with a session on air quality and odor.

Call Cortus for more information at 605-688-5144.