KEMPTVILLE - Producers concerned about the environmental impacts of their farms had a chance to hear about updates to the Nutrient Management Act and the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan at the Eastern Ontario Crop Conference February 23 at Kemptville College.
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) nutrient management specialist Phyllis MacMaster spoke about changes to the Nutrient Management Act, which was amended September 29, 2005, to impact more farms in the province.
"Basically what the change did was simplify the regulation," she said.
MacMaster says the basic requirements are a Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS), which looks at everything that happens around the farmstead, or a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP), which details information about fields and land application of manure, soil sampling and other data.
She says the approval process has become less detailed, and the NMS has to get approved by the province, while most operations may not require a NMP, and if they do, it can be filed on the farm.
"There’s less administration, less paperwork, less records for farmers to keep, but records are an important part of the regulation, and they’re going to focus the regulation on standards that reduce risk," MacMaster said.
The regulation now includes more farm operations, and the NMS and NMP have to be prepared by a certified person, whether that is the farmer or a consultant.
To become certified, producers must take a "Regulations and Protocols" course, which will be offered March 31 in Brockville. They also need a "Fundamentals of Nutrient Management" course or the equivalent. The "Developing a Nutrient Management Strategy/Nutrient Management Plan" course is highly recommended.
Regardless of the number of nutrient units on the farm, there are three regulations that apply to all operations.
No winter application of sewage biosolids is allowed from December 1 to March 31, or when the ground is frozen or snow-covered. There is also a ban on the use of high-trajectory guns for applying manure and non-agricultural source material unless it is made up of greater than 99 per cent water by weight. Finally, non-agricultural source material must be set back 20 metres from surface water.
Operations with greater than five nutrients units that apply for a building permit to construct a livestock barn, manure storage facility or earthen storage are the latest operations to get phased into the NMA, effective December 31, 2005. Existing large farm operations with greater than 300 nutrient units, and operations expanding to greater than 300 nutrient units were also phased in.
All farms that were phased in require an annual review and update of the NMS or NMP.
One important aspect of nutrient management is manure storage, and OMAFRA nutrient management engineer Benoît Lebeau was on hand to offer information about manure management siting and construction standards for new and expanded storage.
To build a new permanent storage, farmers need to follow minimum setbacks from wells and field tile drains, and non-perforated pipe must be used to collect or divert water around the facility if the producer is storing biosolid or non-agricultural material.
Runoff management from a paved animal yard, outdoor containment area or storage is very important. Options include eavestroughs or gutters along the building to reduce runoff, a trench near streams to divert clean water, a roof to contain the runoff and a permanently vegetated area.
Lebeau emphasized that when planning expansion projects, producers must allow sufficient time for planning and gathering information from contractors, OMAFRA and the industry. If they are doing their own NMP, they need to allow time for certification.
Lebeau suggests talking to people who have done similar projects to make your project better.
Manure storage is one of the Beneficial Management Practices that are part of the Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP), which was announced in April 2005.
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Agency (OSCIA) EFP program representative Glen Smith told producers this EFP is very similar to the old Ontario EFP, but funding is now provided by the federal government and OMAFRA, with technical support from OMAFRA.
The Canada-Ontario Environmental Farm Plan is a voluntary educational program for farm families to do a risk assessment of the level of environmental concern on their farm and develop an action plan to manage or change the higher risk concerns.
EFP participants must attend a two-day workshop and have their plans deemed appropriate through peer review, and then they can have access to Environmental Cost-Share
Programs through the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program, Greencover Canada, and the Canada-Ontario Water Supply Expansion Program to implement actions to lower the risk.
They must also have a Farm Business Registration Number.
After March 31, 2006, the OSCIA will no longer honour first- or second-edition workbooks deemed appropriate. All project proposal applications received after March 31, 2006, will require a third-edition EFP deemed appropriate
With the Canada-Ontario Farm Stewardship Program, up to $30,000 is available on a cost-share of 30 or 50 per cent, up to the category caps, to cover projects such as manure upgrades, equipment for injecting manure, liquid manure storage, no till equipment, equipment to gauge fertilizer or herbicide application, erosion control devices and predator control that reduce risk to water and air quality, improve soil productivity and enhance wildlife habitat.
Up to $20,000 is available on a cost-share of 50 per cent, up to the category caps, under Greencover Canada for projects such as developing buffers around watercourses, fencing off creeks, alternative livestock watering devices and consultation.
An additional $15,000 is available under the Canada-Ontario Water Supply Expansion Program, up to a maximum of $5,000 per project, for projects such as drilling a well or digging a pond for potable water.
In-kind contributions, such as a farmer’s labour and equipment are eligible.
"That is a big bonus in this program," Smith said. "For example, with fencing, you can put a lot of labour into that and get a lot back."
The Cost-Share Program ends March 31, 2008, or when all the funds are allocated.
News
March, 2006
Vol. 30, No. 3
NEWS
