Are you Ready for Your CAFO Inspection? David J. Mister Eastern Shore Regional Coordinator

What is a CAFO? It is a med-large Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) It discharges or proposes to discharge pollutants from man-made conveyances to surface water A discharge occurs when rainwater comes in contact with manure, which is then considered to be process waste water, which leaves the site to surface waters.

What is a MAFO? It is an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) that does not propose to discharge pollutants to surface water. If it is determined that a MAFO does discharge, then it may be required to apply for a CAFO permit. Most likely found on sandy soils or a site that is self contained.

How Rainwater Contamination Occurs

What Information Will You Be Responsible to Provide? Facility information such as number of poultry houses, age of poultry houses, sixe of houses/number of birds, # of flocks, etc. Live-haul schedule, clean-out schedule, manure handling, composting mortality. Copy of Notice of Intent filed with MDE. Copy of current nutrient management plan or CNMP if complete. Field application records for manure

What Areas of My Operation Should I Focus On? Manure Storage Facility – Do I have manure stockpiled outside with storage space available? – Do I have non-mobile items in my storage facility? – Do I have surface water conveyance at the ends of my shed that are discharging to a drainage ditch or swale? – Do I need to place additional fill material in the floor of my shed?

Drainage swale cut to ditch

Standing water in the shed

What Areas of My Operation Should I Focus On? Composter – Do I have the right recipe? – Do I have any dead birds visible? – Do I have excessive odor? – Do I have any leakage? – Do I need training?

Wrong Recipe causing leakage

Channel Composter w/o Endwall

Good Housekeeping

HUA pad for Composter

What Areas of My Operation Should I Focus On? Heavy Use Pads – Do I have any manure present on my HUA pads? – Have I swept up my HUA pads and placed the manure back in the poultry house or in the storage facility? – Are my HUA pads in good shape or are they cracking and breaking apart?

Manure left on the HUA pad

Using HUA pads for Storage

What Areas of My Operation Should I Focus On? Other Concerns – Would I benefit from planting a windbreak? – Do I have manure scattered around the production area? – Do I have good vegetative cover between my poultry houses and in the production area? – How is my overall farm appearance?

Manure Application to Close to a Ditch

Photo provided by EPA

Manure pushed over the backwall

Work area with manure mixing with storm water

Fan discharge may also need to be addressed

Maintenance is Important

Vegetated area between houses

Soil sampling in Dorchester County 2008

Water sampling in Dorchester County 2008

Water sampling a pond in Dorchester County 2008

Manure shed damaged by high winds in Dorchester County 2008

Manure sampling inside the manure shed in Dorchester County 2008

Manure stored outside uncovered more than 14 days

SCD’s Role with CAFOs Provide technical support to poultry farmers with obtaining or developing a CNMP – Sign up farmers for CNMPs developed with cost share assistance from the USDA programs i.e. EQIP – SCD staff may develop the CNMP Provide administrative and technical support to poultry farmers to install the necessary BMPs to manage poultry manure and mortality Approximately 800 poultry farms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

The Permitting Process Send in your Notice of Intent to MDE. – No penalty to send it in now even though the Feb 27 th deadline has passed. – Penalty comes if you haven’t filed and you are determined to be a CAFO through an inspection Request a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) at your SCD office. Send your completed CNMP to MDE. MDE to review your CNMP and approve. MDE has 180 days to issue your permit. Each permit is subject to public hearing. Permit is issued

Reminders Keep your NMP current – A change in your operation requires an updated plan, i.e. add or drop cropland, poultry farm. Maintain your waste storage facility and composter – Whether the maintenance life has expired or not with MDA, EPA and MDE will require both to be in working order and available for immediate use. Practice good house keeping – Clean the HUA pads with a broom! – Minimize spillage and clean it up. Good record keeping is essential

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

“Perception Dictates the Inspection” Dave Mister