| | Manure management is important for a several reasons, from improving cropping efficiency and economics to regulatory compliance and environmental stewardship. Developing a nutrient management plan can address all of these issues. However, in the industry there are differences in the terminology and interpretations of what a nutrient management plan entails.
“We decided to put together a manure management planning workshop last January to begin developing a consistent definition and understanding of manure management planning in Alberta,” explains Dale Chrapko, Provincial Conservation Coordinator with AESA (Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture). “Our priority was to bring together various stakeholders, including producers, and to work towards consistency in nutrient management planning.” Over 160 participants attended the workshop in Lethbridge.
“We encourage producers to consider developing a nutrient management plan (NMP) for their operations,” says Trevor Wallace, Provincial Nutrient Management Specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD). A NMP provides producers with a framework for obtaining the greatest benefit from the economic and agronomic value of their manure, while at the same time protecting environmental quality.
“The definition of a NMP varies, with some people thinking it is a 30 or 40 page document that costs thousands of dollars to prepare, while others have the perception it can be simply sketched out on a napkin,” explains Wallace. In reality it may be either, depending on the specific requirements for individual operations. “In the workshop, we provided producers with the basic understanding of what information should be included in a NMP, allowing them to either develop their own NMP or the background to hire a service provider to supply a NMP.”
Workshop speakers covered the basics of a NMP addressing six broad topics, including: field and site information, manure production information, nutrient application plan, land management plan, alternative options and records management. The workshop also addressed manure management under AOPA (Agricultural Operation Practices Act) regulations.
“We see NMP as a beneficial management practice (BMP) that producers can use to maximize the nutrient use and economic returns of their manure,” says Wallace. A NMP includes all nutrients required to grow a crop. “The key is to balance the nutrient inputs and crop requirements to prevent the nutrients from becoming potential contaminants of soil, water and air.” If manure is not properly managed, the nutrients in the manure could move away from the target area to cause harmful effects on land, water and air.
“It’s important to remember when considering different feeding or management options designed to reduce manure production or manure volume and/or nutrient content, that there are no ‘cookie cutter’ solutions that will work for everyone,” explains Matt Oryschak, Environmental Program Specialist with AAFRD. “The ultimate goal should be to optimize feed efficiency through precision feeding programs and through reducing feed wastage, which should ultimately have a positive impact on the bottom line. Producers and professionals working with producers must carefully assess what is appropriate for a particular operation.”
The conference proceedings, BMP manuals, manure management planning software and other publications were collected and put together on a single CD, which was made available to conference participants. “We developed this CD for producers, so that they would have the basic information they might need for developing their NMP in one place,” says Oryschak. “We see this as a tool for producers to try and get the most out of their manure. It’s about optimizing crop nutrient usage, reducing fertilizer inputs, and reducing environmental risk. It’s about finding a way to make environmental stewardship pay off in a real way.”
The conference was sponsored by Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, AESA, Alberta Reduced Tillage LINKAGES and the Southern Applied Research Association.
For more information, contact Trevor Wallace or Matt Oryschak |
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