Helping People Help the Land NRCS Standards and Criteria for Dead Animal Composting Matthew Robert, PE Agricultural Engineer Champaign, Illinois www.il.nrcs.usda.gov Matthew.Robert@il.usda.gov
Following NRCS Standards q Conservation Practice Standard 316 Animal Mortality Facility q Conservation Practice Standard 317 Composting Facility http://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Section IV
Animal Mortality Facility q Multiple ways to manage mortalities Composting Burial Rendering Incineration etc Composting is the only mortality management currently funded with EQIP in Illinois.
Composting Facility q Static bin q In vessel system Both types of facilities require secondary bins
Working with NRCS q Conservation Planning on your farm Identifying resource concerns Presenting alternatives that will work for YOU YOU make the decisions q Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) q Then go for funding
What is required for receiving EQIP funding for a composter? q Signing up for EQIP at local Field Office Applications are competitively ranked. EQIP funds projects that solve resource concerns. q A technically approved CNMP Helps with ranking score Resource concern showing that there is a problem with the current mortality management. The CNMP needs to represent YOUR plan, and must be complete BEFORE any construction begins.
Practices typically associated with a composting facility q CPS 316 Animal Mortality Facility q CPS 561 Heavy Use Area Protection q CPS 367 Roofs & Covers q CPS 558 Roof Runoff Structure q CPS 560 Access Road For a producer to receive funding for any of these practices, it must be listed in the CNMP!
Who will do the planning and design? q Consultant PE required for composter bins SE required for roof (if it will have a roof) Must follow NRCS standards NRCS does a functional approval Many right answers!
Who will do the planning and design? q NRCS Sturdy facilities: these will last. Standard designs facilitate quicker design process but present limitations on options Get NRCS involved during the planning process make sure the CNMP calculations use one of the standard designs (bin height, etc)
NRCS Illinois standard designs q Without roof q With roof wall mounted or pole barn type q Concrete or treated wood q Single or double (back-to-back) row of bins
What do these facilities look like? q Examples can be found online on Illinois NRCS website. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/il/technical/engineering/?cid=nrcs141p2_030571 q Designs online are not completed! More engineering work needs to be done by a PE before the designs can be used.
IL-ENG-169
IL-ENG-161
IL-ENG-163
IL-ENG-170
IL-ENG-149
NRCS Design O&M http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/il/technical/engineering/?cid=nrcs141p2_030600
Questions?
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