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Improving Cooperation and Collaboration between the USDA and USGS on Animal Feeding Operation Studies

Objective:

This webpage was developed to help improve cooperation and collaboration between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) studies and investigations, including identifying common interest, research needs, and available data.

October 2, 2001, meeting between USDA and USGS:

Search engines with AFO related information: AFO related webpages:
  • EPA - Office of Water - Office of Wastewater Management - Animal Feeding Operations: Site contains links to AFO related information including: the proposed CAFO Rule and PNPs (Permit Nutrient Plan) versus CNMPs (Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans).
  • USDA - CSREES - Animal Waste Management: An Initative for the Cooperative Extension System. The national extension and research system in partnership with other federal, state and local agencies, will provide education and information to agricultural producers, agricultural businesses and federal, and state and local officials to maintain animal production and meet environmental standards.
  • USDA - EPA - Draft, Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations (September 11, 1998): In February of this year, President Clinton released the Clean Water Action Plan (CWAP), which provides a blueprint for restoring and protecting water quality across the Nation. The CWAP describes over 100 specific actions to expand and strengthen existing efforts to protect water quality. It also identifies polluted runoff as the most important remaining source of water pollution and provides for a coordinated effort to reduce polluted runoff from a variety of sources. As part of this effort, the CWAP calls for the development of this USDA-EPA unified national strategy to minimize the water quality and public health impacts of AFOs.
  • USDA - NRCS - Animal Feeding Operations: Site contains links to AFO related information.
  • USDA - NRCS - Manure Nutrients Relative to the Capacity of Cropland and Pastureland to Assimilate Nutrients: Spatial and Temporal Trends for the United States: Data from the Census of Agriculture were used to estimate livestock populations, quantities of manure produced, and land available for manure application for 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997. Livestock include beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, and poultry.
  • USDA - NRCS - Technical Tools - Animal Waste Management Software: This tool is used to size animal waste management system components such as waste stroage facilities and waste treatment lagoons. It is a Windows program and is a complete revision of an earlier DOS program of the same name. The complete installation package along with precipitation data and a User's Guide are available for download.
  • USDA - NRCS - Technical Tools - Manure Master Decision Support System: Designed as an interactive web tool, the use of a browser the equivalent of MS Explorer 3.xx or Netscape Navigator 3.xx is required. This tool is used to compare the nutrient content in the animal manure produced with the amount of nutrients removed from fields where manure was applied. The tool also permits the user to view the latest NRCS animal manure and plant data bases in table format.
  • USGS - Effects of Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) on Hydrologic Resources and the Environment: The purpose and scope of this Web site is a work in progress. For the short term (10/99-10/2000) this Web site is being maintained primarily as the venue for follow-up products and communications from the AFO '99 - Ft. Collins conference. This Web site also will serve to inform AFO stakeholders of current USGS activities related to AFO environmental and human health issues.
  • USGS - Toxic Substances Hydrology Program - National Reconnaissance of Emerging Contaminants in the Nation's Water Resources: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, has implemented a national reconnaissance to provide baseline information on the environmental occurrence of emerging contaminants in water resources. During 1999 and 2000, 142 streams, 55 wells, and 7 effluent samples were collected across 36 states as part of this national reconnaissance effort. A majority of the stream and ground-water sites sampled were expected to be susceptible to emerging contaminants from either animal or human wastewaters. A select number of sites were located in settings where the occurrence of emerging contaminants was thought to be unlikely.
Contact list of persons working on AFO related issues: Webpages with list of future AFO meetings:
  • USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service - Major Meetings: the conservation community's connection to special events, nationwide.

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