(add state here) Master Farmer Program

1. (add state here)Master Farmer Program (add university logo here)

2. Where It Began • Silent Spring – 1962 • DDT Threatens Bird Species • Swimming Areas and Beaches Closed • Love Canal – Hazardous Waste Dumps • Passage of Clean Water Act and Creation of the EPA - 1972

3. Clean Water Act Goal • Restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of U.S. waters

4. 2 Types of Pollutants • Point Sources – originate from a stationary location or fixed facility from which pollutants are discharged directly into a waterbody. • Examples include: • Wastewater effluent, both municipal and industrial • Runoff from confined animal feeding operations • Runoff from active mine sites and oil fields

5. 2 Types of Pollutants • Nonpoint Sources – pollution sources, which do not have a single point of origin or are not introduced into a receiving stream from a specific outlet. • Examples include: • Runoff from row-crop agriculture • Runoff from pasture and range • Runoff from forested areas • Runoff from lawns and gardens • Runoff from roads, highways and parking lots • Natural sources, such as leaves, organic nutrients and wildlife feces

6. LOUISIANA LAND USE (add your state map here)

7. CWA Focus For First 25 Years It focused on point source or “end-of-the-pipe” sources via NPDES permits Largely exempted nonpoint source (NPS) runoff from regulation Nonpoint source contributors (which includes ag & forestry) were largely managed by voluntary implementation of BMPs

8. The Result? • 28 years after CWA implementation • 21,000 impaired waterbodies • 300,000 miles of rivers and shoreline • 5 million lake acres • Almost 80% of Americans live within 10 miles of an impaired waterbody • Excess sediments, nutrients, and harmful microorganisms are leading reasons

9. Requirements of the CWA • Requires states to develop lists of impaired waters (EPA approved) • Requires states’ to identify pollution reductions needed to meet standards • Requires reductions of both point and nonpoint source pollutants • Requires development of TMDLs and implementation plans that will lead to clean water goals (EPA approved)

10. What is a TMDL? Total Maximum Daily Load A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant (allocated among point, non-point, and natural sources) that can enter a water body and still comply with water quality standards. It is required for waters not meeting state / EPA approved water quality standards. TMDLs must also be approved by EPA.

11. All Point and Nonpoint Contributors Are Included • Croplands • Pasturelands • Animal production operations • Forestlands • Other industry contributions • Homeowners (landscapes, septic systems, stormwater runoff, etc.) • Municipalities (sewerage treatment)

12. Agriculture and Forestry Nonpoint Source Pollutants • Sediments • Nutrients • Pesticides • Oil & Grease • Animal Wastes

13. 1998 NationalWater Quality Inventory • Rivers and Streams • 35% of assessed rivers polluted • Siltation, pathogens, nutrients • Agriculture leading source of pollution • Lakes and Reservoirs • 45% of assessed lakes polluted • Nutrients, metals, siltation • Agriculture leading source of pollution ***Slide from EPA Presentation!!***

14. Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act • Farmers with 10 or more acres used for agriculture or forestry REQUIRED to implement a water quality plan. • Must fully implement applicable requirements within 5 years

15. North Carolina Neuse River • The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission has established the goal of reducing the average annual load of nitrogen delivered to the Neuse River Estuary from point and non-point sources by a minimum of 30%. The Neuse Rules were developed to achieve this goal. THEY ARE NOW LAW!

16. The Neuse Agricultural Rule • The rule provides two options for reaching the nitrogen reduction goal. Farmers MUST choose between: • Option 1 Participate in a local nitrogen reduction strategy that would include specific plans for each farm that would collectively meet the nitrogen reduction goal • Option 2 Implement BMP’s that include riparian buffers, filter strips, water control structures, and nutrient management plans

17. The Neuse Nutrient Management Rule • Applies to all persons who apply fertilizer to 50 or more acres of land per year, or persons who manage 50 or more acres of land per year (Agricultural, Rural and Urban) • Option 1- Complete Nutrient Management Training Certification Course by Aug. 2003 • Option 2 – Develop and properly implement a written nutrient management plan for all properties where nutrients are applied by Aug. 2003

18. Arkansas Considers Regulation of Commercial Fertilizer • Arkansas officials have proposed regulating the use of commercial fertilizer in Arkansas and Oklahoma as part of a comprehensive strategy for improving water quality by reducing nutrients. • Arkansas poultry and state officials are asking the same question: "If we ship litter out of the basin, how do we assure that folks don't just replace it with commercial fertilizer?"

19. Arkansas Considers Regulation of Commercial Fertilizer • "In those sensitive watersheds, if a management plan for poultry litter is required, then the application of commercial fertilizer should be (included in nutrient-management plans)," said Earl Smith, the chief of the water-resources management division of the commission. "If what we are concerned with are nutrients, we need to look at all of the ways nutrients get into the streams."

20. Can It Happen In (your state)? • Calcasieu Parish Ordinance – Prohibits Draining of Fields into road ditches (if there have been rules or laws passed, add here with offense for each) • Misdemeanor offense – up to 30 days jail or $500 for each offense

21. (Add your state with endorsements and support logos here) Louisiana Master Farmer Program Collaborations/Partnerships

22. Master Farmer Initiative • (highlight your programs’ benefits and sponsors here) • Multi-agency effort sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation • Implemented by watershed, with the AgCenter’s watershed agent coordinating the program • Targets all agricultural producers • Voluntary

23. Louisiana’s Watersheds(your state’s watershed map)

24. Objective • The (your state)Master Farmer Program is a multi-agency effort targeted at helping agricultural producers voluntarily address the environmental concerns related to production agriculture.

25. Master Farmer Initiative Environmental Stewardship

26. Phase 1: Environmental Education • Conducted at the parish(or county) level • Specific topics addressed include: • The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 • National & (your state)water quality standards • Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) • Impacts of NPS Pollution on the Coastal Zone • Best Management Practices (BMPs) • Role of Conservation Districts in conservation planning and implementation • The NRCS Planning Process • Conservation Programs

27. Phase 2: Model Farms • (if you do not have model farms, replace this info with whatever your next phase would be or skip this phase) • Representative farms for each watershed • BMP demonstrations • Water quality monitoring • Education and outreach

28. Model Farms(add your model farm map here or delete if no model farms are selected)

29. Phase 3: Conservation Plans • Development and implementation of farm-specific conservation plans • Plans will be developed by the NRCS working with the local Soil and Water Conservation Districts

30. Time Line For Implementation(time-line for implementing program in your state by watershed approach) • Schedule • Mermentau/Vermilion-Teche (2001) • Calcasieu/Ouachita (2002) • Barataria/Terrebonne (2003) • Red/Sabine (2004) • Pontchartrain Basin (2004) • Mississippi/Atchafalaya/ Pearl (2005)

31. Summary • As TMDL’s are being developed in (your state) watersheds, (your state’s) agricultural producers will face environmental challenges such as compliance with mandatory reductions of nonpoint pollutants, such as nutrients, pathogens (fecal coliform), organic material/dissolved oxygen, sediment, and metals. Voluntary implementation of incentive-based, economically achievable and effective BMPs, through the Master Farmer Program, represents a workable means of reducing agriculture’s contribution to the water quality challenges.

32. THANK YOU