The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program: Environmental Stewardship Module

1. The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program: Environmental Stewardship Module “Compliance through Education” Michael Payne DVM, PhD Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRA) Sixth Symposium in its Series on Groundwater Contaminants: "Nitrate in Groundwater: Sources, Impacts and Solutions"

2. CDQA is a collaboration between: • The Dairy Industry • The State of California • Federal Agencies • University of California Compliance through Education

3. The CDQAP is: • Voluntary • Industry Driven • Offers continuing education and farm certification in: Food Safety/Emergency Preparedness Environmental Stewardship Animal Welfare Compliance through Education

4. 3 Components of Certification • Producer Education (ESSC I) • Producer Develops an Environmental Stewardship Farm Management Plan • Third Party Dairy Evaluation Compliance through Education

5. Producer Education* • Review regulations • Risk Assessment documents • Pond sizing exercise • General manure management • Storm water pollution prevention and emergency plans • Sampling solid and liquid manure • Behaving during EPA inspection * Developed from survey of regulatory concerns CDQAP : Compliance through education

6. Environmental Stewardship Farm Management Plan • Do homework from class (risk assessment documents with prioritization of results, pond sizing, storm water pollution prevention and emergency manure management plans) • Copies of all required permits and records. CDQAP : Compliance through education

7. Independent Third Party Evaluation • On-farm & Independent • Uses “Universal Checklist” • Tested & Validated • CDFA dairy specialists Compliance through Education

8. Independent third party evaluation • “Kitchen Table Review”: Review homework, & documentation • Facility EvaluationInfrastructure including cross-connections, facilities, manure handling, storage, and utilization CDQAP : Compliance through education

9. The Evaluation Tool: “The Checklist” • In March of 1999 The Partners (w EPA) complete a “checklist”. • The first time state and federal regulations collected in single producer-intelligible document. • Beta testing on 10 commercial dairies was completed with validation by state and federal follow-up inspections. CDQAP : Compliance through education

10. Producer Benefits of Program • Critical Information in one-stop-shopping (Law & liability, BMP’s) • Access to technical assistance & grant $. (EQIP, Digester) • Financial Incentives from Processor. • Industry has Seat at the Table. • Low cost risk assessment of facility. (Peace of Mind) Compliance through Education

11. Regulatory Benefits • Improved awareness, compliance & more efficient dairy inspections. • Producer Outreach (ESSC, Trade Pubs & Meetings, 1 on 1) • Leveraging technical resources. (Checklist, CNMP, Waste Milk, Backflow) • Leveraging financial resources. (Outreach $, Industry grants, Incentives) Compliance through Education

12. Successes of the Program • Outreach, leveraging technical and financial resources. • Opening lines of communication. Challenges for the Program • Limited participation in facility evaluations. • Focus group results. CDQAP : Compliance through education