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There are more and more ag waste systems starting to be put in the watershed. Now lets not get scared by mentioning “systems”. A lot of these systems can be low cost systems put in place to simply get a farmstead permitted by the Health Department.
Sometimes we producers get stuck in place by what we are currently doing simply because we have always done it that way or because that is the way my Dad or Grandfather had done it and it had always worked for them so we are not changing our system. Well in this case, this kind of thinking will not work.
If you, as a producer, knowingly or willingly polluting the waters of North Dakota, you need to do something about it. By waters of North Dakota, I am speaking of the Beaver Creek and it’s tributaries as we are in the Beaver Creek Watershed. Yes, there are other ways to pollute the waters of North Dakota, but lets stick with Beaver Creek. If you are feeding on or near the creek, pushing manure in or towards the creek, or having sewage running into the creek, you are polluting the waters of North Dakota and we need to address these problem areas.
How can we help? There are some very nice and expensive systems being put in place, but in most cases all a producer would need to do is simply move a feeding/calving area over a hill, add a fence, plant trees, and possibly build a barn at a fairly low cost. Or you may try feeding on your cropland during the winter months or delaying calving. But something needs to change soon. With a cost-share rate of 60%, it gets to looking a lot more attractive. We can be stuck in our old ways and play hardball, but I don’t think that in the end the EPA cares about how we have always have done it. With the deadline coming up in 2007, producers should start thinking about the consequences of not being permitted. Come in and visit with me about your current system. We may be able to come up with a cheap fix.
Also the new rules are out on ag waste systems. To comment you may visit the EPA or ND Health Department website. |
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Logan County |
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Beaver Creek Watershed |