Livestock Stewardship BMP Training and Demonstration Project - BMP Implementation Plan –
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Grant Number: Livestock C9994681-10 Application Number: Stewardship BMP 10-09 Training and MOA Number: 128-110000957 Demonstration Project Period: Project November 1, 2010 – December 31, 2014 Submitted By: University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and the Environment Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering 116 C.E. Barnhart Building Lexington, KY 40546-0276 (859) 218-4326 The Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) and the University of Kentucky do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability. The EEC and the University of Kentucky will provide, on request, reasonable accommodations including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in all services, programs and activities. To request materials in an alternative format, contact the Kentucky Division of Water, 14 Reilly Road, Frankfort, KY 40601 or call (502) 564-3410, or contact the University of Kentucky. Funding for this project was provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) through the Kentucky Division of Water, Nonpoint Source Section, to the University of Kentucky as authorized by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987, §319(h) Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant # C9994681-10. Mention of trade names or commercial products, if any, does not constitute endorsement. This document was printed on recycled paper. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . Caldwell County Conservation District . Kentucky Division of Conservation . Kentucky Division of Water, Nonpoint Source Section . Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service . Kentucky State Veterinarian Office . University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and the Environment . University of Kentucky Research and Education Center TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 8 II. MATERIALS AND METHODS 10 III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 18 IV. CONCLUSIONS 31 V. LITERATURE CITED 33 APPENDIX A: FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CLOSOUT 34 APPENDIX B: BMP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 38 APPENDIX C: FLYERS 42 APPENDIX D: EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS 45 APPENDIX E: NEWS ARTICLES 48 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. IMPLEMENTED BMPS AT THE UKREC AND CORRESPONDING ESTIMATED LOAD REDUCTIONS, EFFECTIVENESS, AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION 20 TABLE 2. NUMBER OF MASTER STOCKER AND MASTER CATTLEMEN PRESENTATIONS GIVEN OVER THE PROJECT PERIOD. 23 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. THE PROJECT AREA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER IN PRINCETON. 11 FIGURE 2. 14-DIGIT HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODE BASINS AND 303(D) LISTED STREAM SEGMENTS FOR THE PROJECT AREA. 12 FIGURE 3. LAND USE CLASSIFICATIONS FOR THE UKREC AND SURROUNDING AREA. 13 FIGURE 4. BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IMPLEMENTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER 19 FIGURE 5. BEFORE (LEFT) AND AFTER (RIGHT) INSTALLING HEAVY USE AREA PROTECTION AT THE UKREC. 21 FIGURE 6. STREAM CROSSING INSTALLED AT THE UKREC. 21 FIGURE 7. LIVESTOCK WERE EXCLUDED FROM A RIPARIAN AREA AT THE UKREC. 21 FIGURE 8. WATERING FACILITY INSTALLED AT THE UKREC. 22 FIGURE 9. WINDBREAK/CATTLE MOUND INSTALLED AT THE UKREC. 22 FIGURE 10. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS WERE PRESENTED DURING THE 2011 ALL-COMMODITY FIELD DAY, 24 FIGURE 11. THE WINTER FEEDING STRUCTURE BMP WAS DEMONSTRATED DURING THE 2012 BEEF BASH AT THE UKREC. 24 FIGURE 12. MORTALITY COMPOSTING WAS DEMONSTRATED DURING THE 2012 BEEF BASH AT THE UKREC. 25 FIGURE 13. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS WERE DEMONSTRATED DURING THE 2012 BEEF BASH AT THE UKREC. 25 FIGURE 14. A POSTER DISPLAY HIGHLIGHTED ALL THE BMPS IMPLEMENTED AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT DURING THE 2012 BEEF BASH AT THE UKREC. 26 FIGURE 15. MASTER STOCKER (2012) PARTICIPANTS’ LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: THE SPEAKER WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS RELATED TO AGRICULTURE. 26 FIGURE 16. MASTER STOCKER (2012) PARTICIPANTS’ LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: I GAINED VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS RELATED TO AGRICULTURE FROM THIS SESSION. 27 FIGURE 17. MASTER STOCKER (2012) PARTICIPANTS’ LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS SESSION WAS USEFUL TO MY OPERATION. 27 FIGURE 18. MASTER STOCKER (2012) PARTICIPANTS’ LEVEL OF AGREEMENT WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: I PLAN TO PUT THIS NEW INFORMATION INTO PRACTICE ON MY FARM. 28 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The goal of this project was to promote and facilitate Best Management Practice (BMP) adoption by livestock producers. A BMP Implementation Plan was used to implement 20 unique BMPs at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center (UKREC) in Princeton, Kentucky, giving western Kentucky a comparable demonstration area to the University of Kentucky North Farm in central Kentucky. These BMPs are designed to improve the profitability, functionality, and sustainability of Kentucky’s livestock producers. Installing these practices on the UKREC allows them to serve as demonstration sites for producer field days and tours for years to come. The Beef Bash is a popular, biennial field day held at the UKREC; during the period of this grant, nine (total) workshops (BMP demonstrations) were given at this event, reaching as many as 1,000 livestock producers. At the 2012 Beef Bash, six, one-hour workshops were given at two different locations that consisted of a presentation, poster displays, and handouts. For the 2014 Beef Bash, enough BMPs had been implemented on the farm to warrant a rolling bus tour to showcase the practices on the farm. Three, one-hour bus tours were conducted. In December 2014, the UKREC was used as a training opportunity for Division of Water Inspectors, exemplifying the versatility of this type of project to inform stakeholders on proper agricultural BMP implementation. In addition to the aforementioned formal tours, informal tours were also conducted for stakeholders interested in implementing practices. They used the implemented BMPs for ideas and designs for their individual farming operations. In addition to demonstrations and workshops, other education and outreach efforts consisted of fact sheets (University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension publications) and presentations for producer groups. Six fact sheets were produced to feature the BMPs implemented at the UKREC and aid producers in BMP implementation. These publications were available to producers at all field days and presentations. Eighteen presentations were given to Master Cattlemen and Master Stocker program participants on agriculture’s impact on water quality and BMPs, with an emphasis on nutrient management. These participants were given a post-presentation survey to gauge the producers’ willingness to adapt their management based on the information they heard and to gauge presentation success. Survey results revealed that the vast majority of participants felt the presenter was knowledgeable (99.5%) and that the information was valuable (97%) and useful (92%). More importantly, 87.3% claimed that they planned to put the information into practice. The Project Team believes that the amount of work accomplished with this project coupled with the survey results makes it very successful, but the more intangible and unmeasurable products of this project also indicate success. One-on-one conversations with producers revealed a positive shift in attitudes toward BMPs and water quality concerns, with the caveat that the producers attending these trainings were slightly more progressive and thus cooperative. Based on survey results and personal conversations, these producers want more education and outreach programs; in particular, face-to-face meetings and on-farm demonstrations are preferred. This would require the help of Extension agents, Conservation District technicians, and possibly the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Project Team believes that a strong need remains for technical training of Conservation District personnel and Extension agents so that a uniform message is disseminated. Future project efforts should also focus on ways to target producers who do not regularly attend Extension programs. I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The Environmental Protection Agency states that agriculture has a greater impact on stream and river contamination than any other nonpoint source (USEPA, 2009). In Kentucky, it is estimated that 25 percent of the impaired stream miles assessed are caused by pollution from livestock operations (USEPA, 2010). The Kentucky General Assembly passed the Kentucky Agriculture Water Quality Act (KAWQA) in 1994 with the aim of protecting surface and ground water resources from pollution caused by agricultural and silvicultural activities. The KAWQA encourages producers to implement site-specific Best Management Practices (BMPs) and develop a management plan for their farm to minimize nonpoint source pollution. Choosing the appropriate BMPs and developing an effective management plan requires an understanding of the connection between agricultural activities and nonpoint source pollution. A recent (2012) statewide survey distributed to horse owners determined that many producers may not be equipped with the analytical skills or educational materials to draw the necessary connections between poor management practices, water quality, decreased fertility, livestock health, and environmental hazards (UK, 2012). Even after 20 years of the KAWQA, many obstacles still remain that prevent producers from fully implementing BMPs. Categories of constraints to adoption behavior cited by previous