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Nutrient Management Bill Clears Senate Committee

January 22, 2014 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

OFU’s Logan, Askins deliver family farmer group’s final testimony in Senate Ag

A several times amended Senate Bill 150, legislation that would require a nutrient application certification for many of Ohio’s farmers was unanimously approved by the Ohio Senate Agriculture Committee earlier today.

The bill was previously stalled over the issue of whether or not so-called “affirmative defense” language would remain in the bill benefiting farmers who are in substantial compliance with voluntary nutrient management plans on their farms as defined in the bill. An affirmative defense is a legal term which means that legally certain facts are established on their face by the existence of a nutrient management plan. In an amendment to the bill offered today, Sen. Bob Peterson, R-Sabina, proposed putting affirmative defense language back into the bill. That amendment passed along with two other technical corrections unanimously.

Prior to the vote to pass the bill out of committee, Ohio Farmers Union Executive Committee member Joe Logan told the committee that OFU appreciates the steps being taken to address agriculture’s role in water quality issues, especially in the western basin of Lake Erie.
The exclusion of manure from a bill dealing with fertilizer is an oversight that undermines the overall objectives of the new regulatory regime Logan told the committee.

“If a broad, regulatory approach is indeed necessary to achieve the goals of environmental protection, The Ohio Farmers Union firmly believes that it must include all sources of agricultural nutrient loads, including livestock feeding operations, where nutrients from livestock manure are aggregated to extreme. Unless livestock manure is included in the regulatory certification program, we believe that the program is unlikely to achieve the environmental goals,” Logan said.

“The net result of such an outcome would be a needless and ineffective expansion of governmental regulation.”

OFU member Vickie Askins provided written testimony on behalf of the Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance, an interest group that tracks livestock factory farms and their environmental impacts.

“In light of the reduced use of commercial fertilizer, I believe manure has become a major contributor of excess phosphorous given the vast amount of waste produced by Ohio’s CAFOs,” Askins wrote to the committee. She pointed out what’s become known as the “manure loophole,” allowed under Ohio Department of Agriculture rules for manure management.

“The ODA manure loophole allows people with no training to spread massive amounts of manure anywhere, anytime and at any rate- with no oversight,” Askins wrote.

Placing the affirmative defense language back into the bill did get bill sponsors Peterson and Ag Chairman Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, the support of the Ohio Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau today testified as supporting the bill. 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Bob Peterson, Cliff Hite, Joe Logan, Nutrient Management, S.B. 150, Vickie Askins

Comments

  1. Peggy Sheaks says

    January 3, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Dear Vicky and Larry,

    I just got your name and organization from a friend who is trying to help me prevent the farmer directly across the road from my home enlarging his unregulated chicken-egg operation from 64,447 layers to adding a second layer house for an additional 252,720 hens. The farmers are Ronald and Deborah Wilker, 10675 Tri-Township Rd., St.Marys, OH 45885. This is in Auglaize County. This friend is “politically” involved in environmental issues and cannot attach his name to my concerns. There is to be a public meeting this coming Tuesday, January 6, 2015 at the Saint Marys Township Building. “Open house” is at 6:30 p.m.and the meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. for public comment. 24 people sent letters to request a meeting. I have no idea how many will attend or how vocal they’ll be. My friend says we need your help and advice. I would appreciate hearing from you. Is there any way someone from your group could come and speak at this late notice? I only found out about this about 6 weeks ago. It has been very upsetting and difficult to organize with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays. We know we need as many people on board as possible IF we stand any chance at all. I was also given the name of Roger Wise (or Wyse)with a phone number from 2010. I tried to call him and was told it is a non-working #. I would certainly appreciate hearing from you .

    Sincerely,

    Peggy Sheaks

    P.S. This farm is directly across the road from 8 homes and within 3/4 of a mile from a large Otterbein retirement and nursing home facility, 3/4 of a mile from a lakeside housing development Southmoor Shores of over 100 homes, and a mile from Grand Lake St.Marys.

    Reply

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