Released: February 06, 2003

EPA Regulations on Agenda for Cattle Feeder Days Feb. 25

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – University and government officials from three states will be discussing new environmental rules and future directions for cattle and dairy producers during the Cattle Feeder Days Feb. 25 in Garden City.

Interested persons are encouraged to pre-register by Feb. 18, said Ron Hale, the southwest area livestock specialist for Kansas State University Research and Extension. The cost is $10 by Feb. 18 or $15 afterwards. Registration includes a dinner after the 1-6:30 p.m. program. All sessions will be at the Finney County fairgrounds.

In late 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency passed environmental regulations that outlined – among other issues – new waste management requirements for handling manure.

Those regulations potentially could change cattle feeders’ waste management practices, said Joel DeRouchey, who is K-State Research and Extension’s livestock specialist in northeast Kansas.

"In the past, regulations on waste in concentrated animal-feeding operations (CAFOs) did not address phosphorus. But now they will address phosphorus and not just nitrogen," he said, adding that knowing the rules and regulations will help producers "stay in compliance."

Hale said the rest of the program is "forward-looking. We’ll be looking at what issues probably are going to be coming down the line."

Sessions planned are:

* Environmental Issues Feeding Cattle, presented by Pat Murphy, a biological and agricultural engineer at Kansas State University;

* Overview of the Kansas Livestock Waste Management Program, John Harsch, Kansas Department of Health and Environment;

* Composting as a Waste Management and Rendering Alternative, DeRouchey;

* Environmental Science and Manure Utilization Research, Tom Willson, an environmental specialist at K-State;

* The Impact of Diet on Nutrient Management, Galen Erickson, a beef feedlot Extension specialist at the University of Nebraska;

* Recent Developments in Feedyard Air Quality, by Brent Auvermann, an agricultural engineer at Texas A&M University.

For more information or to pre-register, interested persons may call the southwest area Extension office in Garden City at 620-275-9164 or send email to Hale (rhale@oznet.ksu.edu). They also can contact Dean Whitehill at the Finney County Extension office (620-272-3670, or dwhitehi@oznet.ksu.edu).

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News