Reasons for increased scrutiny of animal agriculture

1. Reasons for increased scrutiny of animal agriculture • Increasing population that is more aware • Increasing per capita consumption • Processed foods • Meat • Larger facilities

2. Consequences • More potential for environmental problems • More waste in one place • More opportunity for utilization and management • Economies of scale • Scale of operation

3. Environmental concerns • Non-point source pollutants • Definition • Categories • Sediment* • Nutrients* • Pesticides • Salts • Metals • Bacteria* • Sulfates Yellow denotes that agriculture is a source * Denotes that animal ag is a source

4. Nutrients • N • P • Organic Matter

5. N and water quality • Groundwater concern

7. Ammonia Ammonia (Denitrification) fertilizer Assimilation Ammonification

8. N and water quality • Methemoglobinemia – “Blue baby syndrome”

9. P and water quality • Surface water concern • Eutrophication of surface water • Natural aging process; nutrient enrichment; high plant and algae growth; organic matter accumulation

10. Eutrophication • Definition – high productivity • Symptoms • Frequent algal blooms; reduced variety of algae; blue-green predominant species; shift in fish populations (pelagic rather than benthic), anoxia or near anoxia • Limiting nutrients – N but usually P • 0.3 – 3.0 mg/L total P

11. Eutrophication • Sources • Rainfall (N and P) • Runoff (N and P) • Sewage and decomposition (N and P) • Atmospheric fixation (N) • Waterfowl (N and P) • Groundwater (N)

12. Eutrophication • Consequences • Algae decomposition products – affect taste, odor, color • Weeds – clogging treatment filters • Increased color and turbidity • Anoxia – release of H2S, redox sensitive minerals • Aesthetics

13. Organic matter concerns • Primarily, surface water • Fishkills • DNR statistics • Hypoxia • stats • Pfisteria • Human effects

14. 157 water sources in Iowa were classified as impaired

15. Issues associated with grazing • Sedimentation and turbidity • Overgrazing of riparian vegetation • Stream channelization • Overgrazing of riparian vegetation • Nutrient impairment and algae growth • Pasture runoff • Bacterial contamination • Pasture runoff

16. Annual Sediment, P, and N loading of Rock Creek Lakefrom tributaries with different proportions of pastureland (Downing et al., 2000)

17. Air Quality Regulations and Activity • 1997 Clean Air Act Amendments • National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) • Primary pollutant standards • Secondary pollutant standards

18. NAAQS6 criteria pollutants • CO • Pb • SO2 • O3 • Particulate matter • PM10 • also PM2.5 • NO2

19. Particulate Matter • Primary pollutant • respiratory health • livestock sources include feed dust, secondary formation (fugitive) • Secondary pollutant • visibility (haze) • livestock sources include feedlot dust, road and tillage dust (fugitive)

22. Fugitive dust • EPA estimates that 50% of PM2.5 emissions arise from fugitive dust sources

23. Ammonium Nitrate or Ammonium sulfate Ammonia + nitric acid or sulfuric acid From fields, feedlots, manure storage, housing

24. Sources of ammonia

25. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (1997) • Ozone • new standard- 0.8 ppm avg over 8 hr vs. 0.12 ppm avg over 1 hr • results primarily from nitrogen oxides and VOCs • regulation of fuels and motor vehicles will have some impact on agriculture • reducing concentrations should result in improved yield

26. Other air quality areas • Secondary pollutants • Odor • Greenhouse gases (CH4, CO2, N2O) • Equivalency of different gases

28. Greenhouse Gases

29. Iowa Greenhouse Gas Action Plan • Control emissions from animal agriculture • Balance the production of GHG with carbon sequestration capacity

30. Iowa Greenhouse Gas Action Plan • 1 hog generates the same GHG equivalents as 2.5 humans • Must cover all CAFO manure storages • Need to curtail N2O emissions from CAFOs • New approaches to reducing methane

31. Odor • 200+ compounds • Interaction of compounds • Health effects???

32. Nuisance pollutants • Noise • Flies

33. Safety • Depletion of oxygen • Poisonous gases • Explosions

34. Other issues • Disease transmission • Insects and rodents • Visual aesthetics

35. Air Quality Concerns • From the neighbor’s perspective, shift more towards human health concerns rather than nuisance

36. Iowa Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Air Quality Study • Released February 8, 2002 • Responded to 5 questions from the IDNR regarding human health impacts from AFOs • Recommended exposure levels for emissions of concern

37. RecommendationsH2S • H2S - not exceed 70 parts per billion (ppb) for a 1-hour time-weighted average (TWA) period, measured at the CAFO property line. • The concentration at a residence or public use area shall not exceed 15 ppb. • Each CAFO should be provided up to seven days each calendar year when they are allowed to exceed the concentration for hydrogen sulfide

38. RecommendationsNH3 • NH3 - not to exceed 500 ppb for a 1-hour TWA period, measured at the CAFO property line • The concentration at a residence or public use area shall not exceed 150 ppb • Each CAFO should have up to seven days each calendar year when they are allowed to exceed the concentration for ammonia.

39. RecommendationsOdor • No consensus reached on odor. Therefore two opinions provided. • 7:1 dilutions at the residence; 15:1 at the property line • No data to support recommendations of odor concentration in relation to human health

40. Iowa SF2293 • Rules completed by the end of August 2002 • Anticipated regulations for NH3 and H2S will be developed • Unique – health-based therefore, measures will be at the residence • IDNR to conduct an 18-month monitoring study (regulation)

41. Current status of SF2293 • Maximum 1-hr average H2S concentration not to exceed 15 ppb at the separated distance • Maximum 1-hr average NH3 concentration not to exceed 150 ppb at the separated distance • No odor standard

42. Odor Regulations • Missouri • Requires development of odor control plans • 5.4:1 odor threshold limit at the property line • Enforcement is currently on hold • Minnesota • H2S, as an odor indicator • 30 ppb, 30-min average, twice in five d • 50 ppb, 30-min average, twice annually • Currently considering a health-based, residence standard

43. Odor Regulations • Colorado • 15:1 dilution threshold standard for non-swine uses • Housed commercial swine feeding operations • 7:1 at the property line • 2:1 at the residence

44. Additional Activity • California • In response to non-attainment of PM10 and ozone standards • VOC and PM10 emission reductions of 30% and 47%, respectively, by 2006 • 50% NH3 emission reduction from dairy by 2006 • Idaho • Very early stages of implementing VOC standards for CAFOs that are health-based

45. Emerging Environmental Issues • Bioaerosols • Endotoxin • Pathogens • Antibiotic resistance • Endocrine disruptors • Mortality management • http://www.state.ia.us/government/dnr/organiza/epd/wastewtr/feedlot/faq.htm

46. Emerging issues are not nutrient issues • May require a non-traditional solutions • Will need non-traditional expertise to address

47. Antibiotic resistance • Zahn et al., 2001 (JAS 79(Suppl 1):783) • Aerial transfer of tylosin and TRB from swine finishers • 3 mechanically-ventilated facilities • 20 g*ton-1 • 8.1 ± 5.3 ng*L-1 tylosin exhausted • TRB represented 80% of culturable bacteria • Under year-round average ventilation rates, exhausted tylosin concentration represents 30% of tylosin fed • Better methods of administration of sub-therapeutic concentrations????

48. Estrogens in the Environment • 17B-estradiol and xenoestrogens are the most offending • Finlay-Moore et al., 2000. JEQ 29(5):1604 • No grazing effects on estradiol or testosterone concentration in runoff • Amendment with broiler litter increased runoff concentrations of estradiol and testosterone 15-fold • Reproductive management solutions????