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The EPA: A Positive Perspective

The EPA: A Positive Perspective
President Ronald Reagan once memorably joked that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Today, nearly 30 years later, this quotation still reverberates in the American psyche, expressing our private reservations about government competence and our fear of expanded federal control over more and more aspects of our lives. One federal agency in particular remains for farmers and ranchers perhaps the most suspicious of all—the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. Founded in 1970 at President Nixon’s instigation, the EPA’s stated mission is to “protect human health and the environment,” a goal that has at times clashed with economic interests. In recent months, the EPA has issued cease and desist orders to a few poultry facilities in our area, garnering negative press from New Orleans to Dallas and increasing fears amongst poultry growers concerned about meeting the agency’s tough environmental standards. Certainly, positive inspections by the EPA do occur, but they remain underreported, with the inspection of J W Farms serving as precisely such an example.
J W Farms lies alongside the Red River in the small village of Powhatan, just eight miles north of Natchitoches, Louisiana. The farm is owned and operated by James Wagley and his father, Sonny Wagley, who raise chickens for Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation. Their farm consists of six houses, each measuring 500’ x 50’ and raising 38,500 chickens a piece for a total of 231,000 chickens overall. Late last June, Juan Ibarra, an EPA agent from Dallas, visited J W Farms and inspected the property. Mr. Ibarra is an environmental scientist for EPA Region 6, which includes the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. A few weeks later, Mr. Ibarra issued a glowing report. In the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance Inspection Report, filed by Mr. Ibarra on July 12, he states that Mr. Wagley’s farm was “operated and maintained in excellent condition,” and that there were “no housekeeping or litter management issues” whatsoever. Indeed, Mr. Ibarra, who has been inspecting poultry houses for 20 years, stated unequivocally in a phone interview with Ag Trader USA that Mr. Wagley’s farm was by far “the best poultry operation he had ever visited.”
Mr. Ibarra evaluated J W Farms under guidelines established for the regulation of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. The EPA defines a CAFO as “an animal feeding operation (AFO) in which (a) animals have been, are, or will be stabled or confined and fed or maintained for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period, and (b) crops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility.” These AFOs must then meet certain size thresholds to be considered a CAFO. CAFOs come under such heavy regulation because of the animal waste and manure they generate, which poses risks to water and air quality in neighboring areas. Mr. Wagley’s poultry operation, however, easily cleared the EPA’s CAFO checklist, receiving a satisfactory grade in the correct handling of “solid and liquid wastes” to prevent “surface and groundwater pollution,” as well as in the use of composting as the proper disposal of dead animals. Mr. Wagley also received satisfactory marks for caking out all the litter from his poultry houses in between flocks, and then cleaning them out totally once every three to four years. According to Mr. Wagley and to the EPA’s report, none of this litter is applied to J W Farms, but is instead sold to a third party. For that reason, Mr. Wagley’s poultry operation did not require a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP), which is a set of conservation practices designed to help farmers effectively apply fertilizer to plants. Accompanying this report, Mr. Ibarra also produced a set of maps and photographs highlighting the surveyed property on J W Farms and illustrating how Mr. Wagley had met all the important requirements on the CAFO checklist.
Besides his report, Mr. Ibarra also had a few other positive words to say about Mr. Wagley and his operation. “James and his father take a very personal approach to managing their farm,” he said. “They just have an attitude of doing things well that brings them success.” For his own part, Mr. Wagley also felt that Mr. Ibarra and the EPA had disproven the typically negative stereotypes farmers associate with the agency. “The agent, Mr. Ibarra, was just the friendliest fellow you ever could meet,” said Mr. Wagley. “He was as professional as anyone would ever want to see.”
Mr. Ibarra had constructive advice for the many other poultry growers in north Louisiana as well. When asked about his general impression of farms in the region, Mr. Ibarra stated that most of the farmers he had visited during his inspections had been both cordial, as well as receptive, to correcting any problems the EPA might have found with their farms. Ag Trader USA also spoke with Mr. David Barry, EPA Public Information Officer, who stated that difficulties with farmers usually only arise when EPA guidelines and regulations have not been fully understood. “Certainly,” said Mr. Barry, “the farmers are just as interested in protecting their land as the EPA. The only problem is, they are often behind on the education curve when it comes to the agency’s regulations. That goes not only for poultry growers, but for other agriculture producers as well.”
According to both Mr. Ibarra and Mr. Barry, the most common problem for poultry growers in Region 6 concerns the mismanagement of litter. A few mistakes they noted: the storing of litter outside, the filling of litter barns to overcapacity, and the tracking out of litter residue when cleaning out houses, loading trucks, or when the integrator catches out the chickens. “To solve these problems,” said Mr. Ibarra, “farmers must maintain a sensitivity to how they handle their litter. They have to be conscious of how litter can get into their streams, even accidentally.” Therefore, he said, any poultry producers planning to use litter on their farms must have a Nutrient Management Plan and should follow the standards set by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “Good paperwork,” said Mr. Ibarra. “An organized NMP, and the proper disposal of dead birds. These are all important as well.”
When asked about waste materials expelled from poultry house exhaust fans, Mr. Ibarra stated that the EPA is currently in discussion with scientists at leading regional universities and land grant colleges to determine the most effective way of handling and disposing of these materials. “That’s something we’re still working on,” he said. “Expect to hear more soon.”
Another question farmers often have for the EPA concerns the release of information about farms in noncompliance. According to Mr. Barry, farm inspections that have issues are made public to news outlets, and these stories are often republished on the EPA website. Compliance orders and discussions of undecided issues, however, are not made public, at least not until after a final settlement or a correction of issues on the farm.
Finally, Mr. Ibarra and Mr. Barry both stressed the need for the EPA and poultry farmers to work together. “We all need to cooperate,” Mr. Ibarra said. “Farmers need to work with the LDAF (Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry), the NRCS, and with the poultry integrators. And we as an agency must cooperate with them as well.” Certainly, such cooperation has already begun, in part to alleviate the “education curve” problems highlighted by Mr. Barry. Recently, conferences have been arranged by both Farm Bureau’s Poultry Advisory Board, as well as by Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain, to discuss EPA guidelines with growers and to provide recommendations for better adherence to the agency’s regulations. Mr. Wagley certainly felt that these meetings had been useful. “The Commissioner’s meeting was perfect,” he said. “It was very informative and helpful. Everything they said was exactly what the agent looked for when he was inspecting my farm.”
Of course, tensions have always been high between poultry growers and the EPA. However, amidst traditional distrust and anxiety, it is sometimes easy to forget that both the EPA and America’s farmers and ranchers should desire essentially the same thing: a sustainable environment providing for a profitable agricultural sector to grow food for our nation. Here at Ag Trader USA, we hope that the many farmers and ranchers amongst our readers will see in Mr. Wagley’s stewardship, as well as in his relations with the EPA, an example to be emulated, recognizing that successful cooperation between agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency is not only attainable, but necessary for the success of farming life in the 21st century. Writer: John Cody Bennett Source: www.epa.gov