Chicken Industry Programs to Prevent
Water Pollution
Bill Satterfield
Executive Director
Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.
June 5, 2013
How the Chicken Industry Operates
• Five Delmarva chicken companies
• 1,600 farm families growing chickens
• Companies provide chicks, feed, bird health
programs, bedding material, propane gas, and
company oversight
• Growers provide land, houses, electricity,
water, and day to day management
A Typical Chicken Farm
Chicken House Interior
How Much Manure is Produced?
How Much Manure is Produced?
• University of Delaware/Delaware Department
of Agriculture Data show:
• Chicken manure production in Sussex County
is only 20% of EPA estimates
• Manure nitrogen concentration is only 40% of
EPA estimates
• Manure phosphorus concentration is only 60%
of EPA estimates
Delmarva’s Chicken Industry
Pollution Contributions
• Delmarva chicken producing counties = 7.7%
of Chesapeake Bay Watershed
• Delmarva chicken manure is responsible for
just 6% of all Chesapeake Bay nitrogen from all
Maryland sources
Cost Share to Assist Growers
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USDA/NRCS
State of Delaware Conservation Districts
Maryland Agricultural Cost Share Program
Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Locally Produced Organic Fertilizer
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Add micronutrients to aid in plant growth
Is a slow release fertilizer
Has a value of about $100/ton as a fertilizer
Selling for about $25 per ton
Not a waste product
In short supply in parts of Delmarva
So, what have we been doing?
Phytase
• Less phosphorus in = less phosphorus out
• Phytase use = 30% reduction in excreta P
Nipple Drinkers
Organic Fertilizer Storage Building
Manure Storage Building
Heavy Use Area Pad
Heavy Use Area Pad
Litter Recycling
Windrowing
• Year prior to windrowing = 350 tons of
manure removed
• First year of windrowing = 166 tons
• Second year of windrowing = 155 tons
Ammonia Control Products
Carcass Composter
On-Farm Carcass Freezers
Vegetative Environmental Buffer
Vegetative Environmental Buffer
Vegetative Environmental Buffer
Miscanthus
Manure Incorporation
Chicken Manure Injector
Manure Subsurfer
Removal of Old Chicken Houses
Removal of Old Chicken Houses
Soil Remediation
Organic Fertilizer Transport
Manure Transport
• Maryland
– Chicken companies match state dollars for their
growers‘ costs
– 85% moved out of Lower Shore Counties
– 77% went to alternative uses
Manure Transport
• Delaware
– 31% went farm to farm within Delaware
– 38% went to non-Delaware farms
– 31% went into alternative uses
– In FY 2012, 87,000 tons of manure transported in
Delaware
Perdue AgriRecycle
Perdue ArgiRecycle Dedication
Perdue AgriRecycle
Bird Improvements
Other Alternative Uses
• Burning to produce electricity
• Anaerobic digestion to produce electricity or
gas
• Farm Pilot Project Coordination, Inc.
So, how are we doing in Maryland?
Maryland WIP Goals
July 2011 – December 2012 Implementation vs. Milestone
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Manure transport
Manure buildings
Litter incorporation
Litter Treatment
Heavy use area pads
37,729 tons vs. 37,000 goal
22 installed vs. 7 goal
85,000 acres vs. 24,000 goal
44 farms vs. 65 goal
186 farms vs. 19 goal
A Bad Farm
A Beautiful Farm