Why CNMPs?
Rich Koenig
Soil Specialist
Utah State University
Situation
 You
are out on the farm telling
a producer he/she needs to
develop a CNMP
 He/she asks:
“Why?”
How do you respond?
Response = message



“You have to do this to qualify for
government cost-share money”
“This is just another government program.
Develop the thing, put it on the shelf, and
you will be okay”
(if it’s done properly) “A management plan
(of which a CNMP is part) might help you
and your operation be more profitable, run
smoothly, be sustainable…”
Consider...
How you respond and the message
you send will determine the success
or failure of this program
 This may very well be the most
important step

• Convincing the producer of the need
and value of a CNMP
• Getting producer buy-in or ownership
Consider…
 The
success of this program
will not be measured in the
number of plans prepared but
in the impacts
• Implementation and
documentation
• Water quality impacts
Why CNMPs?
?
?
?
?
?
Why CNMPs
 Many
complex issues driving
livestock industry regulations
 The National Strategy does a
poor job of making the case for
CNMPs
Why CNMPs?
 Water
quality issues
 Social/political issues
 Government regulation issues
 Environmental stewardship
issues
 Economic issues
Water quality issues
Pfisteria
 Eutrophication
 Nitrates, phosphates,
pesticides, bacteria
 State 303d lists
 Public experience and perception
Direct proof of agriculture’s contribution
to water quality problems

California Dairy example

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
5 San Joaquin Valley Dairies, ~1000 AU and 125
acres each
44 shallow groundwater monitoring wells around
facilities
Nitrate-N levels frequently as high as 100 mg/L
Why?
• Sandy soils
• Residual soil nitrogen levels as high as 1000 lb
•
N/acre
No credit given for manure and wastewater N
Social/political issues






The world is becoming more crowded,
putting more pressure on limited
resources
What once was okay now may not be
Generally, greater environmental
awareness on the part of the public
Farmers comprise less than 5% of the
U.S. population
Third party lawsuits
Point source industries point to farmers
and say clean up your act, we did
Government regulation

Clean Water Act

State regulations

National AFO Strategy
• Can’t pollute water
• Can’t pollute water
• Voluntary program or
• “Last chance” for animal
agriculture to clean up its act
Environmental stewardship
 The
role and image of farmers as
environmental stewards
 Need for documentation or proof
of environmental stewardship
• If you don’t know…, …can’t
document…, …can’t prove…,
etc., why should I believe you are
an good environmental steward?
Economic issues
 Managing
agricultural wastes
(manure, etc.) is a net cost
• Cost of livestock waste
management is not accurately
reflected in the price of the
commodities
• Dairy example (B. Godfrey, USU):
–Cost $200 per cow per year
–Cost $1.10 per 100 lb milk
CORE 4 Data
Economic issues
 Managing
agricultural wastes as
a resource can reduce the cost,
but there is still a net cost
• Dairy example:
–N and P value = $56 per cow per year
–N and P value = $0.31 per 100 lb milk
Why CNMPs?