Comments Requested – Updated CAFO/CFO Regulations

From your Indiana Farm Bureau:

Significant changes have been taking place in environmental regulations over the last few years.  Agriculture has been targeted for many of the changes.  Regulations on livestock and poultry operations, both the state confined feeding operations regulations and the NPDES permit requirements for CAFOs, have been a main focus of our efforts to ensure that the regulations are fair to our farmers while still being protective of the environment. Under these new regulations, only CAFOs that propose to discharge will be required to obtain an NPDES permit.  Most livestock and poultry operations will be able to seek regulatory approval under the state level CFO permit.

In other words, unless you are a CAFO that proposes to discharge, you can request your current CAFO permit will be allowed to revert to a CFO permit. However, the proposed draft regulation will re-define, to some degree, how you operate as a CFO. We have isolated the components that we feel are of primary concern to our producers and have offered some perspective on why this should concern you. Please review these areas of comment and offer your opinion.

Comment Summary is a two-page PDF available here:  CFO Draft Rule Producer Comments0910

It is important that all livestock and poultry operations consider the impact of the changes to the confined feeding rules.  How new operations are constructed and how all operations are managed and manure is applied will likely see big changes.  Our goal, and why your assistance in filing your own comments is requested, is to help ensure that you can continue to operate your farm in an economically feasible manner.  For those of you who don’t own livestock, you may wonder how these rule changes will affect you.  First, livestock farmers are the biggest customers of corn and soybean farmers.  Secondly, and maybe most importantly, is that these regulations put into place practices and standards that can be easily translated to all farming operations where nutrients are applied.

Whether you choose to submit comments is up to you.  But either way, please consider the impact that the changes will have on agricultural production.

While it probably does not need to be mentioned, it is better to be safe than sorry.  Any comments you file will be public documents.  In other words, don’t share any confidential information and be professional.  Please note your comments are due by Friday, Sept. 24th.


If you have any questions, please contact —

  • Greg Slipher, Livestock Development Specialist, Indiana Farm Bureau — 317-692-7886
  • Justin Schneider, Staff Attorney, Indiana Farm Bureau — (317) 692-7835

September 16, 2010 12:49 pm | Issues and Resources


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