Ag Waste Proposal Narrowed to Address Manure Only

A proposed rule by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture governing setbacks on agricultural waste—such as manure, whey, compost, mint tailings, and cull onions and potatoes—has been narrowed in scope to apply only to livestock manure.

That focus is the result of meetings held earlier this month aimed at addressing complaints to the state ag department, the majority of which involved manure, said Marv Patten, chief of the agency's Dairy Bureau.

The final proposed rule also waters down original oversight, which would have required Department of Agriculture approval of location, design and operation of the storage site and notification of planned storage. The newest proposal also lessens the initially propose setback from a dwelling from 500 feet to 300 feet and drops a proposed 500-foot setback from a property line, but adds a 50-foot setback from a public highway.

The new rule would apply to manure storage on property that is not a feedlot or dairy. While setbacks exist for animal-feeding operations, no such rule exists for manure at other locations.

Concerns over the lack of current regulation of third-party receivers, such as those who accept manure from animal-feeding operations, have grown over time, said John Bilderback, the ag department's section manager of dairy and confined animal-feeding operations programs.

"This (rule) is mostly for setback distances from water and reducing complaints and protecting the environment," he said.

"It's nice to know that they (the state ag department) are still including water-quality setbacks, as that would be the most important environmental benefit for the rule," said Sara Cohn, community conservation associate for the Idaho Conservation League.