South
Florida
Beef -
Forage
Program
"Article of the Month"
March 2001
Florida Cattlemen's Association Water Quality BMP Practices
for Cow/Calf Operations: A job well done, a manual worth studying
Pat Miller
Okeechobee County Extension Agent
In 1997, the Florida Cattlemen's Association began a process to develop
a manual of Water Quality Best Management Practices for Florida Cow/Calf
Operations. This effort was a proactive exercise to address tougher water
quality standards on the horizon for agriculture. The recent passage of
the Lake Okeechobee Protection Program by the legislature this past year
has indeed demonstrated the need for producers and residents of the Lake
Okeechobee Basin to become active participants in the effort to reduce the
amount of phosphorus flowing into Lake Okeechobee.
New water standards, known as TMDLs (Total Maximum Daily Load), have not
been set for individual land owners. The in-lake concentration target
has been set at 40 ppb. The intent of the regulators is to address the
problem of over concentration of P in runoff water on a basin or sub basin
level. A target will be set for these smaller basins. If the basin is
achieving compliance, then those land owners in that basin will be assumed
to be in compliance with the standard. On the other hand, if the basin as
a whole is not achieving compliance, further investigation will be undertaken
to determine the source of the problem.
The BMP effort is, at this time, a purely voluntary effort. Landowners
should begin now to plan and implement BMPs on their property. As this effort
progresses, a well thought out, implemented and documented plan may be an invaluable
asset in discussions with regulators.
The Cattlemen's BMP manual was written for the members of the Florida
Cattlemen's Association. Copies are available free of charge to the membership.
The manual is a comprehensive look at developing a nutrient management plan.
Included are Water and Ground water risk assessment documents. These
worksheets are there to help you assess the potential for water quality
problems on your property. You can identify sources of potential problems
and prioritize areas where you may need to take action.
Once having completed the risk assessments, you are ready to move
through the remainder of the manual to identify BMPs that have the potential
to abate your particular problem situation. A listing and discussion of various
BMPs covers much of manual. Also covered are native ranch grazing, DEP
construction practices, associated land use concerns, and BMPs for pesticides,
fertilizers, fuels and other potential pollutants.
Probably, the most important aspect of water quality BMP selection and
implementation on your land is documentation of your efforts. Many of
these BMPs you may well have been doing for many years. It is imperative
however that you begin to document these efforts.
This documentation can take many forms but needs to record on paper your
efforts to improve water quality. This may include items such as a dated
notation you mended the fence keeping cattle out of a stream, or you
discussed your ranch water quality practices with your employees, or you
moved the mineral feeders on a given date, etc.
In short, keep a notebook in your truck and jot down this type of activity.
Record the implementation of new BMPs and the maintenance of them. Many
more suggestions are available in the manual.
The manual is available on-line through the Florida Cattlemen's Association web
site at:
http://www.floridacattlemen.org. Click the magazine link, then go to bulletins.
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