NRCS Practice Standard: Short Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts (318)

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NRCS Practice Standard: Short Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts (318)

About the Company:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s primary private lands conservation agency. The NRCS helps producers protect and conserve natural resources on private lands through voluntary conservation programs. Through Practice Standards and technical guides, the NRCS provides information about the conservation, energy resources, and provides personalized advice to individual producers.

The NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to producers as they implement NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.

Technical guides used in each field office are localized so that they apply specifically to the geographic area for which they are prepared. Thus, while national guidelines have been provided as a framework for each standard, each state has adopted and modified the conservation practice standards to suit their individual landscape.

To find a local NRCS Service center click here.

To find the specific guideline for each state click here.

About the Solution:

Short Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts (318)

Temporary, nonstructural measures used to store solid or semisolid organic agricultural waste or manure (stackable livestock and poultry manure, bedding, litter, spilled feed, or soil mixed with manure) on a short-term basis between collection and utilization.

Practice Information

The purpose of short-term storage of animal waste and by-products is to temporarily stockpile or store animal waste such as organic by-products, stackable livestock and poultry manure, bedding, litter, spilled feed, or soil mixed with manure in an environmentally safe manner. Short-term storage provides improved nutrient utilization and conservation through greater flexibility in nutrient application timing and protects surface and groundwater resources as well as reduces energy use.

Site conditions, climate, and State or local laws may require short-term storage stockpiles to be covered. Covers may include plastic sheeting, geotextile, or geotextile bags.

Short-term storage planning should incorporate environmental concerns, economics, the overall waste management system plan, and safety and health factors.

The design of short-term storage depends on the intended storage period; the site location and foundation soils; Federal, State, and local laws and regulations; waste volume; stockpile covering; and safety concerns.

An operation and maintenance plan must be developed to specify requirements for utilizing the stored manure. The plan specifies timing, rates, and volume of waste applications. An emergency action plan will be developed where there is a potential for an accidental manure spill event.

Common Associated Practices

The Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) Short-Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts (Code 318) is commonly applied with other conservation practices such as:

  • Nutrient Management (Code 590)
  • Waste Recycling (Code 633)


  • To view the national NRCS standard Short-Term Storage of Animal Waste and Byproducts please click here.

    Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC United States 1-833-ONE-USDA Visit Company Website

    Solution Type

    • General Support and Other

    Vendor

    • Others

    Product

    • Other

    To view additional information about this vendor, click below.

    Solution Strengths, Weaknesses and Critical Indicators

    NOTE: There are multiple technologies that are used as part of integrated manure management systems and yet are not manure management types on their own. The impact of these technologies on their own would be minimal or very difficult to quantify.

    General Support & Other:

    • Can be an integral part of many manure management systems
    • Most projects have at least some equipment that supports operations of the main technology
    • This technology is not evaluated on its own, the NEAT Matrix for this technology is neutral unless utilized with other technologies.

    Newtrient Comments/Opinions:

    Newtrient is using the USDA-NRCS conservation practice standards as tools to assist dairy producers in understanding the standards and how they can be used to address resources concerns.

    To establish a Practice Standard a system or practice must be thoroughly vetted, approved, and standardized by the USDA at the federal and state level. These conservation practices have been developed to address various environmental resource concerns. Newtrient has developed a 9-point scoring process for ranking additives, practices, services, and technologies for the dairy industry. Recognizing the rigorous approval procedure used during the development of the NRCS Practice Standards, many of them score very highly and are worthy of consideration on any dairy where they apply.

    The information provided here is a summary of the selected conservation practices. For up to date and detailed information related to the full Practice Standards, please see the USDA NRCS website, linked above.

    Newtrient 9-Point Scoring Rating

    View the Scoring Page

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