By Rick Koelsch, UNL Department of Biological Systems Engineering & Animal Science
This easy-to-use record keeping calendar for livestock operations that keeps track of manure related records is available to all livestock producers. The calendar was designed to be used by all sizes of livestock operations and includes all records required for operations permitted for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). It has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) and recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a valuable resource for livestock producers. Derek Schreiter, NDEQ inspector, says, “…it’s a simple and organized way to keep monthly records in one place.”
The calendar is available for free by contacting Leslie Johnson (leslie.johnson@unl.edu) or NDEQ. If you have a 2016 calendar, you may also mail in the postcard found at the end of the calendar to get your free copy of the 2017 calendar. Calendars are good through January 2018. On-line orders can also be made at http://go.unl.edu/nm . To view an electronic sample of the calendar, go to http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec136.pdf .
One example of the kinds of records the calendar will help you maintain is found here: http://go.unl.edu/3cg2 . Records of rainfall, storage depth gauge levels, and storage and equipment inspections are an important aspect of required manure and runoff storage records for a NDEQ permit. These and other records will help you gain value from manure nutrients and document your stewardship of the environment.
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