There’s no such thing as a ‘bad time’ for a remedial.

Nutrient management issues have become a little more complicated than 20 or 30 years ago, which only reflects the changes across most aspects of the agri-food sector during the same time frame. Livestock producers, cash croppers, equipment manufacturers, extension and soil scientists have all adapted to the evolving picture of managing nutrients including its use, value and available technology.

It’s a divergent picture of the industry and the nutrients produced, given the numbers as they are today. Statistically, there are fewer beef cattle, dairy cows and hogs now than in 2004 and far more chickens and turkeys (see Table 1). Yet it’s manure from cattle, dairy and hogs that garners more complaints and headlines, usually pertaining to odours, although there are increasing concerns about short- and long-term environmental impacts. At the same time, there have been efforts to match nutrient applications with crop needs at various points of the growing season, with research initiatives on improving soil health through the use of livestock nutrients.

Table 1 – Livestock and Poultry Statistics – 1995 to 2024/2023

Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA)
* Most recent statistics available

What the industry has seen in the past five years is encouraging yet daunting. New concepts in managing nutrients using precision ag technologies and higher demands -and monetary value -for natural versus synthetic fertilizers is creating greater interest and awareness.

A long way to go
What slows the pace of progress is a perception that the use of animal nutrients causes more harm than good along with negative reports of manure spills and mishandling. Perceptions can be hard to overcome but documentation of poor handling and infractions against provincial regulations are more difficult to counter.

Early in 2024, a custom applicator in Ontario was fined for violations to the Nutrient Management Act and the Environmental Protection Act for causing a manure spill, not having the right license for handing manure and for failing to notify the ministry of the spill. In late 2022, two violations of the Nutrient Management Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act resulted in fines of nearly $39,000 for discharge of manure into a watercourse and applying manure during the restricted period (December 1 to March 31), then failing to incorporate the material.

Does this mean the frequency of violations has increased in the past few years?

“There are a lot of possibilities for farmers to do their due diligence.”

Not necessarily, says Tristan Coelho, lead consultant with Elite Agri Solutions in Glencoe, Ontario, who notes differences between fines, violations and inspections, which can cloud the picture on nutrient usage. Some of Elite’s clients have been inspected with one ordered to update one of their nutrient management plans (because of changes to the size or type of livestock operation). Another issue is the size of the livestock (and poultry) sector in Ontario compared to the number of inspectors and their offices across the province. In all, the province is divided into five regions -Southwestern, West Central, Central, Eastern and Northern. Each has a regional and district office, with seven area offices (see Map 1). But that’s a sparse concentration given the size of Ontario.

“(Inspectors) can only audit so many farms,” says Coelho. “There are a lot of possibilities for farmers to do their due diligence, given how many thousands of livestock farms there are. But people call in to complain that someone’s spreading manure yet they don’t know what they’re spreading and whether they’re doing something wrong.”

Whether an infraction warrants a fine or there’s an opportunity for restitution can also play a role in actual outcomes. Coelho notes the standard practice with inspectors is that if an offense is determined, the farmer has an opportunity to fix the issue, usually within 30 days.

Christine Brown, nutrient management specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), questions whether there’s been an actual uptick in nutrient management violations, recently. Ten or 20 years ago, there was a higher degree of scrutiny for new or expanding hog farms to potential water issues, but in reality, it was more related to odour issues. There’s more public scrutiny because a smaller percentage of the population are farmers and a smaller percentage of the population has experience or understanding of farming. As a result, solutions are often implemented with blinders that don’t consider the bigger picture.

Although a material like corn silage leachate runoff can cause fish-kills, she’s unaware of any severe cases, with on-line data suggesting there are few violations for manure mishandling. Overall, she believes the majority of livestock producers with manure applications do their best to utilize it as a resource.

“This year, there could have been some manure spills reported where manure was applied in proper conditions -like after wheat harvest -but was followed by a severe thunderstorm,” says Brown. “If a farmer applied manure and is doing everything right but application is followed within days by two or three inches of rain in a short time frame, I’m not sure there’s anything that would prevent some contamination.”

Fines, she adds, are related to the amount of impact they have on the environment and humans. Potential fines are often reduced when the spills are self-reported or if the farm is actively involved in the clean-up. They could be greater for repeat offenders.

Room for improvement
Technology -in application equipment and recordkeeping software -has played a significant role in improving the record of nutrient management in the past few years. Advances in nutrient application technology have helped with accuracy and accountability, making it easier for farmers -usually with larger operations to afford precision application equipment -to ensure they’re doing a better job.

“Some are shifting to more manure injection and having a flow meter with their soil maps, to know where to adjust their rates,” says Coelho. “Some don’t use the technology they have to its potential.”

He notes it’s not that there have been sweeping changes to the Nutrient Management Act or the Water Resources Act to create a harsher regulatory environment. Instead, Coelho notes the province has updated the AgriSuite software to provide better accuracy.

“As the average size of a dairy cow gets bigger -just from genetics -they’ve tweaked things to better-reflect agricultural advances,” he says.

Another consideration that might be helping nutrient management’s growth and acceptance is the trend in placing a value on manures and other biomaterials. Thirty years ago, manure was viewed as a waste product with producers and buyers content to find a place for its application, without necessarily affixing a price, either as a seller or a buyer. Today, Coelho and Brown agree more people are placing a value on it, even if there are still those who are of a mind-set that they’re helping a producer by taking it for free.

“There are a lot of people who are paying for manures,” adds Coelho. “When fertilizer prices went up, so did the price for manures. Organic acres need a natural source -they can’t use commercial fertilizers so they need manure. It’s not enough to go without.”

Links:

https://webresources.oxfordcounty.ca/documents/FACTSHEET-Agricultural-20190904.pdf

https://www.ontario.ca/page/winter-application-manure-and-other-agricultural-source-materials  (page 3)