Auburn, Nov. 16--Many animal waste vendors are furious over a new rule banning the spreading of animal manure on Alabama pasture and cropland from now through mid-February in north Alabama, but many experts say this ban is an essential step toward safeguarding the state’s surface and groundwater.

The ban, announced more than two years ago by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and based on best management practices developed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), was imposed in April. It prohibits the spread of manure on pastureland and cropland in North Alabama throughout most of the fall and winter, from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15.

Some of the region’s certified animal waste vendors, who make a living cleaning out poultry houses and spreading the manure as fertilizer on pasture and cropland, believe the ban will force many of them out of business.

While conceding the ban places a hardship on many vendors, Dr. Charles Mitchell, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System agronomist, says it is necessary in order to reduce the rising levels of nutrients from animal manure that are leaching into groundwater or washing into surface water.

"Many growers find it convenient to clean out their poultry houses this time of year," Mitchell says. "Unfortunately, from the standpoint of water quality, this really is the worst time of year if the litter is then applied to pastures or cropland."

That’s because from November to February, most cool-season crops, such as fescue, ryegrass and small grains, grow very slowly or none at all in north Alabama in spite of ample precipitation that usually occurs this time of year.

"You get high levels of precipitation and very low levels of evaporation and what happens? The nutrients from this manure leach into groundwater or wash off into the Tennessee, Warrior or Coosa rivers."

As a result, Mitchell says, growers end up losing money because the crops are bypassed by the nutrients and left unfertilized. Equally as bad or worse, they may be contributing to surface and groundwater contamination.

Under best-management guidelines established by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, vendors are advised to apply nutrients only to actively growing crops or within 30 days of planting.

The ban poses a special challenge to poultry breeder operations, which produce eggs for broilers and operate 365 days a year.

Unlike broiler producers, who typically can wait a few months to clean out, breeder producers have to clean up after every production cycle. Breeder litter also tends to be much wetter than broiler litter – a factor that makes disposal even more difficult during the winter.

Fortunately, for breeder operators and vendors alike, experts are working on several solutions for temporarily storing the waste until it can be applied in spring and summer.

Alternatives include shallow trenches enclosed by dikes where the litter can be stored without being leached or washed out during heavy rainfall. Other options include special sheds and bins where the litter can be stored or composted until spring.

The Tennessee Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) District, comprising eight North Alabama counties, has also developed several collecting sites and composing and dry stacking facilities for waste vendors who are not able to comply with the November 15 guideline imposed by ADEM.

"We’re telling producers that if it comes down to the wire and you’ve got a consignment of litter that you can’t apply, you can contact the Tennessee Valley RC&D to find alternative uses," Mitchell says. "Litter can be used as animal feed or hauled to south Alabama."

The district is subsidizing vendors to haul the litter to south Alabama.

Technically, only vendors in the eight counties comprising the district – Limestone, Madison, Jackson, DeKalb, Marshall, Morgan, Lawrence and Cullman – are eligible for these benefits. However, Mitchell says, it’s likely the district will be willing to work with other vendors pending availability of funds.

For more information, contact the RC&D poultry litter hotline at 1-866-548-8123.