Cameron, Mo.-A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 24 landowners alleging that they were misled about the safety of tannery sludge that was used as fertilizer on their farm fields. The lawsuit also states that the property was devalued because the fertilizer contained the carcinogen chromium 6, also known as hexavalent chromium. In addition, landowners are seeking damages for possible cleanup costs. Use of the material from Prime Tanning, which is now owned by National Beef Leathers, is also under investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies, and is the object of other suits by residents claiming the fertilizer from the tannery is the cause of their brain tumors and other cancers. According to documents on file in Buchanan County Circuit Court, from at least l983 through early 2009 Prime Tanning hauled and applied thousands of tons of fertilizer containing hexavalent chromium and other metals to Missouri farms in Andrew, Buchanan, DeKalb, and Clinton counties. The chromium in the fertilizer was above acceptable limits for human exposure. In addition, the lawsuit named Elementis LTP, a chemical company that claims to be the world’s largest producer of chromium chemicals, and Burns and McDonnell, a Kansas City engineering firm, which it says designed the system to produce the fertilizer.

Washington-The United States has joined 20 other countries to form the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, an international research collaborative to combat climate change, according to word from USDA officials here. The partnership, formed last month at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, was hailed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as a means of focusing global resources on one of the most important international issues of our time. “Just as climate change has no borders, our research should not,” said Vilsack. “No single nation has all of the resources needed to tackle agricultural greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time enhancing food production and food security. We will not only pool our talents and existing resources, but draw new resources and even new scientists.” According to USDA, agriculture climate change mitigation research will be expanded by $90 million, with the findings being contributed to the alliance. The increase will raise USDA’s agricultural climate change mitigation research portfolio to over $130 million over the next four years, up from a base level of funding of just over $10 million in FY 2009. USDA’s enhanced commitment is part of a larger increase on climate change research at the department, boosting the overall investment to more than $320 million in the next four years for climate change mitigation and adaptation research for agriculture.

Dover-Delaware’s restrictions have been in force nearly three years on the application of nitrogen and phosphorus during winter months, and during that time there has been only one fine imposed. “We have had at least one and maybe two brought in for a hearing,” Bill Rohrer, program administrator for the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission, told Green Markets. The regulations apply to Delaware farmers, lawn-care companies, golf courses, and other nutrient handlers, and limit the application of commercial and manure-based fertilizer between Dec. 7 and Feb. 15, when nutrient runoff is a concern. Rohrer said one party was brought in for a hearing, which resulted in a $1,000 fine for applying poultry litter in January. “We don’t fine people immediately when we see this,” he explained. “It’s usually a pretty expensive process, and what we’re striving to do is to change the practices.” The rules also state that application may not occur on snow-covered or frozen ground, or on impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, roads, and other paved areas. Nutrient handlers must be certified, Rohrer added.

Des Moines-Iowa now has rules similar to those in Delaware, limiting application of liquid manure on frozen ground from Feb. 1 to April and on snow-covered ground from Dec. 21 through April 1. Six hearings are being held in January and early February around the state to explain the legislation, which was passed by the state legislature in the 2009 session and signed by Gov. Chet Culver. The measure allows exemptions for farmers facing unusual circumstances, such as weather or storage capacity limits. The proposed Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rules would take effect in the winter of 2010-11. For the 2009-10 winter, DNR officials said they do not intend to impose the 100-day manure storage requirement for farmers requesting an emergency exemption.

Iowa City, Iowa-Agriculture interests claim that their industry is doing its part in keeping nutrient runoff from polluting the state’s waterways, which the Iowa Policy Project charges has reached the point where state and federal regulations are required to do the job. “State policy has left Iowa waterways open to contamination by bacteria resulting from phosphorus and other nutrients in runoff from both farm fields and urban sources,” the IPP report maintains. “Blue-green algae – which some call pond scum – in lakes or other waterways in Iowa can signal the proliferation of cyanobacteria, which in some cases produce toxins that can harm people, animals and the environment.” In 2008 and 2009, the report noted, the Des Moines source waters had elevated levels above the point where water treatment problems may emerge. In 2004, high levels of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins at Carter Lake were found after swimmers complained of rashes and analysts saw other indications of a cyanobacterial “bloom.” The report said voluntary conservation practices in agriculture are not enough to deal with the issue, and that it’s time for the state and federal governments to establish new rules for farmers and for those who apply chemicals on lawns to address runoff issues. But that’s not necessary, responds Rick Robinson, Iowa Farm Bureau environmental policy adviser, who pointed to an Iowa Department of Natural Resources estimate that concludes less than five percent of the nutrients from farms and other sources winds up running off. “I think most reasonable people would understand that given 35 inches of rainfall a year in Iowa, that’s really pretty good news,” Robinson said. “It’s unfortunate that there are groups out there continually trying to find problems, I think, with Iowa agriculture and probably don’t realize the good job that Iowa farmers are already doing.” He said the estimate that four to five percent of all available nutrients, not just fertilizer, runs off into waterways was developed before new state rules restricting manure application on frozen ground went into effect, which could reduce that run-off estimate. “There’s been a number of regulations put in place,” Robinson insisted. “So all those things, over time, have contributed to less and less nutrients leaving the landscape.” On top of this, he added, commercial fertilizers and herbicides cost money, so farmers use only what’s necessary.