Record rain adds to manure problem in Ohio

Columbus, Ohio — State streams and waterways are at risk for pollution in Ohio as farmers continue to spread manure over the state’s snow-covered fields, state officials are warning. “At this time, the primary focus has been on the issues at Grand Lake and Lake Erie, but realistically agricultural nutrient runoff has the potential to affect any watershed in the state which runs through land that is in agricultural production,” said Erica Pitchford, public information officer for Ohio’s livestock environmental permitting program. State officials are saying that as many as 40 million chickens, hogs, and cows produce more than 17 million tons of manure each year. With so much manure on hand, officials are worried that farmers will soon run out of storage space, and as a result will spread some of the manure over frozen fields. Phosphorus from the manure washes off the farms and into the waterways, growing blooms of toxic algae along the way. The algae blooms pose a problem not only to health, but also to the state’s billions of dollars in tourism and fishing industries. The weather conditions haven’t helped much either, as record rainfall continues to spread manure over the fields and into the waterways. Pitchford told Green Markets that that the wet year and record rainfalls pushed back harvesting. “It’s fortunate that the ground hasn’t frozen for a couple of days; it’s also been dry for two weeks, allowing farmers to get back to where they need to be,” according to Pitchford. State officials are also doing their best to help regulate the problem. “If storage maxes out, and farmers are cautioned not to apply on frozen land, we also want the farmers to reach out to soil and water conservation district for help,” said Pitchford. As an added precaution, farm owners must also get emergency approval from the Ohio Department of Agriculture before they can spread manure on frozen ground. Ohio State University Extension officials are also urging farmers to follow voluntary precautions intended to prevent winter spills, including keeping manure at least 200 feet away from stream banks, and spreading it on no more than 20 acres of frozen ground at a time.