National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction 1

II. Animal Production and the Environment: Trends and Challenges 1 

Figure 1 Historical Perspective, 1900 to 1997 2

Figure 2 Livestock Production from 1945 to 1999 2

Figure 3 Dairy Production from 1945 to 1999 3 

Figure 4 Trends in Rangeland, 1982 to 2001 3

Figure 5 Trends in Pastureland, 1982 to 2001 4

Figure 6 Potential Confined Animal Feeding Operations 4 

Figure 7 Livestock and Poultry Operation Category and Sales Classes 5 

III. Animal Agriculture Conservation Opportunities 6

Figure 8 Domestic Food in the Path of Development 7

IV. Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework 9

A. Meet Regulatory Requirements 10

Strategy: Focusing public conservation assistance on locally identified priorities. 11 

Strategy: Promoting coordination of regulatory timetables with conservation 

program assistance. 11

B. Reduce the Need for Further Regulation Through Flexible, Multi-natural 

resource Solutions 12

Strategy: Developing options for proactive, pre-regulatory improvements that reduce 

the need for regulations. 12

Strategy: Enhancing programmatic flexibility to encourage multi-natural resource 

approaches. 13

Strategy: Improving incentives for multi-natural resource solutions. 14 

Strategy: Providing certainty and regulatory assurance for good faith efforts. 14 

C. Promote Innovation and Market-Based Approaches 15

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Strategy: Strengthening existing alternative markets. 15

Strategy: Fostering development of new markets. 16

Strategy: Developing and verifying alternative technologies and tools. 16 

Strategy: Promoting innovative approaches. 17

D. Sharing Knowledge and Increasing Accountability 18

Strategy: Developing and reporting information on the benefits of, and challenges 

in, animal agriculture. 18

Strategy: Providing clear and consistent information on regulatory requirements and 

conservation opportunities. 19

Strategy: Educating natural resource, environmental, and agriculture students on the 

conservation and environmental benefits provided by animal agriculture. 19 

Strategy: Evaluating progress and reporting results. 20

V. Conclusion 20

APPENDIX A 21

Highlights of State and Basin Area Animal Agriculture Conservation Frameworks 21 

Conservation Program and Technical Assistance Needs 21

Market Development Needs 21

Producer Needs 22

Technology Needs 22

Techniques, Practices, and Systems: 22

Monitoring and Assessment Tools: 23

Information Needs 24

Training and Certification Needs 24

Partnership Needs 24

APPENDIX B 26

Related Reference Documents 26

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Feed Management Dialogue: Challenges and Opportunities for Reducing Nutrient 

Output 26

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Comprehensive Nutrient

Management Planning Technical Guidance 26

Costs Associated with the Development and Implementation of Comprehensive 

Nutrient Management Plans, Part I – Nutrient Management, Land Treatment, 

Manure and Wastewater Handling and Storage, and Recordkeeping 26 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) Cooperation on the Implementation of the Clean Water Act Regulations for 

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations -- Statement of Involvement 27 

National Research Council of the National Academies’ Report on Air Emissions 

from Animal Feeding Operations-Current Knowledge, Future Needs 27 

United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Concentrated Animal Feeding 

Operations-Final Rule 28

Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program Final Rule 28

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning Training Opportunities Available 

from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Other Sources 28 

Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Field Office Technical Guide and the 

National Handbook of Conservation Practices 29

State Technical Committees 29

Natural Resources Conservation Service Grazing Lands Technology Institute’s 

Publications on Grazing Lands Management 29

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I. Introduction 

American consumers expect a great deal of the nation’s food and agriculture system. And there 

is no doubt that it delivers – more nutritious food with wider variety; improved safety with fewer 

adverse environmental impacts; and, greater convenience than at any time in our Nation’s 

history. 

This dynamic and evolving sector has undergone a shift from the largely commodity focused 

agriculture of the 20th century to the much different and more demanding consumer-oriented 

focus of the 21st century. Part of this shift means increased public scrutiny of the interface 

between production agriculture and the natural environment. Environmental quality means a 

great deal to Americans, from maintaining water quality in rivers, streams, and lakes to 

improving air quality and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. It also means open space and 

the preservation of farmland, ranchland and the communities that support these land uses. 

Today, animal agriculture is responding to many and varied issues ranging from environmental 

and public health to biosecurity and economic concerns. As we enter the 21st century, the 

Nation’s farm and food system as a whole is experiencing challenges created by an increasingly 

global economy, overlain with unprecedented rapid technological change. 

II. Animal Production and the Environment: Trends and 

Challenges 

Animal agriculture has undergone substantial shifts in structure, size, and productivity in the last 

century. At the outset of the 20th century, farms and ranches were diverse in their production 

mix and most included livestock and poultry in that mix. In the 1940s, technological advances 

promoted specialization and drove remarkable productivity increases in the livestock and poultry 

sector. Ensuing consolidation and concentration in the livestock and poultry sector resulted in 

significant declines in the overall number of operations, while productivity continued to rise. 

In 1997, nearly 70 percent of the Nation’s 1.9 million farms and ranches reported livestock or 

poultry production – representing 1.3 million operations nationwide. Most of these operations 

(56 percent) produced few or primarily pastured livestock. Operations with confined livestock 

types, such as fattened cattle, milk cows, swine, chickens or turkeys, veal, or heifers, accounted 

for 18 percent of all farms producing livestock and poultry. These confined operations 

accounted for about 40 percent of the total number of animals units produced – an estimated 38 

million animal units in 1997. Grazing operations accounted for the remaining 60 percent of 

animal units produced. The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s National Resources 

Inventory reported about 522 million acres of grazing land (405 million acres of rangeland and 

117 million acres of pasture) in the contiguous states in 2001, about 5 percent less than in 1982. 

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Figure 1 Historical Perspective, 1900 to 1997

Historical 

Perspective

Source: USDA-NASS

Figure 2 Livestock Production from 1945 to 1999 

Pounds (thousands) Livestock Production, 1945 - 1999

50,000,000

45,000,000

40,000,000 Cattle 

35,000,000

30,000,000

25,000,000 Hogs 

20,000,000

15,000,000

Broilers 10,000,000

Turkeys 5,000,000

0

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

Source United States Department of Agriculture

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 Figure 3 Diary Production from 1945 to 1999 

Dairy Production, 1945-1999

180,000

160,000

Milk produced - million pounds 140,000

120,000

100,000

80,000

60,000

40,000

Cows milked - thousand head 20,000

0

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995

Source United States Department of Agriculture

 Figure 4 Trends in Rangeland, 1982 to 2001 

Trends in Rangeland, 1982 - 2001

0

100,000,000

200,000,000

300,000,000

400,000,000

500,000,000

1982 1987 1992 1997 2001

Source: NRCS National Resources Inventory

Acr

e

s

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 Figure 5 Trends in Pastureland, 1982 to 2001 

Trends in Pastureland , 1982 - 2001

0

25,000,000

50,000,000

75,000,000

100,000,000

125,000,000

150,000,000

1982 1987 1992 1997 2001

Source: NRCS National Resources Inventory

Acre

s

 Figure 6 Potential Confined Animal Feeding Operations 

Potential Confined Animal Feeding Operations 

 (257,200 farms)

 Source: United States Department of Agriculture 

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In 2000, animal agriculture generated $100 billion in agricultural revenue, accounting for more 

than one-half of the total value of agricultural sales. Livestock and poultry returns are a major 

contributor to the revenues in the Nation’s agricultural sector. Nearly 70 percent of the Nation’s 

farms with sales of greater than $250,000 have livestock or poultry as part of their production 

mix. But the majority of farms and ranchers that include livestock or poultry production as part 

of the operation have total sales below $250,000. 

Today, exports of consumer-oriented, high-value products, such as meats, poultry, and processed 

products, are growing more rapidly than exports of basic commodities. This export market for 

meat, poultry, and processed products also is critical to sales of feed grains and oilseeds, because 

these products are fed to animals before they are processed and exported. In 1990, only 1.4 

percent of the total value of U.S. grain output and 1.8 percent of the value of U.S. soybean output 

was exported as livestock and poultry products. In 2000, those numbers had grown to 4.3 

percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. In the past 15 years, U.S. export sales of the three major 

meats—beef, pork, and poultry—have grown faster than the meat exports of the Nation’s 

competitors. The U.S. has moved from primarily a meat importer ($3.7 billion) to a major 

exporter ($6.2 billion). 

Figure 7 Livestock and Poultry Operation Category and Sales Classes

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

Greater than $250,000 $100,000 to $250,000 $10,000 to $100,000 Less than $10,000

Sales Class

Farms with few livestock

Farms with specialty livestock types

Farms with pastured livestock types and few other livestock

Farms with confined livestock types

Livestock and Poultry Operations - Distribution by Operation Category and Sales 

Class

 Source: United States Department of Agriculture 

Along with the productivity increases characterized by U.S. animal agriculture, has come

increasing scrutiny of the sector’s potential impact on the Nation’s natural resources. The array 

of potential environmental issues has grown. Today, concerns are as varied as the sector itself, 

including: 

• Nutrient and sediment pollution of water resources 

• Greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., methane, nitrous oxides, carbon dioxide) 

• Air quality (e.g., odors, particulates) 

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• Non-nutrient animal waste issues (e.g., transport and fate of pathogens and 

pharmaceutically active compounds in manure) 

• Wildlife habitat management 

• Invasive species management 

The science of some of these issues is well understood and there are well-developed production 

and conservation practices and systems to help producers address their environmental 

consequences. For some issues, however, scientific uncertainty remains as to their impacts and 

the best approaches to mitigate their consequences. Generally, there is even less certainty 

regarding mitigation strategies across these emerging natural resources issues. 

Agricultural operations with livestock and poultry vary widely, as do their natural resource 

management and business needs. However, all of these producers are affected and challenged by 

society’s interest in a quality environment and a healthful and safe supply of livestock and 

poultry products. The diversity in operators and operations as well as natural resource needs and 

challenges, makes it clear that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to meeting environmental 

stewardship needs will not be successful. 

III. Animal Agriculture Conservation Opportunities 

Environmental stewardship in animal agriculture is not a new idea, nor has it been neglected. 

Indeed, livestock and poultry producers have been among agriculture’s most active adopters of 

conservation measures. 

The core of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs features landowners 

taking the lead. These voluntary programs have a solid track record. The conservation 

partnership between USDA, conservation districts, state conservation agencies, and other 

conservation interests assists private landowners and managers in developing and implementing 

site-specific, science-based conservation plans that work on their farms and ranches, in their 

communities, and in their watersheds. In 2002 alone, the USDA Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) and its conservation partners worked with farmers and ranchers to 

help them: 

• Plan or implement 8,600 comprehensive nutrient management plans to manage 

manure, wastewater, and by-products to minimize potential adverse 

environmental effects; 

• Implement resource management systems on 11.9 million acres of grazing land to 

address grazing land health, soil erosion, wildlife habitat, and water quality and 

quantity; 

• Apply prescribed grazing on 20.5 million acres to improve the quality of forage 

and promote economic stability through grazing land sustainability; 

• Reduce erosion on grazing land resulting in 5.3 million tons of soil saved through 

erosion control efforts; and, 

• Apply nutrient management on 1.6 million acres of cropland and pastureland 

associated with animal feeding operations. 

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Clearly, farmers and ranchers invest an enormous amount in environmental stewardship. Yet, 

the challenges continue, driven by a combination of factors including increasing demand for 

animal agriculture products, changing economic conditions, the advent of new technologies, a 

dynamic natural 

environment, and development pressures bringing population centers in closer proximity to 

animal production. Significant and highly-charged social conflicts often emerge when animal 

agriculture land uses intersect with expanding non-farm communities. 

Figure 8 Domestic Food in the Path of Development

The effects of cyclical weather 

patterns, production cycles, and 

other factors often serve to 

heighten these tensions. 

 

It is against this backdrop that 

the Farm Security and Rural 

Investment Act of 2002 (2002 

Farm Bill) was developed and 

signed into law. Congress 

recognized the mounting 

pressures in agriculture, and 

animal agriculture specifically, 

and authorized new authorities 

and historic increases in 

funding. In the 2002 Farm Bill 

Managers’ Report, Congress 

specifically articulated that 

the...Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program (EQIP) is a 

valuable tool to help producers avoid the need for future regulation, and the Secretary shall 

manage the program to maximize this purpose. While much of the focus was on the anticipated 

delivery of new regulations affecting confined animal production, the Managers also pointed to 

opportunities in grass-based systems to...encourage the use of grazing systems, such as yearround, rotational or managed grazing systems, that enhance productive livestock operations. 

Thus, with regard to regulatory challenges, EQIP has two compatible, if not somewhat different, 

objectives. The first is to help producers comply with local, State, and Federal regulatory 

requirements. The second is to help producers address natural resource concerns in a manner 

that makes regulatory action unnecessary. These, along with the many other EQIP objectives, 

can and should be pursued. The challenge for USDA is to manage the program expectations to 

ensure the full range of EQIP objectives receive the attention they merit, while minimizing the 

potential disappointments that can occur if program applicants are denied assistance because the 

total financial need to address all objectives exceeds EQIP’s available funding. 

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Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (PL107-171) 

Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

The purposes of the environmental quality incentives program ... are to promote agricultural production 

and environmental quality as compatible goals, and to optimize environmental benefits, by— 

(1) assisting producers in complying with local, State, and national regulatory requirements 

concerning— 

(A) soil, water, and air quality; 

(B) wildlife habitat; and 

(C) surface and ground water conservation; 

(2) avoiding, to the maximum extent practicable, the need for resource and regulatory programs by 

assisting producers in protecting soil, water, air, and related natural resources and meeting 

environmental quality criteria established by Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies; 

(3) providing flexible assistance to producers to install and maintain conservation practices that enhance 

soil, water, related natural resources (including grazing land and wetland), and wildlife while sustaining 

production of food and fiber; 

(4) assisting producers to make beneficial, cost effective changes to cropping systems, grazing 

management, nutrient management associated with livestock, pest or irrigation management, or other 

practices on agricultural land; and 

(5) consolidating and streamlining conservation planning and regulatory compliance processes to reduce 

administrative burdens on producers and the cost of achieving environmental goals. 

Resource and operational issues vary significantly in animal agriculture, thus a "one-size-fits-all" 

regulatory approach is not effective in addressing these issues. Good policy choices, however, 

can effect changes that will help farmers and ranchers sustain the Nation's natural resources and 

support a strong and flourishing agriculture. 

Compliance with regulations that protect the environment must be consistent with farmers’ and 

ranchers’ production and environmental objectives. Meeting water and air quality regulatory 

requirements for example, can increase costs as production practices are altered or new 

technologies are adopted. Regulations that recognize the valuable role that agriculture plays and 

incorporate an agricultural systems perspective can help to encourage the adoption of 

environmentally friendly practices. Public investments to defray costs or offset the perceived 

risk of new systems and approaches can encourage adoption and help to protect U.S. producers’ 

competitive edge in international markets. 

Six guiding principles lay the groundwork for approaching environmental stewardship: 

• Local Decision-making and Action – Defining the locally important issues, 

opportunities, and needs as the basis for developing workable objectives and 

actions. It is based on the principle that local stakeholders are best suited to deal 

with local resource challenges and opportunities. 

• Building and Enhancing Partnerships – A broad cross section of partners with 

interests and concerns related to animal agriculture, and new partners not 

traditionally engaged in agriculture, will be needed. 

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• Flexible and Practical – To be workable, approaches must be practical and 

adaptive in order to respond to changes in animal agriculture and its 

environmental, social, and economic conditions. Animal production is dynamic, 

and approaches must be flexible to respond to the demands of changing 

conditions. 

• Progressive Implementation – The progression toward complete resource 

management systems must be based on the implementation of individual 

decisions over a reasonable period of time. Progressive conservation 

implementation ensures steady and logical advancements in achieving 

environmental objectives. Incremental achievement of environmental benefits 

enables the producers to remain economically viable while progressing toward the 

attainment of environmental objectives. 

• Forward Looking and Innovative – Innovative approaches and technologies will 

be needed to bring new solutions to current resource concerns, as well as 

providing solutions for emerging concerns. 

• Science-based – Sound science must form the basis for solutions to ensure that 

that they deliver what is expected by producers and the public. Through 

advancements in science, new innovations that are more effective and practical 

will be discovered, proven, and justified. 

These six guiding principles set the tone and expectations for the collaborative approach that will 

be needed to help animal agriculture address the strategies established in the National Animal 

Agriculture Conservation Framework. 

IV. Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework 

Addressing the conservation needs of America’s livestock and poultry producers is a public 

policy priority. The 2002 Farm Bill made clear that producers should receive assistance to 

improve their operations’ environmental performance, address Federal, Tribal, State, and local 

environmental regulatory requirements, and maintain economically viable operations. 

In January 2003, Bruce I. Knight , Chief, USDA NRCS called for NRCS State Conservationists 

and Area Directors to work with their livestock and poultry association counterparts and other 

partners through their State Technical Committees to develop State Frameworks with the 

objective of meeting the conservation challenges facing animal agriculture over the next 10 to 15 

years. Importantly, this Framework recognizes that the meaningful action will take place on 

farms and ranches across the Nation, and that programmatic objectives and concrete goals 

appropriately will be established at the local level in a manner consistent with the authorized and 

required purposes and objectives of the underlying programs. This Framework also envisions 

that these locally established goals, consistent with the underlying national guidance, would 

become agency objectives through established agency planning processes that build national 

priorities from local input. 

This National Framework is built from these State and Basin Area efforts and presents a vision 

for voluntary, proactive efforts to foster environmentally sound and economically viable 

livestock and poultry production. It envisions collaboration among Federal, Tribal, State, and 

local governments; producers; the public; and, the private sector to bring the initiative, resources, 

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and commitment to support environmental stewardship in animal agriculture. Importantly, this 

Framework is consistent with the 2002 Farm Bill, which promotes agricultural production and 

environmental quality as compatible goals and places emphasis on assisting producers in 

complying with regulatory requirements. Keeping the six guiding principles in mind, four 

objectives guide this vision: 

• Helping producers to meet environmental regulatory requirements; 

• Helping producers reduce the need for further regulation through flexible, resultsbased multi-natural resource solutions; 

• Promoting innovation and market-based opportunities; and, 

• Sharing knowledge and increasing accountability. 

The National Framework is intended as a blueprint to be used by the NRCS in focusing its 

efforts in working with America’s livestock and poultry producers to help them address their 

conservation needs. The next step in this process will be to institutionalize the critical activities 

needed to carry out the intent of this National Framework through NRCS’s strategic and business 

planning processes. 

It is important to understand in addressing the Objectives, Strategies, and Opportunities 

contained in this National Framework that technical assistance, although not explicitly stated in 

all cases, provides the foundation for success in achieving meaningful actions on the Nation’s 

working lands. It should be kept in mind that as references are made to “programs” and 

“assistance” throughout the document, that technical assistance is an integral component that 

needs to be addressed. 

Meet Regulatory Requirements 

Agriculture is challenged to comply with resource protection requirements promulgated through 

a number of Federal statutes, including the Clean Water Act; the Clean Air Act; the 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; the Emergency 

Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act −SARA Title III; and, the Endangered Species 

Act. In addition, there are numerous state and local regulations that may be as, or even more, 

restrictive than those associated with the Federal statutes. Local regulations, in addition to being 

potentially more stringent, are generally more reflective of emerging environmental concerns 

given the more direct connection between the local concern and the regulatory process. The 

result for the Nation's farmers and ranchers is a complex and uncertain regulatory environment 

that is sometimes characterized by more disincentives than incentives for compliance. Assisting 

operators to meet regulatory requirements yields an economic and environmental benefit to 

society in general, and rural communities specifically. 

This Framework calls for public and private collaboration to assist livestock and poultry 

producers to meet the regulatory requirements established to protect the environment. 

Collaboration and cooperation also are needed in the setting of regulatory requirements to ensure 

a foundation of sound science, realistic targets, and public and private commitments that make 

success possible. Strategies include: 

• Focusing public conservation assistance on locally identified priorities; and, 

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• Promoting coordination of regulatory timetables with conservation program

assistance. 

Strategy: Focusing public conservation assistance on locally identified priorities. 

Focusing public conservation assistance on addressing the most pressing regulatory challenges facing 

animal agriculture can accelerate progress. The 2002 Farm Bill made clear that assisting operators in 

meeting regulatory requirements is a priority for EQIP. Other Federal, Tribal, State, and local programs 

that provide sources of technical and financial assistance, such as the local soil and water conservation 

districts and the Extension Service, also might be focused on assisting operators to meet regulatory

challenges. Opportunities include: 

• Working with partners at the state and local level such as the local soil and water 

conservation districts and the Extension Service, to identify and assess the 

potential regulatory compliance workload and priorities. 

• Coordinating at the Federal, Tribal, State, and local level to craft strategies to 

bundle conservation assistance to meet producer regulatory compliance needs. 

• Targeting outreach to those facing the most immediate compliance issues; for 

example, in areas where producers are challenged by the Concentrated Animal 

Feeding Operation (CAFO) or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules, and 

other comparable issues. 

• Evaluating options for program flexibility to allow the use of program funds to 

provide conservation assistance on sites and facility areas associated with animal 

agriculture, such as auction yards, to address natural resource concerns. 

• Conducting outreach to and education for producers and partners regarding 

environmental regulatory requirements. 

Strategy: Promoting coordination of regulatory timetables with conservation 

program assistance. 

Regulatory requirements can be implemented in a way that fosters innovation and improved 

environmental performance. Alternative compliance strategies and phased compliance 

schedules, consistent with the underlying regulatory program’s legal requirements, can help 

producers implement environmentally superior technologies and systems on schedules that fit 

within their plans of operation. 

Fitting compliance schedules with equipment replacement schedules could work to harmonize 

production and environmental objectives. Permit lengths can be varied to a certain extent and 

could be used to reward the degree of innovation and environmental protection provided through 

the systems and operating practices implemented by producers. 

Similarly, incorporating alternative compliance strategies into regulatory requirements can 

stimulate innovation. Regulations and the supporting program guidance developed at the 

Federal, Tribal, State, and local levels could adopt this performance-based approach to stimulate 

innovation, encourage multi-natural resource approaches, and increase options for producers 

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while conforming to the letter and intent, and retaining the basic environmental protections 

afforded by, environmental statutes. Opportunities include: 

• Working with partners to increase opportunities for alternative compliance 

strategies in regulatory programs. For example, the ‘voluntary alternative 

performance standards’ included in CAFO Rule provides options for producers to 

adopt alternative compliance technologies that perform as well as or better than 

the technology-based permit requirement. 

• Coordinating with regulatory partners to develop phased compliance schedules 

that fit with practical implementation schedules on the farm or ranch (e.g., 

harmonize with producer’s schedule for depreciation of long-term assets). 

• Working with regulatory partners to develop opportunities for regulatory 

flexibilities that could promote higher performance levels; for example, flexible 

permit lengths based on degree of environmental protection. 

• Coordinating with regulatory partners at the Federal, Tribal, State, and local level 

to establish compliance schedules that are reasonable and realistic. 

Reduce the Need for Further Regulation Through Flexible, Multi-natural 

resource Solutions 

Implementing multi-natural resource solutions can help avoid further regulation and attain an 

extra measure of conservation. Addressing environmental issues independently (e.g., clean air, 

clean surface water, clean groundwater, etc.) may result in programs working at cross-purposes, 

create disconnects in compliance strategies, multiply compliance burdens, or create disincentives 

for voluntary conservation. For example, strategies to protect water quality may adversely affect 

air quality, or vice versa. This Framework calls on Federal natural resource conservation 

agencies to apply their collective resources and technical expertise to foster multi-natural 

resource solutions to avoid further regulation and to provide an extra measure of assistance 

where operators want to take additional steps to conserve natural resources. Strategies include: 

• Developing options for proactive, pre-regulatory improvements that reduce the 

need for regulations; 

• Enhancing programmatic flexibility to encourage multi-natural resource 

approaches; 

• Improving incentives for multi-natural resource solutions; and, 

• Providing certainty and regulatory assurance for good faith efforts. 

Strategy: Developing options for proactive, pre-regulatory improvements that 

reduce the need for regulations. 

Much of the regulatory pressure facing animal agriculture is associated with Clean Water Act 

related regulations (CAFO Rule, TMDL Rule). In addition, the Endangered Species Act creates 

pressures in specific areas, and State and local ordinances also are significant. Clean Air Act 

regulations are likely to become an increasing issue, particularly for confined operations. These 

regulations also have relevance for grazing land management (i.e., prescribed burning). For 

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some operation types or locations, there may be options to avoid potential for regulation through 

the adoption of alternative practices, transition to new systems, availability of mitigation 

opportunities, or relocation of activities to lower vulnerability zones. Opportunities include: 

• Assessing the economic and environmental viability of new technologies and 

innovations that, if adopted, would preclude the need for regulatory action; for 

example, transitions from confined production systems to grazing systems for 

some livestock types under the proper natural resource conditions. 

• Ensuring program flexibility so that financial assistance is available for new 

promising technical options that would preclude the need for regulatory action. 

• Creating program flexibility to allow for financial assistance for closures and 

relocations that would result in permit avoidance or otherwise minimize potential 

adverse environmental impacts of production. 

• Working with national, state, and local regulatory partners and others to develop 

options for environmental credit trading associated with regulation and 

permitting. 

• Developing additional conservation implementation options for proactive 

producers that cannot make drastic changes to their operations. 

Strategy: Enhancing programmatic flexibility to encourage multi-natural resource 

approaches. 

Program rules may inadvertently eliminate potential innovative approaches to achieving 

enhanced or multi-natural resource environmental benefits. Often, in grazing rotations the 

problems and solutions cross the public-private fence line as exemplified by strategies to manage 

fires and invasive species, wildlife habitat, and drought (e.g., grass-banking). These principles 

have been demonstrated through isolated projects, such as the Gila River and Malpai 

Borderlands Projects in the Southwest. Many livestock operations in the West include some

combination of private and Federal, Tribal, or State lands for grazing. Public grazing land use 

and management decisions often limit the options on adjacent private lands. Coordinated 

management strategies are crucial in addressing grazing land health needs, as well as compliance 

with the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Protection Act, and others. 

Promoting multi-natural resource benefits, such as blending wildlife habitat development with 

grazing operations, could be encouraged by providing flexibility to producers to use program

lands for designated compatible uses. Opportunities include: 

• Evaluating opportunities to increase program flexibility to allow compatible 

grazing uses on program lands; for example, rotational grazing on Conservation 

Reserve Program (CRP) land. 

• Evaluating opportunities for use of program funds to address resource issues on 

companion public lands. 

• Developing opportunities to compensate landowners for losses associated with 

enhancing the natural resource value of private lands (e.g., production losses 

associated with wildlife).

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Strategy: Improving incentives for multi-natural resource solutions. 

The basis for conservation planning is a holistic approach to treating the entire array of natural 

resource conservation needs. In some cases, this superlative objective is beyond the means of 

producers, who opt for single resource strategies for economic or other reasons. Financial 

incentives could be used to encourage adoption of multi-natural resource strategies. This 

approach mirrors the philosophy embodied in the Conservation Security Program, as the statute 

establishes that superior environmental performance would be accorded higher payment levels. 

Opportunities include: 

• Focus conservation planning on resource management systems (RMS) that 

address multi-natural resource solutions where producers are willing and able to 

adopt needed systems of practices and approaches. Use progressive planning 

approaches more liberally to assist producers in moving incrementally to RMSlevel conservation systems. 

• Develop sliding scale financial incentives to provide higher payments for more 

integrated or multi-natural resource measures that provide greater degrees of

conservation. 

• Develop financial incentives to encourage greater use of renewable energy, 

biobased products, and related technologies and systems that convey multi-natural 

resource benefits. 

• Review and update conservation practices standards as needed to ensure support 

for multi-natural resource approaches. 

Strategy: Providing certainty and regulatory assurance for good faith efforts. 

Producers making decisions on investing in operational changes to achieve an extra measure of

environmental stewardship do so against a backdrop of regulatory uncertainty. Many conservation 

practices and systems that can achieve environmental improvements and meet one set of regulatory

requirements also may create conditions that later may be regulated (e.g., creation of habitat). Operators 

concerned about future liabilities associated with producing these benefits may back away from taking 

steps that would provide near-term benefits for the environment and society. Opportunities include: 

• Work with regulatory partners to develop an “agricultural assurance strategy” to 

provide producers with certainty that investments made to improve environmental 

stewardship can afford regulatory relief as new requirements emerge. 

• Work with regulatory authorities, industry, and technical service providers to 

ensure conservation systems are implemented by certified individuals and 

validated using sound quality assurance principles. 

• Work with regulatory partners to increase opportunities for safe harbor 

approaches to provide incentives for undertaking additional environmental 

improvements. 

• Work with industry to develop and implement programs for certification 

processes involving environmental quality assurance and environmental 

compliance. 

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Promote Innovation and Market-Based Approaches 

The emerging conservation era will be characterized by improved integration of public and 

private sector environmental and economic objectives. Well-understood, effective, and 

profitable conservation technologies and systems will be the foundation of efforts to foster 

sustained environmental stewardship. This Framework calls on strengthened public-private 

partnerships to promote innovative solutions to natural resource concerns confronting animal 

agriculture. Effective public-private sector participation in market development can ease 

transitions and increase economic opportunities, while minimizing the negative environmental 

impacts of animal production. Strategies include: 

• Strengthening existing alternative markets; 

• Fostering development of new markets; 

• Developing and verifying alternative technologies and tools; and, 

• Promoting innovative approaches. 

Strategy: Strengthening existing alternative markets. 

Alternative or value-added markets can help provide opportunities and incentives to operators to 

address environmental issues or undertake additional environmental improvements. For 

example, lack of well established markets to handle excess manure nutrients is a key constraint 

for nutrient balancing and contributes to ongoing concentration of manure nutrients in areas 

distant from those producing the feed grains. Other opportunities may be in the form of 

enterprise diversification, including hunting, fishing, or other outdoor activities that depend on 

high quality habitat or other environmental amenities. Such opportunities, however, require 

investment in new skills and increased staff or management time. Operators may find that 

cooperative efforts are needed to achieve the needed economies of scale or support assistance to 

advance market development. Opportunities include: 

• Working with Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils, local 

soil and water conservation districts, the Extension Service, and other communitybased organizations to leverage funding and expertise to support expansion of 

existing markets (e.g., regional waste transfer or treatment facilities, composting, 

pelletizing facilities). 

• Working with RC&D Councils and other community-based organizations to 

develop cooperative efforts to address community-based natural resource issues. 

For example, energy production on a single operation may be insufficient to be 

attractive to energy cooperatives; however, at a community-based level, critical

mass may be achieved to develop a reliable and cost-effective energy source. 

• Exploring opportunities for public-private partnerships to address natural resource 

priorities. For example, develop facilities to manage residuals from both animal 

agriculture and municipal sources to treat the waste and produce value-added byproducts, such as energy. 

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National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

• Working with USDA Rural Development to strengthen established, yet 

inadequately distributed, alternative markets through targeting small business loan 

or grant programs. 

• Convening national dialogues on topical areas to identify institutional and 

technological barriers and opportunities to expanded implementation of 

technologies and systems that support alternative markets. 

Strategy: Fostering development of new markets. 

New markets and approaches founded on the basis of improved integration of public and private 

sector economic and environmental objectives are beginning to emerge. In some cases, the 

needed technologies and processes exist currently, and in other cases technical or institutional 

challenges need to be addressed to support further development of these approaches. For 

example, research and development efforts have demonstrated the potential for formulating 

biobased products and biofuels from animal residuals. Resources to promote expansion have 

been authorized through the research and energy titles of the 2002 Farm Bill. 

Newer opportunities for environmental credits and credit trading are less well developed, 

although major steps have been taken recently (e.g., EPA’s Water Quality Trading Policy, 

carbon credits). Meaningful implementation of these approaches will depend on quantifying the 

environmental benefits of practices and systems, verifying that trading approaches can deliver 

the desired environmental outcome, and developing approaches to minimize the generally high 

transaction costs associated with trading or credit approaches (e.g., developing the standard 

frameworks for monitoring, determining offsets, and conducting trades needed for a successful 

market). Opportunities include: 

• Coordinating with Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies and partners such as 

local soil and water conservation districts and the Extension Service, to identify 

steps needed to develop and promote new market opportunities. 

• Targeting resources to promote development of opportunities for biobased 

products and fuels based on animal residuals. 

• Quantifying environmental benefits of practices and systems to support the 

development of environmental credit trading for carbon credits and water quality 

trading. 

• Evaluating potential programmatic constraints and opportunities for promoting 

environmental credit markets; for example, allowing operators to ‘sell’ credits on 

the open market as a result of improvements made using conservation programs 

(e.g., CRP and EQIP policies allow it). 

Strategy: Developing and verifying alternative technologies and tools. 

Innovative technologies and approaches are needed in order to make advances on the Nation’s 

most difficult environmental and conservation challenges in animal agriculture. Some current

technologies and conservation systems are not effective enough to eliminate or minimize 

potential environmental and human health risks posed by animal production, are too costly to be 

economically feasible, or are too complex to be operationally viable. The draft Frameworks 

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developed by States and Basin Areas identified a number of specific tools and technologies 

needed to advance environmental stewardship in animal agriculture (see Appendix A). 

Promotion of new technologies, or new agricultural applications of existing technologies, will 

depend on verifying performance. Producers’ ability to choose among alternative technologies 

in some cases is hampered by a lack of credible, unbiased information on technology 

performance or adequate economic evaluation. Technology verification efforts can help provide 

a basis for informing producers, regulators, and the public about the performance of proposed 

technologies. Opportunities include: 

• Increasing funding for and focusing research on developing new technologies and 

practices or enhancing existing ones that producers can implement to meet

specific regulatory needs; for example, technologies for emission controls and 

water conservation. 

• Supporting the development and implementation of grant programs to support the 

research, development, and demonstration of alternative technologies aimed at 

animal agriculture conservation issues. 

• Developing demonstration sites and centers of excellence in key production areas 

to showcase alternatives and validate performance. 

• Coordinating with Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies and other partners, 

such as local soil and water conservation districts, the Extension Agencies, and 

Land Grant Universities, to establish protocols and approaches for technology 

verification, and the development of technology management and deployment 

strategies across agencies. 

Strategy: Promoting innovative approaches. 

Existing conservation and regulatory approaches to achieving environmental objectives have 

benefited the Nation over the past decades. Changes in technologies, economics, and social 

preferences, however, argue for re-examining overall approaches to achieving the Nation’s 

agricultural and natural resource objectives. New strategies that pull private sector and public 

sector resources together more effectively to achieve common objectives are needed. 

Opportunities include: 

• Developing programmatic options to promote innovative approaches to achieving 

natural resource conservation and environmental protection. 

• Emphasizing coordinated public-private lands management approaches that 

convey benefits to producers and the natural resource base (e.g., grass-banking) 

• Investigating economic incentives that could promote industry participation in 

conservation and natural resource enhancement (e.g., tax incentives). 

• Promoting non-economic incentives that reward and recognize producers for 

sound environmental stewardship, for example, certification as an “environmental 

stewardship farm”, public recognition programs, etc. 

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National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

Sharing Knowledge and Increasing Accountability 

Clear, accurate, and timely information and educational materials provide the foundation for 

building understanding of the value of, and the challenges to, animal agriculture; and, will 

ultimately lead to better understanding by the public, and more informed policy decisions. 

Assessing and evaluating progress and results increases the accountability of the programs and 

all who are participating in them, sets the stage for informed decision making, and should lead to 

improved environmental stewardship. This Framework calls on Federal agencies, State and local 

partners, university and Extension Service educators, and interested stakeholders to improve the 

quality of information and education available regarding the relationships between animal 

agriculture and natural resources, as well as the results of conservation activities. Strategies 

include: 

• Developing and reporting information on the benefits of, and challenges in, 

animal agriculture; 

• Providing clear and consistent information on regulatory requirements and 

conservation opportunities; 

• Educating natural resource, environmental, and agriculture students on the 

conservation and environmental benefits provided by animal agriculture; and, 

• Evaluating progress and reporting results. 

Strategy: Developing and reporting information on the benefits of, and challenges 

in, animal agriculture. 

Increased public scrutiny of animal agriculture and its potential impact on the environment has 

not been accompanied by parallel efforts to clarify the overall benefits provided by the sector and 

the benefits that flow from compliance with existing and new regulatory requirements. These 

benefits include amenities such as wildlife habitat and aquifer recharge zones, stronger

functioning rural economies, and contributions to national food security. The general public will 

benefit from balanced information on the benefits and costs of animal agriculture. Opportunities 

include: 

• Developing a USDA–stakeholder effort to compile existing information on the 

role that animal agriculture plays in natural resource management and 

enhancement, as well as its contributions to other important societal objectives. 

• Instituting a periodic reporting strategy to convey to the public the progress being 

made by animal agriculture in meeting regulatory requirements and contributing 

additional environmental benefits as described in the State, Area, and National 

Frameworks. 

• Developing a suite of information products to generate interest in the private 

sector for market development and for producers to participate in alternative 

market approaches to resolving natural resource concerns. 

• Conducting field days or similar programs targeted toward both agricultural and 

non-agricultural interests to demonstrate progress being made in animal 

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National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

agriculture. Demonstrate value-added or other business options to stimulate 

private sector market development related to animal agriculture. 

Strategy: Providing clear and consistent information on regulatory requirements 

and conservation opportunities. 

Clear, concise, and understandable information on regulatory requirements and conservation 

opportunities is essential. Inconsistent or complicated materials regarding regulatory 

requirements create apprehension and confusion, and can lead to poor implementation. 

Similarly, consistent and clear information on technical and financial assistance and types of 

conservation practices and systems that can help producers meet regulatory requirements are 

needed. Opportunities include: 

• Coordinating with Federal, Tribal, State, and local regulatory partners to develop 

and distribute consistent and clear information on regulatory requirements and 

potential conservation solutions to address regulatory requirements. 

• Identifying opportunities for single portal access for livestock and poultry 

producers to obtain information on regulatory requirements, conservation 

opportunities, enterprise diversification, and other relevant issues. 

• Expanding use of demonstration projects and field days to provide information 

and education to producers on regulatory requirements, conservation 

opportunities, and value-added or enterprise diversification opportunities. 

• Developing information on natural resource and environmental issues to inform

producers about new and emerging challenges (e.g., air quality, landuse 

conversion/development pressures, pathogens and pharmaceutical concerns) and 

opportunities (e.g., enterprise diversification, value-added products or new 

markets). 

Strategy: Educating natural resource, environmental, and agriculture students on 

the conservation and environmental benefits provided by animal agriculture. 

It is vital that natural resource, environmental, and agricultural education portrays animal 

agriculture accurately and objectively, and that the environmental stewardship alternative 

systems are understood by students. This educational effort, supported by the Federal agencies, 

State and local partners, university and Extension Service educators, and interested stakeholders, 

provides for the development of educational curricula and supporting materials that are objective 

and accurate. Opportunities include: 

• Strengthening the conservation and environmental stewardship elements of 4H 

and Future Farmers of America programs in communities throughout the nation. 

• Working with educational institutions to have curriculum available to students 

where animal agriculture is portrayed objectively and accurately, both with regard 

to conservation and environmental challenges and opportunities. 

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Strategy: Evaluating progress and reporting results. 

Assessing progress and results of the actions taken will be essential to informing decision makers 

at all levels. For conservation practices or systems that are installed with the assistance of NRCS 

and its conservation district partners, mechanisms are in place to track progress – through the 

NRCS performance reporting system. Efforts to evaluate the environmental benefits produced 

by these actions are underway, and will be essential to explain the public benefits provided 

through public investment on private land. Integration of State and local framework objectives 

and activities into agency planning processes, such as business and performance planning, would 

provide the basis for tracking other activities. Opportunities include: 

• Developing approaches to describe the environmental benefits of conservation 

practices and systems implemented by livestock and poultry producers. 

• Identifying opportunities to integrate newly identified resource needs, objectives, 

and targets into the planning processes of relevant agencies at all levels. 

V. Conclusion

The opportunity exists for achieving improved environmental performance in animal agriculture 

production while sustaining this essential economic sector. It is significant and helpful that the 

growing recognition of the challenges faced by animal agriculture has been accompanied by an 

equal and focused interest in solutions that can address these challenges. The far-reaching nature 

of animal agriculture, and its importance to U.S. agriculture, the magnitude of the natural 

resource issues needing to be addressed, and the diversity of stakeholder interests means that 

solutions to the challenges ahead will not come from agriculture or any other interest alone. In 

fact, many proposed solutions will depend on market developments and adjustments or actions in 

sectors that traditionally may not have been engaged in animal agricultural issues. 

In crafting farm conservation policy, Congress took extraordinary steps to be clear that assisting 

the Nation’s livestock and poultry producers with their environmental stewardship efforts is a 

national priority, and that the private sector is to be an important participant in seeking solutions

and delivering opportunities. Unprecedented funding and new authorities pave the way for 

conservation approaches to leverage involvement effectively in other economic sectors. 

The Federal investment in conservation research, information and education, and technical and 

financial assistance is leveraged through the activities of State agencies, universities and 

colleges, commodity and industry groups, and private landowners and managers. This 

nationwide public-private partnership will be essential in creating the workable solutions to 

environmental, social, and economic challenges facing animal agriculture. NRCS is committed 

to working effectively with its current partners in the agricultural and environmental 

communities, and to bringing new partners to the table, to develop and implement approaches to

help the Nation’s livestock and poultry producers achieve environmental and economic

objectives. 

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APPENDIX A

Highlights of State and Basin Area Animal Agriculture Conservation 

Frameworks 

The following describes the highlights of the individual State and Basin Area Animal 

Agriculture Conservation Frameworks. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

State Conservationists and Basin Area Directors worked with their State and local 

livestock and poultry association counterparts, conservation districts, Tribes, and many 

other partners, through their State Technical Committees to develop State and Basin Area 

Frameworks with the objective of meeting the conservation challenges facing animal 

agriculture over the next 10 to 15 years. The National Framework is built from these 

State and Basin Area efforts. 

Conservation Program and Technical Assistance Needs 

All States and Basin Areas identified ways in which Federal, Tribal, State, and local 

conservation programs could be used more effectively. Many Frameworks identified 

incentives to reward good conservation, not just to provide financial assistance for new 

conservation practices and systems. Some Frameworks indicated a need to use 

conservation programs on impaired water bodies and for Total Maximum Daily Load 

implementation. Many Frameworks indicated attention will be needed to effectively use 

Technical Service Providers to add capacity to NRCS and conservation partner efforts. 

Some identified the large workload affiliated with Comprehensive Nutrient Management 

Plan (CNMP) preparation and revisions. 

One State Framework reminds us that “once a CNMP is developed there are many 

changes that are common on most farms that will trigger the need for plan revisions.” 

Market Development Needs 

Market development needs are of importance in many States and Basin Areas. Various 

types of markets, or activities associated with markets, were identified, including 

environmental credit trading; cooperatives and brokerages; and niche or unique markets. 

Enhancing a producer’s income by creating markets for the environmental credits they

produce was identified as an emphasis in many Frameworks. Some examples of 

environmental credit trading markets that were identified as needing development 

included those related to carbon trading, greenhouse gas emission trading, and nutrient 

trading. Additional incentives for pollution reduction need to be explored, such as 

providing for energy bonuses, tax credits, and odor reduction credits. 

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New cooperatives and brokerages create economies or efficiencies of scale and are 

needed to deal with the distribution and/or processing of manure, wastewater, and animal 

carcasses in many States and Basin Areas. For instance, cooperatives could be used to 

establish regional manure composting facilities. Brokerages or clearinghouses are 

suggested in many areas so that sellers of excess manure can be efficiently introduced to 

potential buyers. Research and evaluation is needed on other types of innovative nutrient 

relocation programs. Improved local and regional transportation systems for marketing 

solutions were identified in some State and Basin Frameworks. 

Niche or unique markets for livestock and poultry byproducts was a common theme in 

many State and Basin Area Frameworks. Biobased products need to be developed that 

are value-added for non-farm use, such as biogas carbonated products; nutrient recycling; 

and bio-oil and bio-fuel; among others. Several Frameworks indicated that agri-tourism 

market development is needed to help sustain farm and ranch income. 

Producer Needs 

State and Basin Area Frameworks indicated that livestock and poultry producers are in 

need of increased and focused technical and financial assistance from Federal, Tribal, 

State, and private funding sources to help in achieving their environmental stewardship 

goals and compliance with regulations. Many Frameworks identified an emphasis on 

assisting producers in developing natural resources management plans that address 

economic considerations that help them to be successful and sustainable. Many States 

and Basin Areas intend to place greater technical and financial assistance emphasis on the 

conservation needs of limited resource farmers, minority farmers, and Tribes. Outreach 

to producers with existing or high risk for pollution problems will be the intent in most 

States and Basin Areas. Priority assistance to producers needing to comply with Federal 

and State Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) rules, especially newly 

defined or designated CAFOs, was frequently identified. 

Technology Needs 

Numerous and varied technology needs were identified in State and Basin Area 

Frameworks as of high importance for development and implementation. Emphasis was 

placed on low-cost and high reliability. The technologies can be categorized as 

techniques, practices, and systems; and monitoring and assessment tools, and included 

the following priorities: 

Techniques, Practices, and Systems: 

3⁄4 Particulate matter, odor, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction 

3⁄4 De-watering manure storage structures 

3⁄4 Pelletization techniques to turn manure into fertilizer pellets 

3⁄4 Improved treatments, storage, utilization 

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3⁄4 Nutrient management planning tools 

3⁄4 Alternative manure uses (energy products) 

3⁄4 Alternative manure handling, other than trucking 

3⁄4 Reduction in manure nutrients (e.g., using feed management) 

3⁄4 Digester operation at cooler temperatures 

3⁄4 Adoption of sustainable, land-based systems in lieu of 

concentrated/confined systems 

3⁄4 Improved grazing management techniques and systems 

3⁄4 Improved forage production (adaptability, production volume, protein 

content, and weight gain) 

3⁄4 Composting agricultural waste, including mortalities 

3⁄4 Effluent filtration techniques 

3⁄4 Plant material with high phosphorus uptake potential for reclaiming soils 

3⁄4 Strategic location of processing facilities to minimize negative 

environmental effects of transportation of manure 

3⁄4 Develop technology demonstration sites in high AFO/CAFO 

concentration areas 

3⁄4 Regional waste transfer, composting, bio-gas generation and distribution 

systems 

3⁄4 Work with poultry integrators to add phytase to feed mills to reduce 

phosphorus excretion 

3⁄4 Opportunities for carbon sequestration and credit trading on grazing lands 

3⁄4 Use of poultry litter as on-farm energy source or locality energy source 

through farm cooperatives 

Monitoring and Assessment Tools: 

3⁄4 Odor and greenhouse emissions assessment tools 

3⁄4 Seepage from storage assessment tools 

3⁄4 Methods to measure nutrient levels of rangeland soils and vegetation 

3⁄4 Phosphorus index calibration and validation 

3⁄4 Nitrogen index upgrade to account for leaching 

3⁄4 Assessment of transport and fate of pathogens 

3⁄4 Assessment of transport and fate of pharmaceuticals 

3⁄4 Impacts of feed management on nutrient reduction, animal health, and 

production 

3⁄4 Develop nutrient leaching indexes, by region 

Many Frameworks include aggressive activities aimed at bringing innovation to the 

forefront of the potential solutions to livestock and poultry environmental problems. One 

State, for instance, has an activity to “increase the number of ‘grazing dairies’ and spread 

them out from original concentrated groups.” In another example, a State has developed 

the “Odor from Feedlots Setback Estimation Tool (OFFSET)” to help producers control 

odor. 

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National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

Information Needs 

Providing information to producers, regulators, and the public will be an emphasis in all 

States and Basin Areas. Frameworks identified content and methods of providing the 

information. The content of the information most frequently identified in the 

Frameworks included the benefits of animal agriculture to sustaining environmental 

quality; principles of range and pasture land management; technical and financial 

assistance available; and, regulatory requirements. The methods of providing the 

information identified most are increasing electronic availability of information for 

producers, including a suggestion to establish a “virtual” information center; conducting 

symposia, workshops, field days, and demonstrations; using agri-businesses to help 

deliver the message and to target information and education efforts; and, traditional 

media and information sources, such as newsletters and magazines. 

Training and Certification Needs 

All Frameworks have significant emphasis on the training and certification of livestock

and poultry producers and for all providers of technical service. Special emphasis 

training and certification needs were identified for various subjects, including: 

conservation planning and application; nutrient management; grazing land health; OnFarm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER) or other environmental audit 

activity; sensitivity for urban/suburban encroachment issues; Federal, Tribal, State, and 

local regulations; and, language and cultural sensitivity training to outreach effectively to 

all producers. Techniques and methods of delivering the training also were identified in 

many Frameworks, including: information meetings, field days, tours, written materials, 

and on-line materials; evening and weekend activities to better meet producers’ time 

constraints; web-based and in-home training (CD, DVD); and, education programs for 

youth interested in animal agriculture. Several Frameworks identified the need to foster 

cooperative training programs, such as developed by NRCS and the University of 

Tennessee on CNMP planning and implementation; or the Livestock and Poultry 

Environmental Stewardship Curriculum sponsored by Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a 

consortium of land grant universities. 

Partnership Needs 

States and Basin Areas did an outstanding job of identifying a broad-based, diversified 

list of partners that will be involved in the implementation of their respective 

Frameworks over the next 10 to 15 years. Many Frameworks identified the formation of 

a nutrient or manure management committee or work group. Some of the typical partners 

included: livestock and poultry organizations, associations, cooperatives, and councils; 

Federal, Tribal, and State agricultural, natural resource, and environmental agencies; 

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National Animal Agriculture Conservation Framework

natural resource and environmental non-government entities and foundations; landowner 

and tenant associations; technical service providers, consultants, and farm advisors; 

Tribal councils and associations; grazing associations and coalitions; universities and 

centers of high education; and, veterinarians, animal nutritionists, and animal feed 

suppliers. 

# # # 

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APPENDIX B 

Related Reference Documents 

Feed Management Dialogue: Challenges and Opportunities for Reducing 

Nutrient Output 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS), convened a national dialogue on feed management and diet manipulation in 

confined livestock production on June 17 and 18, 2002. About 80 professionals with 

varying interests and responsibilities related to feed management participated in this 

dialogue to share their thoughts and perspectives. The dialogue was a first step in 

identifying technical and institutional challenges associated with broader implementation 

of feed management strategies. The report summarized the dialogue findings and 

recommendations. For a copy of the report contact: AHCWP Division, USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service at (301) 504-2196. 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Comprehensive Nutrient 

Management Planning Technical Guidance

In December of 2000, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released the 

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning (CNMP) Technical Guidance to be used 

in assisting livestock and poultry producers voluntarily address their water quality 

concerns. The Technical Guidance is contained in the NRCS National Planning 

Procedures Handbook, the agency’s policy on conservation planning procedures to be 

used in implementing USDA voluntary conservation programs. The objective of a 

CNMP is to document the AFO owner's/operator's plan to manage manure and organic 

by-products by combining conservation practices and management activities into a 

conservation system that, when implemented, will achieve the goal of the producer and 

protect or improve water quality. You may access this technical guide at: 

http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/scripts/lpsiis.dll/H/H_180_600.htm. 

Costs Associated with the Development and Implementation of 

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans, Part I – Nutrient Management, 

Land Treatment, Manure and Wastewater Handling and Storage, and 

Recordkeeping 

To satisfy the growing demand in the public and private sectors for information 

concerning the costs associated with developing and implementing Comprehensive 

Nutrient Management Plans on livestock and poultry operations nationwide, USDA 

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initiated the development of a National cost assessment. The report addresses the 

financial costs of implementing CNMPs and the cost of technical assistance needed to 

develop CNMPs and assist in their implementation. The report makes use of 1997 U.S. 

Agricultural Census information to analyze CNMP development and implementation 

regionally and by animal sector. The report is intended to provide information to 

decision-makers in addressing water resource conservation efforts. This report is 

expected to be available for public distribution in July, 2003. 

Some of the information contained in the report is available in NRCS Bulletin 460-3-1, 

which can be found at the website: 

http://policy.nrcs.usda.gov/scripts/lpsiis.dll/NB/NB_460_3_1.htm. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Cooperation on the Implementation of the Clean Water 

Act Regulations for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations -- Statement of 

Involvement 

EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Regulation and Effluent 

Limitations Guidelines and Standards for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, 40 

CFR Parts 122 and 412 (CAFO Rule) regulations, became effective on April 14, 2003. The 

new regulations expand the universe of CAFOs that are required to obtain National 

Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits to address the discharge of pollutants to 

waters of the United States. On May 16, 2003, EPA and USDA signed a statement of 

involvement reflecting mutual interest in meeting the needs of CAFO owners and 

operators that result in the implementation of the revised rule. It is the responsibility of 

EPA and State Permitting Authorities to implement and ensure compliance with the 

CAFO Rule. USDA will assist EPA and States to be aware of the needs of producers in 

meeting CAFO Rule requirements. USDA has substantial interest in the CAFO Rule 

implementation because of the Department’s role in helping producers to develop and 

implement Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) that promote natural 

resource management and protect water quality. You may access the Statement of 

Involvement at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/afo/. 

National Research Council of the National Academies’ Report on Air 

Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations-Current Knowledge, Future

Needs 

The increasing concentration of food production-meat, eggs, milk-from animals in very 

large feeding operations has focused public attention on associated environmental issues. 

This report, prepared by a committee appointed by the National Research Council, 

proposes two major ways to improve information and the nation’s ability to deal with the 

effects of air emissions. One is to change the way in which the rates and fate of air 

emissions are estimated and tracked. The other proposal is for a research program that 

views air emissions as one part of the overall system of producing food from animal 

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feeding operations with the goal of eliminating the release of unwanted emissions into the 

environment. You may access this publication at: 

http://www.nap.edu/books/0309087058/html/. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Concentrated Animal 

Feeding Operations-Final Rule 

On December 15, 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator 

signed the revised National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and 

Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) Rule affecting concentrated animal feeding 

operations (CAFO). The revised Rule contains changes that will affect mostly large 

livestock and poultry operations nationwide. The Rule now requires CAFO operators to 

develop and implement a nutrient management plan as a permit requirement. The EPA 

recognizes that U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) defined comprehensive nutrient management plans 

(CNMP) satisfy EPA nutrient management plan requirements. You may access the Rule 

at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/cafofinalrule.cfm. 

Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program Final Rule 

On May 13, 2003, OMB approved the final EQIP rule, which was published in the 

Federal Register on May 30, 2003. The final EQIP rule contains five significant changes 

from the proposed rule: American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders to use a 

unique identification number as an alternative to a social security number; the definition 

of limited resource producer was revised; a $450,000 cap was established for each EQIP 

contract; State Conservationists, with Regional Conservationist concurrence, are 

authorized to approve the EQIP cost lists used in the State rather than each individual 

contract that contains a cost-shared practice greater than 50 percent; and, land that has 

been irrigated two of the last five years rather than three of the last five is eligible for 

EQIP assistance to improve irrigation efficiency. You may access a summary of the Rule 

at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/pdf/EQIPRLSm.pdf. 

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning Training Opportunities 

Available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Other 

Sources 

To ensure that there are training opportunities for nutrient management planning 

practitioners, NRCS developed a listing of some Comprehensive Nutrient Management 

Planning training opportunities available from various sources. This list is available at: 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/afo/pdf/CNMP%20Training%20table.pdf

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Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Field Office Technical Guide and 

the National Handbook of Conservation Practices 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Field Office Technical Guide and the 

National Handbook of Conservation Practices contain the conservation practice standards 

that are science based and economically feasible. State Conservation Practice Standards 

are available through the eFOTG (Electronic Field Office Technical Guide). If no State 

conservation practice standard is available in the eFOTG, you should contact the 

appropriate State Office or your local USDA Service Center. These guides may be accessed 

at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/efotg/, and http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/nhcp_2.html. 

State Technical Committees 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationists chair these State 

level committees, which are bodies that have wide representation from agricultural 

related entities and address Farm Bill programs implementation issues. To learn more 

about the State Technical Committees contact your Natural Resources Conservation 

Service State Conservationist. You may access the State Technical Committee Final 

Rule at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/StateTech/. 

Natural Resources Conservation Service Grazing Lands Technology 

Institute’s Publications on Grazing Lands Management 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Grazing Lands Technology Institute 

publishes information about grazing land management in order to achieve environmental 

stewardship objectives. To access GLTI information, visit the NRCS Website at: 

http://www.glti.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/publications/index.html. An example of two 

publications by GLCI: 

The Dairy Farmer Profitability Using Intensive Rotational Stocking publication contains 

information on maximizing the value of forage and can be accessed at: ftp://ftpfc.sc.egov.usda.gov/GLTI/technical/publications/dairy-profitability.pdf. 

The National Forage Quality and Animal Well Being - A 74-page booklet developed by 

GLTI, dated October 2000, gives results from 44 states that participated in this national 

NRCS project from 1997-99. Nutritional monitoring using fecal samples allows 

assessment of diet forage and grazing management can be accessed at: ftp://ftpfc.sc.egov.usda.gov/GLTI/technical/publications/forage-quality.pdf. 

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