Hi Gary,
Here are the pictures of the Christmas manure spreading going on at the corner of Maquam Shore Rd and Newton Rd in the Town of St.Albans. Sorry it took me so long to get them to you. I had to enlist a friend to copy from my cell phone to my computer.
If you blow up the pictures you'll see a dark strip indicating the area where the manure was being spread over the snow. One picture shows the spreader out in the field. These pictures were taken on Dec 26th at about 1:50 pm. Lake Champlain is roughly 200 to 300 yards from where the manure was applied.
I spoke with my family to pin down the days when this manure spreading took place. To the best of our recollection the first day was December 24th. Then it went on again on December 26th & possibly the 27th. My daughter recalled that one day it was raining and we couldn't always see the spreader through the fog.
My first reaction was that I thought manure couldn't be spread on a frozen field. I went out to test the ground in our yard and found it to be very frozen. Then I wondered if permission was granted because it came from the farmer's cow power generator and that process made it OK. Having a love affair with Lake Champlain and seeing the massive new weed growth in our part of the Lake in just the last few years made me feel an obligation to ask some questions.
During our telephone conversation, you explained that the farmer in question had applied for and received permission from the VT Agriculture Dept to spread manure because his manure pit was full. I understand that all farmers are going through some difficult times with the low price of milk and I'm very sympathetic to their plight. The fact that this farmer applied for a permit is a big plus in my mind. However, I must ask if any due diligence was performed by the farmer or the Ag Department. Didn't they have that obligation?
- Didn't the farmer know he was going to run out of manure pit capacity? He is a skilled businessman and this would seem like a logical projection. Shouldn't he have been applying the manure in November if he thought about his limited capacity?
- Where there any alternatives to spreading the manure in December and were these ever considered?
- I know a farm just up the road from where the Christmas spreading occured and believe that manure pit is empty. Could this have been a better alternative?
- This farmer owns several farms. Did he have capacity in other manure pits?
It would seem to me that the VT Age Department needs to start thinking out of their box. In fact, they have a responsibility to do so. Do they think it is OK to pollute lakes and rivers if it is a financial burden on the farmer? Shouldn't they take a more environmental course of action? The Federal Government, VT, NY and Quebec are spending millions of dollars trying identify the source pollution going into Lake Champlain. It doesn't take a million dollars to understand the pollution farmers are allowed to do by the VT & NY Ag Departments. Shame on them!!!.
Some of my NY coworkers said the saw the same thing happening near Plattsburgh this December. I saw the same thing at a large farm just north of Plattsburgh, on the west side of I-87.
This same St Albans farmer has a corn field about a mile south of Newton Road. A few years ago he dug a ditch to help lower his water table in the field. This was OK, but he plowed his corn field right up to the new drainage ditch. There was no grass buffer between the plowed field and the ditch. All winter we watched runoff from the field dumping onto the ice on Lake Champlain. By spring there was a black stain on the ice extending at least a 100 yards out onto the Lake. Now if a builder/developer did this the St of VT would fine them thousands of dollars. Why do the farmers get away with this type of poor environmental management?
When I was a kid my grandfather farmer always referred to himself as a stewart of the land. Has modern day agricultural economics changed that philosophy?
Several of our neighbors have been talking about this Christmas manure spreading. One said there should be a law requiring farmers to plow all new manure spreading into the ground within 24 hours after spreading. From a layman, this seems like a no brainer. It provides minimal run off and a maximum use of the fertilizer.
I'm not sure that the farmer in question should have the book thrown at him because it seems he acted within the guidelines set by the Ag Dept. It looks like the Ag Department needs to be taken to the wood shed. I hope someone or some agency will start this process.
I appreciate your time. The health of Lake Champlain is an important issue to VT. We are not just an Ag State. If I can be of further assistance feel free to contact me at 802-782-2717.
Sincerely,
David Bray
--- On Wed, 1/6/10, Eric Bretthauer <ciscoguy01@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Eric Bretthauer <ciscoguy01@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Cow Manure
To: davidliza@xxxxxxxxx
Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 7:19 AM
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