Blog post via Conservation News
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"When most people think of New Hampshire NRCS programs, they might think of high tunnels, soil health, hay land seedings, or even forestry work. What producers may not know is that we also offer technical advice, designs, and cost share for responsible waste management on farm headquarters as well.
Through the Environmental Quality incentives program (EQIP), NRCS assists our local livestock and vegetable producers to responsibly manage their waste through systems such as composting, manure storage, manure handling, and heavy use area protection practices.
Runoff from improperly stored manure can accumulate during rainfall events and enter our clean waterways. Although most manure and compost waste is an organic material, it contains high levels of what we call limiting nutrients. When these limiting nutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous enter the water, they feed large outbreaks of bacteria and algae that in high numbers harm the native animals and vegetation. The same process can occur through nutrient leaching where Nitrogen seeps through the ground and enters our groundwater, including wells and aquifers. During the summer months this may not be as bad of an issue, as animals on farms are usually out on pasture, or the manure from animals in barns can be spread on fields. The same goes for composted scraps and manure. The greatest challenge comes when we need to manage the manure that gets concentrated on the farmstead in the winter months, when animals are not grazing, and spreading manure on fields isn’t an option."
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