OCR Text |
Show A.iri.v lt jiff cll- tM-netf about environmental environ-mental pollution. Often, when they mention tie sources of pollution, agriculture is cited. In fact, with increasing frequency, it is being blamed as a major contributor. con-tributor. This is unfortunate. Traditionally, farmers have been leaders in conservation programs and in recycling of wastes from their animals ani-mals back to the soil to grow crops for food and to feed the animals. Generally, they have done an excellent job, but they are facing new challenges. Shortages of labor and economical necessity of getting larger and more efficient effi-cient had pushed farm- W.N f ilVJlil (if'm.NOVt'N to meclianica 1 labor-saving labor-saving devices now available. They have gone to mechanization and increased theirani-mal theirani-mal numbers in each unit. For example, many da i ry m e n, formerly with 20 or 30 cows, have increased their herds to two or three hundred cows kept at the same location. The problem of adequate corralspace and sufficient land for proper waste disposal and recycling has multiplied multi-plied manifold. Consequently, Conse-quently, more and more of the material is contributing con-tributing to pollution. To get an idea of the waste problem, consider consi-der the fact that there is actually more waste n.ssiii't.'ili'ij L i ( It itfifitt -dirt' loila.v diaii with all municipalities anil industry in-dustry combined. Fortunately, For-tunately, much of it is being handled so as not to contribute to pollution. pol-lution. Livestock produces pro-duces an enormous quantity of this waste. In amount of organic pollution potential, the animal population equivalent equi-valent far exceeds that of the human population. In the Missouri Kivei Basin, the animal population popu-lation equivalent compares com-pares to 370 million-people million-people in terms of the organic load. A feedlot of 60,000 cattle would have the same organic potential as 1,000,000 people. Again, fortunately, fortu-nately, only a small portion por-tion of this potential rver Ijt'i-omivs a pollutant; pollut-ant; most of it is recycled re-cycled into (lie soil lor producing crops. Hut agriculture still has a job to do in eliminating elim-inating pollution where it exists. New federal and stale laws require that wastes be controlled. control-led. The I'tah Water P o 1 1 u t i o n Committee has assigned classifications classifica-tions to all surface waters wa-ters of the state. The water law of 1073 specifies speci-fies that alt wastes discharging dis-charging into these waters wa-ters are to receive secondary se-condary treatment or equivalent by December 31, 1974. Kssentially, this means that dis- '" ,t ' i i i i . i i . . i cliai;i ill' all wiiNlfs Iroiii aKi'ieultiiral oper-alious oper-alious inlu stieains ami waterways will have to hi- ilisconl inued before that time. In most cases it simply isn't practical to provide secondary treatment for agricultural agricul-tural wastes. The new federal law requires essentially the same conditions as the stale law. However, it does have the stipulation stipula-tion that any livestock or poultry operation of more than 100(1 animal units (a unit equivalent to one feeder steer in organic waste load) will have to file for a permit per-mit to discharge bv April If), 1073. |