Manure and Nutrient Management plans balance nutrient application with crop removal of nutrients in order to prevent excess nutrients from seeping into groundwater or running of into local waterways. Nutrients in runoff from farming operations are considered non-point source pollution and affect local streams, the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Click to Watch “On the Field, In the Barn & By the Stream”

In Pennsylvania, regardless of scale, every farm that has animals or spreads manure needs some type of plan to manage the manure. All animal operations in Pennsylvania are required to have one of two types of plans:

Chapter 91 Manure Management Plan

Act 38 Nutrient Management Plan.

So What Type do I Need?

The type of plan needed depends on the number of animals and the acres available to spread the manure.

If your operation involves a large quantity of animals, it could be a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). Follow this link Is My Operation a CAFO to see if it meets the requirements.

Farms that are not CAFOs but have more than 2 of animal equivalent units (AEUs) per acre are considered concentrated animal operations (CAOs) and need to have nutrient management plan (NMP).  For help determining this, you may contact the Agricultural Resource Conservationist at the Conservation District by calling 570-726-3798 or you can calculate your AEUs per acre using the Agronomy Facts 54 fact sheet from Penn State University.

Farms with less than 2 AEUs per acre need a manure management plan (MMP)

Nutrient management plans must be written by a certified plan writer.  Most other farms need a simpler Manure Management Plan This plan gives a farmer guidance for how much manure to spread on each crop, identifies places on the farm not to spread manure due to the risk of polluting water, and makes sure the muddy barnyard water is treated before it reaches a stream or sinkhole.

For farmers wishing to build their own plan please see our Manure Management Planning Page

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