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 State of Environment Reporting
How
Can We Farm and Protect Water Quality?
Liquid
Manure Storage Capacity in the Lower Fraser
Valley
SOURCE:
State of Resources Report, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries,
2002. Notes: Only farms that reported a gross return of greater
than $25,000 in 1995 were used. Sample size for dairy is 144 farms
and for hog it is 37 farms.
How
can we farm and protect water quality?
- Managing
livestock manures in a responsible manner
is a key to environmental sustainability
on livestock farms. Manures, which can
be stored during the non-cropping and/or
rainy season, can be recycled to provide
nutrients to crops during the growing
season, thereby preventing escape into
surface and groundwater.
- Coastal
farmers are restricted from applying manures
in November, December and January. Farmers
with 150 days manure storage capacity
are able to meet this requirement and
apply manure in a legal and responsible
manner.
- In
1998, roughly 40% of dairy and hog farms
in the Lower Fraser Valley had greater
than 150 days manure storage.
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