National AgriEnvironmental Stewardship Program Beneficial Management Practices

1
National Agri-Environmental Stewardship
ProgramBeneficial Management Practices

• SNOWS CWRA Workshop
• June 3, 2003
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2
BMPs Outcome Statement

• Accelerated adoption of Beneficial Management
  Practices (BMPs) and the use of decision making
  tools

3
National BMP Committee

• AAFC National Committee has developed a set of
  criteria and list of BMPs to guide the
  development of federal incentive program in each
  Province
• Federal/Provincial Working Committees will select
  regional specific BMPs to address environmental
  issues in each province
• Provincial BMPs must be meet and be consistent
  with national criteria/principles

4
Criteria for Selecting BMPs

• 1) Addresses the APF Priorities
• Addresses one of the 14 priority areas
  (Sec.24.1.1 to 24.1.4)
• Identified as a priority in EFP action plan
• 2) Environmental Effectiveness
• Practices widely accepted within the agricultural
  sector to be effective at reducing risk or
  improving the environment
• Practical, realistic response to reducing risk
• Scientifically sound
• Regional climatic/landscape differences will be
  taken into consideration

5
Criteria for Selecting BMPs

• 3) Cost Effectiveness
• Implementation of a BMP should result in cost
  effective reduction of on-farm environmental risk
• Cumulative benefits for all stakeholders must be
  greater than the total costs in the long term
• 4) Sustainable/Long Term Impact
• Practices must have a long term benefit
• Support for practices that are not permanent must
  be such that the producer will likely continue
  implementation on his own after the incentive has
  been paid.

6
Criteria for Selecting BMPs

• 5) Public Benefits
• There should be significant public benefit from
  practices that are supported by incentive funding
• 6) WTO Compatible
• Eligibility for incentives determined by clearly
  defined criteria and dependent on fulfillment of
  specific conditions of APF
• Amount of incentive limited to extra costs or
  loss of income involved in implementing practice
• 7) Compatibility with APF and other government
  initiatives/objectives
• Must not be at cross purposes with other
  government initiatives

7
Funding

• Maximum incentive available to any one producer
  over the 5 years will be 30,000
• Province can adjust to lower maximum
• Federal cost sharing
• up to 50
• e.g. manure storage 30
• Federal/Provincial Cost sharing
• Up to 75

8
BMPs/EFPs/Scans/Greencover

• Environmental Farm Plan or equivalent is the
  entry point to receiving incentives
• Provincial scans will identify priority issues
• Integration of EFP, BMPs and Greencover
  seamless to producer

9
BMP Categories

• 1) Improved Manure storage and handling (existing
  operations)
• Increased storage to meet winter spreading
  restrictions
• Improved features to prevent risks of leaks and
  spills
• Slurry storage covers to reduce odours and GHG
  emissions
• Runoff containment systems for solid manure
• 2) Manure Application and Treatment
• Specialized/modification to equipment for
  improved land application
• Dewatering systems, nutrient recovery systems

10
BMP Categories

• In Barn Improvements
• more efficient livestock watering devices and
  cleanout systems to reduce water use
• 4) Farmyard Runoff Control
• Upstream diversion around farmyards and livestock
  facilities
• Downstream protection catch basins, retention
  ponds, constructed wetlands

11
BMP Categories

• 5) Relocation of Livestock Confinement Facilities
• Relocation of corrals, paddocks and wintering
  sites away from riparian areas
• Wintering Site Management
• shelter portable windbreaks, shelterbelts
• Mobile water systems pumps (solar, wind)
• Field access lane improvements
• Fence modifications

12
BMP Categories

• 7) Product and Waste Management
• Improved on-farm storage and handling of
  fertilizer, petroleum products and pesticides
• Improved on-farm storage, handling and disposal
  of livestock mortilies
• Water Well Management
• sealing and capping old water wells
• Protecting existing water wells from surface
  contamination

13
BMP Categories

• 9) Riparian Area Management
• Remote watering systems to manage livestock
• Buffer strip establishment forages, shrubs,
  trees
• Fencing to manage grazing and improve riparian
  condition/function
• Native rangeland restoration or establishment
• Grazing management in surrounding upland
  watering systems and cross fencing

14
BMP Categories

• 10) Erosion Control Measures
• constructed works contour terraces, gully
  stabilization, bank stabilization, drop inlet
  systems and in-channel control, sediment traps
• forage establishment in critical areas (e.g
  stripcropping, grassed waterways, steep slopes)
• Straw mulching
• Grazing management in critical erosion areas not
  associated with riparian areas watering systems,
  cross fencing

15
BMP Categories

• 11) Improved Seeding Systems
• narrow openers on seeding implements for low
  disturbance placement of seed and fertilizer
• Winter Cover Crops (non-economic)
• fall seeded winter cover crops for erosion
  control on row or specialty cropped land.
  Incentive is one time payment and crop cannot be
  harvested or grazed

16
BMP Categories

• 13) Improved Pest Management
• - Specialized/modification to equipment for
  improved application of pest control technology
  and monitoring of pest populations
• 14) Nutrient Recovery from Waste Water
• - recycling of waste water water streams from
  milkhouses, fruit and vegetable washing
  facilities and greenhouses

17
BMP Categories

• 15) Irrigation Efficiency
• equipment modification/improvement to increase
  water use efficiency
• 16) Shelterbelt Establishment
• establishment of shelterbelts for farmyard,
  livestock facilities, dugout snow trap, wildlife
  enhancement, reduce field size

18
BMP Categories

• Alien Species Control
• Integrated approaches for control of alien
  species (leafy spurge, purple loosestrife,
  scentless chamomile)
• Enhancing Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity
• Forage buffer strips
• Off site water systems
• Improved grazing systems
• Shelterbelt establishment
• Hayland management (flushing bars)

19
BMP Categories

• Species at Risk
• Off site watering systems
• Improved grazing systems
• Shelterbelt establishment
• Nest structures, relocation of fences and other
  infrastructure
• Preventing Wildlife Damage
• Forage buffer strips
• Fencing to protect stored feed, concentrated
  livestock and other agricultural activities
• Scaring and repellant systems and devices

20
BMP Categories

• 21) Nutrient Management Planning
• 22) Integrated Pest Management Planning
• 23) Grazing Management Planning
• 24) Soil Erosion Control Planning
• 25) Biodiversity Enhancement Planning

21
Ineligible Items

• Building repair and maintenance
• Farm machinery and equipment
• Field drainage for production purposes
• Irrigation equipment
• Feed and feed rations
• Land costs

• Land clearing
• Legal fees
• Tame forage rejuvenation
• Transportation payments
• On going annual acreage payments
• Development of domestic water supply

22
Technology Transfer/Extension

• There are a number of BMPs that are best
  addressed through technology transfer
• .e.g. livestock nutrition, extending rotations,
  fallow reduction, soil testing, tame forage
  rejuvenation, etc.
• Need to ensure adequate technical information and
  assistance available through existing agencies

23
BMP Linkages to Other Initiatives

• NLWIS NAHARP
• NWSEP (National Water Supply Expansion Program)
• Farming Systems and Practices - Research
• Technology Assessment - Research
• GHG Mitigation Program
• Environment Canada, Health Canada and
  Environmental Agencies (e.g Ducks Unlimited
  Canada)

24
Summary

• National criteria and principles will form the
  basis for designing federal incentive program in
  each Province
• Implementation or Working Group committees in
  each Province will design the final BMP list

25
Questions

• ?