Building and Maintaining Good Relationships with Neighbors

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Building and Maintaining Good Relationships with
Neighbors

• Dennis R. Frame
• Director U.W. Discovery Farms
• University of Wisconsin - Extension

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Lets start with why this is important
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Lets start with why this is important

• Does the average citizen understand your
  business?

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Lets start with why this is important

• Does the average citizen understand your
  business?
• Does the average citizen support/value your
  business?

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Lets start with why this is important

• Does the average citizen understand your
  business?
• Does the average citizen support/value your
  business?
• Do your neighbors have an influence on whether
  you stay in business?

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www.factoryfarm.org
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Can we all agree that image is very important to
any industry?
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Can we all agree that image is very important to
any industry?

• It may be one of the driving factors in the
  survival of your operations and your ability to
  compete.

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What people say they are concerned about

• Effect of an operation on water quality

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What people say they are concerned about

• Effect of an operation on water quality
• Effect of an operation on air quality

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What people say they are concerned about

• Effect of an operation on water quality
• Effect of an operation on air quality
• Effect of an operation on property values

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What people say they are concerned about

• Effect of an operation on water quality
• Effect of an operation on air quality
• Effect of an operation on property values
• Effect of an operation on roads
• Effect of an operation on other farms

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Break talk into key concerns

• Negative affects on the environment
• Odors and air quality
• Noise, dust and light pollution
• Traffic and equipment on roads
• Reduction of property values
• Loss of the family farm
• Being viewed as an important member of a
  neighborhood and community

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Negative affects on the environment

• There is no excuse for not having a plan to
  handle and apply nutrients and to control soil
  losses in a manner that minimizes potential
  affects on either surface or groundwater quality
  and quantity.

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Negative affects on the environment

• That means that all of you need to have a soil
  conservation plan implemented on your operation
  that, at the very least, indicates you are
  farming within tolerable soil loss levels (T).
• Keep it updated
• Work with your local conservation agencies so
  that they know you are meeting or exceeding sound
  conservation management

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Negative affects on the environment

• That means that all of you need to implement a
  nutrient management plan that guarantees you are
  applying nutrients in accordance with state and
  federal guidelines
• At a minimum it should be nitrogen based
• Preferably it should be phosphorus based
• Plan should include all maps, soil and manure
  tests, application records, etc.

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Negative affects on the environment

• Nutrient Management Plan
• Plan must identify and set forth provision for
  nutrient applications in sensitive areas
• Waterways, streams and/or lakes
• Shallow soils or wetlands
• Karst topography
• Plan must identify how farm is going to handle
  manure on frozen and snow covered ground.

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Negative affects on the environment

• Nutrient Management Plan
• How is manure going to be handled in transport to
  the field (hose, trucks, tractors, etc.)?
• How is manure going to be applied to the field
  (surface applied or incorporated)?
• Application rates must prevent ponding or the
  appearance of over application.

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Negative affects on the environment

• All discussions and training on manure
  application should focus on the value of manure
  as an organic source of nutrients.
• Manure is not a waste product. Manure is a
  co-product of the dairy industry.

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Odors and air quality

• Most concerns about livestock operations center
  around odors and air quality.
• These are not the same issues.

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Odors and air quality

• Air quality measurements can be taken at a
  variety of places (property line, exhaust fans,
  next to buildings, etc.)
• Hydrogen sulfide
• Ammonia
• Carbon dioxide
• Particulate matter (TSP, PM10, PM2.5)
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

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Odors and air quality

• EPA is starting a national study on agricultural
  impacts on air quality.
• Pork and poultry producers are working closely
  with EPA on this study.
• This will set the standards for testing and, most
  likely, the state standards for agricultural air
  quality rules.

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Odors

• Odor is usually one of the key complaints on
  livestock facilities.
• Evaluate prevailing winds when siting any
  operation.
• Minimize practices that increase odors (agitating
  manure pits, dirty conditions, etc.)
• Keep your operation clean. Studies by NPPC
  indicate that neat operations receive less
  complaints.

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Odors

• Solid manure is generally less odorous than
  liquid.
• Incorporation of manure decreases odors
• Odors can also come from feed, particularly by
  products and leachate.
• All farms have odors. You cannot guarantee an
  odor free environment. Talk about level of odor
  intensity and number of days

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Noise, dust and light pollution

• Hearing increasing concerns about light and noise
  pollution
• From the operation
• Equipment
• Animals
• From planting and harvesting of crops
• From other field operations (tillage, manure,
  etc.)
• Dust from lots and fields

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Noise and light pollution

• Just because you work around the clock doesnt
  mean that your neighbors want to be awake with
  you.
• Think about what work can be done during normal
  waking hours.
• Placement of lights around facilities
• Excessive noise by employees
• Headlights shining through windows (fences)

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Traffic and equipment on roads

• People worry about the damage to the roads, but
  they also worry about their safety and the safety
  of their children.
• Heavy equipment on roads
• Excessive travel speeds
• Manure and feed spilled on the road

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Reduction of property values

• Fears that living next to a factory farm will
  reduce property values
• Keep operation clean
• Be respectful of neighbors

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Loss of the family farm

• Be sensitive to the issue
• It should not be a we versus them environment.
• Agriculture needs to understand that we need all
  types of operations and that every operation can
  have value.

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Being viewed as an important member of a
neighborhood and community
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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Be open and honest with your neighbors and
  community
• Welcome tours of your operation (school children,
  elected officials, agriculture groups,
  environmental groups, neighbors, etc.)
• Respect and be open to your neighbors concerns
  and try and address them on a professional level

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Be active in your community and attend meetings,
  participate in local activities
• To be viewed as an important member of the
  community, you must be concerned about your local
  community and you must participant in the local
  decision process.

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Be active in your community and attend meetings,
  participate in local activities
• Sponsor local team or activity
• Sponsor FFA events or children to attend state or
  national events
• Host events, field days

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Be open and honest with your neighbors and
  community
• Dont spread manure on weekends and/or holidays
  unless absolutely necessary.
• Give neighbors notice (48 72 hours) prior to
  spreading manure on fields near their homes. If
  they have an event planned, respect their plans.
• Incorporate manure when manure is applied near
  sensitive areas (schools, day care, etc.)

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Manure spreading
• Keep the road clean as much as possible
• Provide neighbors with car wash coupons

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Have an emergency action plan and train your
  employees how to handle emergencies
• Manure spills
• Chemical spills
• Someone getting injured
• Involve local agency and business people in your
  training activities

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Teach your employees how to talk to and deal with
  your neighbors and have a clear chain of
  command for who handles complaints or concerns.
• Let others know who they are to talk to if they
  have concerns.

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How to be viewed as an important member of the
community

• Maintain a clean and professional appearance for
  your operation
• How do you handle mortalities?
• How do you handle flies?
• Keep the facilities in good repair.
• Keep the area around the facilities clean and
  orderly.

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Conclusion

• As agriculture consolidates and gets larger, we
  must present a positive outward appearance of
  ourselves and our businesses.
• Farmers must be engaged in their community and
  treat people honestly and with respect.

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Conclusion

• Public relations is a job just like feeding and
  caring for cattle. Someone on your operation
  needs to have a plan in place to deal with your
  neighbors and community.
• Farmers need to be approachable and open to
  dealing with the concerns of their neighbors and
  community.

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