Environmental Assessment Tools and Methodologies for Evaluating Livestock Operations

An Abstract of the presentation made to the EPA Regional Science Workshop on Animal Feeding Operations

Dr. Mark Risse,
The University of Georgia Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering,
706-542-9067,
mrisse@engr.uga.edu

There are numerous environmental assessment tools and methodologies available for producers and third parties to evaluate their environmental performance and identify risks. While detailed scientific data on the effectiveness of these various tools and methods is often lacking, antidotal evidence and comparisons of the various approaches can yield useful conclusions. In this presentation, several of the most well known tools with proven effectiveness will be identified and discussed. These will be broken down by the delivery agencies:

1. US Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service
2. US Environmental Protection Agency
3. Cooperative State Research, Extension and Education Service
4. State Level Ag. Partnerships and Programs
5. Commodity Groups and Third Parties
6. Conclusion: Elements of Successful Programs