Session 3 Journal

By:  Aaron Highstreet

The third session of the dairy leaders program was held in Modesto Oct. 23-24, 2002, and dealt with the environmental issues affecting dairies. Western United Dairymen’s environmental services coordinator, Paul Martin, organized the session. Mr. Martin wanted to give the class members a feel for how other agencies view the dairy industry. Class members moderated panel discussions, which gave us the opportunity to ask questions and gain further understanding.

Our first speaker on Wednesday morning was Bill Jennings from an environmental group called DeltaKeepers. DeltaKeepers is a grassroots organization established seven years ago that patrols waterways looking for violations. They also monitor pathogen and pollutant levels in surface water. According to Mr. Jennings, pollutant levels in our water are increasing as the population continues to grow in the Valley. Mr. Jennings would like to see all dairies certified through a program like the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program.

Next we had a Water Quality Panel Discussion with Thomas Harter, U.C. Davis Groundwater Researcher; Polly Lowry, Water Quality Control Board; John Menke, State Water Resources Control Board; and Lynn Kuo, US-EPA Region 9.

  1. Polly Lowry shared with us about the new guidelines for Confined Animal Feeding Operations. Existing guidelines were set up 30 years ago and they will terminate at the end of this year. New guidelines will focus on groundwater quality and the need for inspections at each dairy.
  2. John Menke discussed the need for dairymen to try to understand environmentalist concerns and support environmental protection.
  3. Lynn Kuo talked about her job as a civil enforcement officer for the EPA. She also wanted everyone to know that the EPA does not want to shut down all dairies, but they will pursue dairies that deliberately pollute waterways.
  4. Thomas Harter presented a groundwater study done in the Hilmar area that looked at the effects of manure application on fields. Mr. Harter said that the biggest influence on the amount of nitrogen found in the groundwater was field application of manure, not pond or corral leakage. By measuring the amount of nitrogen in manure you can more accurately apply the amount of nutrients a crop needs and lessen the negative effects on ground water quality.

On Wednesday afternoon we had our Air Quality Panel Discussion.

  1. Dave Mitchell from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District outlined the air issues facing dairies. Dairies have been identified as a large and growing source of Reactive Organic Gases (ROG) and Particulate Matter less than 10 microns (MP10). Air issues in the dairy industry are very complex and need more research to better understand the level of emissions and possible control methods.
  2. Matt Summers an Air Quality Engineer from CDFA noted that air quality in California is not getting worse, but it is not getting better fast enough. As the Valley’s population increases, the focus on agriculture as a pollutant source will intensify.
  3. Patrick Gaffney from the California Air Resource Board discussed how agricultural emissions vary substantially by type of operation and the time of the year. Current ROG estimations for dairies are based on a limited study from 1938. We need more research with good science. Mr. Gaffney stressed that agriculture needed to proactive, or it is likely that others will force actions upon us.

Our last panel discussion on Wednesday dealt with Permitting and Planning of Dairies.

  1. Jeff Palsgaard, Merced County Department of Environmental Health, offered insight into the new regulations facing dairies. The Merced County Board of Supervisors recently completed a programmatic environmental impact report and the animal confinement ordinance.
  2. Bill Zumwalt, planning director of Kings County, noted the high unemployment rate in Kings County and the need for dairies to stimulate jobs. Kings County made the dairy permitting issue a priority and recently completed an EIR for the county.
  3. Tom Terpstra, attorney at law, discussed how regulations have changed tremendously; he sees regulation increasing in the future. Agriculture has many issues that can be debated because they are not based on a proven science.

Thursday morning we started out with a field trip to the Modesto Tallow Company. Jeff Podesto, owner, shared his experiences with air quality issues that the company has faced with its neighbors. The plant has installed high-tech equipment in order to reduce the odor produced in the rendering process. Mr. Podesto advised our class to stay on top of the issues facing the dairy industry and to get the message out that the inexpensive price for food in the U.S. is what drives our economy.

Next Martha Guzman and Eva Vasquez-Camacho for the UFW of America spoke to the class about “Environmental Justice”. Environmental justice deals with issues regarding poor water quality in farming communities and the fact that three-fourths of the nation’s landfills are in communities of color.

After lunch, Chuck Sant’Agata, American Lung Association of California, talked about how everyone in the Valley is affected by air quality. He stated that California’s Central Valley has one of the highest incidences of asthma anywhere in the country. Agriculture is a part of the problem and needs to do all it can to reduce air pollution.

Our last panel discussion for the day dealt with the progress and evolution of the San Joaquin Valley.

  1. Alan Dusault, Sustainable Conservation, offered insight into how the dairy industry needs to look for an intersection between the environment and agriculture. Dairy regulations will increase with time, and agricultural leaders need to let their voice be heard along with environmentalists.
  2. Holly King, Great Valley Center, talked about how the urbanization of the Valley brings with it increased environmental issues. Agriculture needs to look at ways to conserve its best land through programs like conservation easements.
  3. Ray Souza, past president of WUD, discussed with the class how much the dairy industry has changed in his lifetime. He encouraged the leaders group to get involved in politics and be proactive on environmental issues facing the industry. We are all environmentalists and we need to let people know that.

The third session of the dairy leaders program was very informative. At times I think we were all a bit overwhelmed with all of the issues that face our industry. It is important for the dairy industry to have well educated professionals like Paul Martin to represent us as environmental issues arise, and it is important for everyone in the industry to be involved.