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Had a check-up lately?

While an annual physical check-up is a good idea for everybody, an On-Farm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER) is also prudent for Ohio’s livestock, dairy and poultry farms, said David White, executive director of the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC), which recently became the promotional and administrative agent of the program in Ohio.

Goals of the program are to promote environmental stewardship, minimize livestock impact on watersheds, improve public perception of livestock production and move agriculture, particularly animal production agriculture, toward self-regulation.

"Participating in the program provided us with the confidence that we had not overlooked an environmental problem on the farm," said Tony Bornhorst, who along with his brother, Ted, owns, operates and manages a hog farm near Fort Loramie, and recently had consultants from OFAER assess their operation. "Going through the program raised our awareness that we were doing things right in our operation."

Like a comprehensive physical exam, OFAER provides a critical overview of beef, dairy, poultry and pork farms’ overall site management, livestock housing and feeding systems, manure management, nutrient management, livestock mortality management and non-regulatory assessment of the livestock production site. The resulting confidential verbal and written report identifies strengths, challenges and recommendations for use in the livestock, dairy or poultry operation as the farmer chooses.

All sizes of beef, dairy, poultry, turkey or pork operations are eligible to participate. Data from the program indicates that environmental issues are similar in type no matter what the size of the operation and that well-managed operations of any size can be environmentally successful. When risks are identified, producers find that by addressing such areas several valuable benefits occur – reduction in potential liability exposure, enhancement in community acceptance, and savings in operating costs and expenses.

An on-farm assessment and review is the logical next step for producers who have already conducted a self-analysis and evaluation of their operations by participating in the Livestock Environmental Assurance Program (LEAP) and want to make sure they have not overlooked any problems. LEAP is also coordinated and administered by OLC in cooperation with USDA/NRCS, Ohio Federation of SWCDs, Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Soil & Water Conservation.

Unlike a visit to the physician’s office, the OFAER is free to the producer. Also, when risk areas are identified on farms, most of these risks can be addressed by developing and implementing best management practices (BMPs). Specifically, more than 90 percent of the risks identified have been addressed by BMPs. Structural changes were needed to address only 9 percent of the identified risks. And, cost-share funding for such practices and structures may be available from the USDA/NRCS or the local SWCD office.

For additional information about the OFAER program, contact the OLC by e-mail at dwhite@ofbf.org or by phone at 614-249-2435.