Rancher Asks More Horn-Tooting
From Colleagues On Environment

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. —(AP)— Livestock producers, who traditionally take pride in their independence, need to start sharing the news about their environmental achievements, according to a Kearney-area farmer and cattle feeder.

"We're the best-kept secret there is out there," said Dick Mercer.

"That's a major part of our problem, that we haven't tooted our horns loud enough or often enough. We've finally reached the stage in ag that if we don't start telling our story, it's going to be too late," he added.

"Economics have brought us to the brink of disaster. We've absolutely got to do everything in our power to tell our side of the story, which hasn't been told in the past," he said. "I try to convey to people that we were the original environmentalists. We are the stewards of the land, not only because we want to be, but because we have to be."

Mercer made these comments during a Feedlot Manure Management 2000 conference in North Platte recently. The event was sponsored by the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Cattlemen organization.

The intent of the program was to introduce principles of manure management to prevent water and air quality concerns, share experiences of producers who are using these principles, and update producers on regulatory requirements and cost share options.

Mercer can back up his opinions with the fact that his operation received a National Cattleman's Beef Association Environmental Stewardship award.

In addition, the Mercer operation has had a 20-year contractual agreement with the City of Kearney to take a certain percentage of animal waste and solid waste from the city's sewer system, compost it and apply it to adjoining farmland as part of a planned fertility program.

From a producer's standpoint, Mercer said an understanding has to be established between the ag production side and government regulators.

"It has to be a two-way path," he said. "We in ag have to convince regulators we need to work side by side or we will not be able to reach an end that will be satisfactory to anybody."

Speaking at the meeting from a public policy perspective, Gene Glock, an ag representative for Sen. Bob Kerrey, said the issue of manure management is a nightmare for politicians because of the variety of constituents that are affected. Glock said Kerrey is disturbed by proposals governing animal feeding operations developed jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He said Kerrey has let it be known to Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman that the proposals lack an understanding of how it may affect operations nationwide by adding costs involved in paperwork and eventual construction.

"It starts out by talking about water quality, but soon it deteriorates into a litany of proposed regulations on all animal feeding operations," Glock said. "Senator Kerrey said not every operation is causing a problem. Some are extremely environmentally conscious and are doing a good job of protecting the natural resources.

"Why should they be burdened by regulations when they're not doing anything wrong?"

Glock said the various quality of life issues associated with livestock operations — odor, water quality and even the influx of large corporate operations — should be dealt with separately.

For example, he said Kerrey believes that the federal government should set scientifically-based standards for what are considered safe levels of nutrients in water. Once these are set, states should be given the responsibility to meet those standards.

"It's got to be done on a localized level," Glock said.

"You can't write Best Management Practices in Washington and impose them on every operation in the United States.," he said. "Local people know how to achieve those standards. And they will do it."