Table of contents
- 2023 Harvest Sample Program
- Apply for a cash advance under the Advance Payments Program
- Apply now for an Agricultural Society Innovation Award
- Artificial intelligence, the food sector and the consumer
- Cattle on feed reports show tighter supplies
- Cow inventories – Are we still liquidating
- Feed barley prices are moderating
- Feeder cattle prices are strong
- Forage sources
- Improving on-farm irrigation systems
- Lamb market trends
- Perseverance in the pork sector
- Pet ownership and pet food trends
- Rebuilding Alberta’s cattle herd
- The value of straw
- U.S. hog contraction still ahead
- What to do when crop prices are volatile
- CropChoices updated for 2022
- Agri-News – Newsletter archive
- Elm pruning ban starts April 1
- Nominations open for Agriculture Hall of Fame 2022
- 2022 Crop considerations
- AgriProfit$ cow/calf benchmark report
- Register for Open Farm Days 2022
- Cropping Alternatives 2022 now available
- Preventing wildfires is always in season
- Canadian crop movement
- Certified seed costs
- 2021 Agricultural Society Innovation Award recipients
- Ocean shipping rates – what do they mean for Canadian exporters
- Participate in Halal Expo Canada
- Caution when winter burning
- Understanding canola basis
- Nitrogen prices and exports
- Take part in the SIAL Canada trade mission
- Consider the right time for manure or compost application
- High crop prices vs low 2021 crop yields
- The gift of an Alberta Christmas tree
- Great gifts for commercial producers
- Stocking stuffers for livestock producers
- Invitation to dairy farmers
- Apply for an Agricultural Society Innovation Award
- Growing gifts for gardening enthusiasts
- Canadian crop usage
- Cattle prices and above-average sales
- Alberta Open Farm Days a big success
- Better safe than sorry with winter burning
- Natural gas prices
- Consider the right source of manure or compost for field application
- Stored canola is well worth protecting
- Dealing with food loss and waste
- Live cattle imports and cattle slaughter both higher
- COVID-19 and demand for e-commerce
- Sugar beets are important to Alberta’s economy
- The canola market – sell, replace or hold
- Canadian Agricultural Partnership Farm Technology program
- Canadian Agricultural Partnership Water program
- Diagnosing pesky forest pests
- Field selection for fall manure or compost application
- Alberta lamb prices continue to be strong
- Harvest Sample Program
- 2021 Alberta nitrogen prices
- Prevent lead poisoning on pastures
- Be in the know this wildfire season
- A canola pricing option to consider
- Sign up now for the 2022 Dairy Cost Study
- Richardson’s Ground Squirrel control
- FireSmart your spring cleaning – Around your home
- COVID-19 and meat price trends
- Alberta rat control - taking care of business
- Forward pricing wheat
- FireSmart your spring cleaning – Around your property
- Crop Reporting Program
- Alberta approved farmers' markets now open
- Albertans can do their part to prevent wildfires
- Minimal canola carryover
- Hard work pays off for Sherwood Park-based company
- May gardening possibilities based on frost probabilities
- Cattle on feed inventories
- Using the Alberta Climate Information Service Fusarium Risk Tool
- The Canadian dollar and commodity prices
- Okotoks-based company wins gold at SIAL’s Innovation competition
- Dangers of blue-green algae
- Help protect Alberta’s beautiful elm trees
- Weather and weather data at your fingertips
- Fed cattle prices holding strong
- Fireworks and exploding targets can cause wildfires
- Put option basics
- Risk to bighorn sheep and mountain goat populations
- Lamb and sheep market update
- Interactive export catalogue launched
- Global appetite for pork
- COVID-19 and foodservice trends
- Video Ante-Mortem Inspection program
- Crop prices have fallen - back to marketing basics
- 2022 Alberta canola seed costs
- Register for Getting Into Food Service
- Sheep industry fares well despite challenges
- Canadian canola crop prospects
- Register for Vendor 101 training
- Learn about the legalities of the food co-packing industry
- Bunnies and biosecurity – What you can do
- Canola crop options – Sell, replace or store
- Optimism for fall calf prices
- Smaller cow herd seems likely
- Determine the right rate for manure or compost application
- Agricultural Society Innovation Award accepting applications
- Get an assessment of your grain’s quality
- AgriProfits supports the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network
- Alberta and U.S. cattle price spreads
- Advance Payments Program
- Change in AOPA Livestock Type Calculator
- Consider short-term in-field manure storage
- Uncertainties in the lamb market
- Keep safe burning practices top of mind
- The Pacific Northwest – A priority export market for Alberta companies
- Learn about exporting to the U.S. Midwest
- Growing opportunities for health products in the Mexican market
- Canadian crop deliveries and exports
- AgriProfits – Dairy Cost Study program
- Accessing free market intelligence
- Alberta hay prices
- Improve returns from culled cows
- Understanding the basis for crops
- 2022 Cattle market review
- Getting more Alberta products on the shelf
- Communication - A key to any successful business
- Register for the Farm to Market to Table Conference
- Check those bins
- Winter manure management considerations
- Recognizing innovative agricultural societies
- Cattle by the numbers
- Canola price seasonality
- Jack Lewis inducted into the Agriculture Hall of Fame
- Tracking environmentally sustainable agriculture in Alberta
- Bruce Beattie inducted into Agriculture Hall of Fame
- COVID-19 and healthy food trends
- Simone Demers-Collins inducted into Agriculture Hall of Fame
- 2022 Alberta lamb and sheep market update
- Assess manure storage and wintering site locations
- Register for Open Farm Days 2023
- Cropping Alternatives 2023 now available
- La Nina boosts Australian crop production
- Hog market update
- COVID-19 and vitamins and supplements
- Guidelines add clarity when investigating sites for manure facilities
- Strong Canadian crop movement to date
- Keep your Premises Identification account up to date
- CropChoice$ updated for 2023
- U.S. Choice-Select boxed beef price spread
- Trends that will shape the grocery industry in 2023
- How to use CropChoice$
- Retail and foodservice sales slowly returning to pre-pandemic normal
- Why bighorn sheep and domestic sheep or goats should not mix
- 2023 Crop Reporting program
- Canadian canola market
- 2023 Alberta approved farmers' markets now open
- Dangers of blue-green algae when temperatures rise
- Can Canada see beef herd expansion in 2023?
- Canola usage remains strong
- Lamb and sheep market remains resilient
- Benefits of installing shallow buried pasture water pipelines
- Oat price outlook improves
See event listings and more articles in this edition of Agri-News: March 27, 2023 issue
“These technical guidelines were developed by the Technical Advisory Group, a partnership among the Government of Alberta, the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) and the agriculture industry, to add clarity to the regulations under the Agricultural Operation Practices Act (AOPA),” says Vince Murray, AOPA engineer with the Alberta government.
As required by the AOPA, a permit must be obtained prior to constructing a new manure storage or manure collection area. Applications for these permits are made to the NRCB. For more information on who requires a permit, see the AOPA Reference Guide.
AOPA addresses groundwater resource protection for all manure facilities (for solid and liquid manure) by requiring either a protective layer or liner as per Section 9 of the Standards and Administration Regulation. A subsoil investigation is usually required to obtain the information necessary to support an application for a new or expanding manure facility.
“Producers must decide the type of groundwater protection they wish to utilize,” explains Murray. “There are several options available: naturally occurring protective layers, compacted soil liners and manufactured liners such as concrete, steel or synthetics (plastic). Sometimes the decision is made by the production system. For example, a concrete floor is often the liner of choice in a barn. At other times, the subsurface soil conditions determine what options are or are not available.”
Information common for all subsoil investigations is found in the technical guideline, Subsoil Investigations for Manure Storage Facilities and Manure Collection Areas. This guideline provides consistent processes and methodologies for determining depth to the water table and the uppermost groundwater resource. The remaining guidelines are used to support investigations for groundwater protection systems using soil either as it occurs naturally, or as a compacted liner.
If the water table and upper groundwater resource conditions are suitable, then the technical guideline, Subsoil Investigations for Naturally Occurring Protective Layers, can be used to determine if natural soil layers meet requirements. This guideline provides recommendations on:
- the number, location and depth of test holes
- methods for testing hydraulic conductivity
- reporting
“The guideline allows for flexibility in the evaluation. Subsoil investigations can incorporate either laboratory test methods or field test methods. Protocols allow for the reduction in the number of hydraulic conductivity tests when soils are consistent across the site. Options are also available when encountering natural variations at the site.”
If a naturally occurring protective layer is not viable, the Subsoil Investigations for Compacted Soil Liners guideline can be used to assess if a compacted soil liner is an option. This guideline provides clarity on:
- the number of test locations
- test methods
- the hydraulic conductivity values used for liner design
- reporting requirements
“Sometimes an investigation will find the soil conditions do not meet the specific AOPA hydraulic conductivity and thickness requirements,” says Murray. “The regulations, however, do allow protective layers and liners that provide equivalent protection. The final guideline in the series, Determining Equivalent Protective Layers and Constructed Liners, provides a consistent method to determine this equivalency.”
There are 2 potential situations where this equivalency guideline is applicable:
- the soil layer may have a better hydraulic conductivity than required but not have the thickness, or
- no soil layer has the hydraulic conductivity required but the layer(s) is thicker than required
This series of guidelines is published on the Open Government Portal and can be obtained from Agriculture and Irrigation’s Manure management guidelines and legislation web page or by calling the Publications Office at 780-427-0391. Dial 310-0000 to be connected toll-free.
They are also available on the NRCB’s web page, under Documents.
Contact
Connect with 310-FARM for more information:
Phone: 310-FARM (3276)
Email: [email protected]
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