Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

The Agricultural Guidelines Development Committee was mandate to develop guidelines for livestock operations that would form the basis of regulations and functioning of the Farm Practices Protection Board. The Guidelines are used as a current reference to describe the evolution of modern livestock management practices when reviewing livestock regulations under The Environment Act and in the planning process at the municipal level.
 

• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
• Manitoba Conservation
• Manitoba Water Stewardship
• Manitoba Intergovernmental Affairs
• Manitoba Health
• Manitoba Competitiveness, Training and Trade
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

• Manitoba Pork Council
• Keystone Agricultural Producers
• Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences
• Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute
• Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
• Association of Manitoba Municipalities

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Introduction

Table of Contents

List of Tables

Section 1: Purpose of Guidelines

1.1 Guideline Objectives
1.2 Background
1.3 Dealing with Nuisances
1.4 Dealing with the Environment

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2.1 The Farm Practices Protection Act
2.2 The Environment Act
2.3 The Pesticides and Fertilizers Control Act
2.4 The Planning Act
2.4.1 Provincial Land Use Policies
2.4.2 Development plan
2.4.2.1 Livestock Operation Policy
2.4.3 Zoning By-law
2.5 The Water Rights Act
2.6 The Water Protection Act

Section 3: Manure Handling and Storage

3.1 Solids Content
3.2 System Components
3.3 Equipment Selection and Maintenance
3.4 Planning a Manure Storage Structure
3.4.1 Permits
3.4.2 Location
3.4.3 Size
3.5 Storage Types
3.5.1 Earthen Storage Structures
3.5.1.1 Protection of Earthen Structures
3.5.1.2 Earthen Storage Designs
3.5.1.3 Construction Requirements
3.5.1.4 Groundwater Pollution Concerns
3.5.2 Concrete and Steel Structures for Liquid Manure
3.5.3 Field Storage
3.5.4 Earthen and Concrete Pads for Solid Manure
3.5.5 Alternative Housing Systems
3.6 Manure Pathogens
3.7 Safety
3.7.1 Dangerous Manure Gases
3.8 Reporting Spills
3.9 Registration of a Manure Storage Structure Without a Permit
3.10 Decommissioning Manure Storage Structures

Section 4: Application of Manure

4.1 Manure - An Agronomic Resource
4.1.1 Manure as a Fertilizer
4.1.2 Manure Content
4.2 Manure and Soils
4.2.1 Manure Nitrogen (N) after Application

4.2.2 Manure Phosphorus (P) after Application
4.3 Using Manure as a Fertilizer

4.3.1 Test the Soil
4.3.2 Test the Manure
4.3.3 Crop Selection and Rotation

4.3.4 How to Calculate the Manure Application Rate
4.3.5 Calibrate Field Equipment to Deliver Target Rate

4.3.6 Record Keeping
4.4 Benefits of Using Manure as a Fertilizer
4.5 Environmental Health Concerns
4.5.1 Odour
4.5.2 Nitrate Contamination of Drinking Water
4.5.3 Sensitive Groundwater Areas
4.5.4 Nutrient Loss to Surface Water
4.5.5 Pathogen Transfer to Surface Water or Groundwater
4.5.6 Setback Requirements for Livestock Manure Application on Land Adjacent to Surface Water or a Surface Watercourse
4.5.7 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
4.6 Regulations on Manure Application

4.6.1 General Rules Regarding Pollution of Water

4.6.2 Prohibition on Winter Application

4.6.3 Registering Manure Management Plans

4.6.4 Soil-Nitrate-N Limits

4.7 Training And Licencing of Manure Applicators

Section 5: Odour Control

5.1 Sources of Odours
5.2 Human Response to Odours
5.2.1 Other Air Quality Concerns
5.3 Sites of Odour Production
5.4 Livestock Operation Design
5.4.1 Manure Management System
5.4.2 Environmental Control In Barns
5.4.3 Landscaping
5.4.4 Setbacks from Neighbours
5.5 Storage Odour Control
5.6 Odour Control with Manure Application
5.6.1 Equipment Selection
5.6.2 Consideration for Neighbours
5.6.3 Weather Conditions
5.7 Odour Control Plan

Section 6: Site Selection

6.1 Setback of Facilities and Physical Features
6.1.1 Separation Between Livestock Operations
6.2 Setbacks and Other Steps to Avoid Conflicts
6.2.1 Using the Landscape
6.3 Avoiding Contamination of Wells
6.4 Environmental Considerations for Siting
6.4.1 Siting of Manure Storage Structures
6.4.2 Considerations for Application of Livestock Manure
6.5 Water Resource Availability

6.6 Professional Support

Section 7: Mortality Disposal

7.1 Rendering
7.2 Burial
7.3 Composting

7.3.1 Windrow or Static Composting

7.3.2 Bin Composting

7.3.3 In-vessel Composting
7.4 Incineration

7.5 Disposal of Mass Mortalities

Section 8: Preparing a Livestock Operation Proposal

8.1 Public Relations
8.1.1 Public Consultation Process
8.2 Site Assessment

8.3 Provincial Review Processes for Livestock Operations
8.3.1 Structure of the Technical Review Committees
8.3.2 Technical Review Process
8.3.3 Basis of Assessing the Proposal
8.3.4 Recommendations
8.4.1 Landbase Requirements for Manure Applications
8.5 Provincial Permits and Licences

Section 9: References

Appendix A The Farm Practices Protection Act
Appendix B Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation
Appendix C Imperial Units
Appendix D Alternate Methods of Manure Treatment and Use
Appendix E Nitrogen Losses from Manure Storages and Dangerous Gas Production
Appendix F Soil Sampling Programs
Appendix G Manure Management Plan
Appendix H Technical Review Application Form for Livestock Operation Proposals
Appendix I Development of the Animal Unit
Appendix J Shelterbelt Guidelines for Manitoba Pig Producers
Appendix K Contact Information

Tables:

Table 1: Components of a Manure Handling System for Livestock Production
Table 2: Required Manure Storage Setbacks
Table 3a: Minimum Manure Storage Volume Requirements (Including Spilled And Wash Water)
Table 3b: Estimated Rates of Solid Manure Production for Pigs
Table 4a: Nutrient (kg/m₃ or kg/1000 L) and Dry Matter (%) Content for Liquid Pig Manure (Pre-phytase Use)
Table 4b: Nutrient (kg/m₃ or kg/1000 L) and Dry Matter (%) Content for Liquid Pig Manure (Phytase Use)
Table 5: Nutrient (kg/tonne) and Dry Matter (%) Content for Solid Finishing Pig Manure (Pre-phytase Use)
Table 6: Crop Removal Rates for N and P₂O₅
Table 7: Volatilization Losses (%)
Table 8a: Manure Application Rate Calculation Worksheet Based on Liquid Manure
Table 8b: Manure Application Rate Calculation Worksheet Based on Solid Manure
Table 9: Setback Requirements for Livestock Manure Application on Land Adjacent to Surface Water or a Surface Watercourse
Table 10: Required Distances from Watercourses, Sinkholes, Springs, Wells, and Recommended Distances from Residential Property Lines for Applying Manure Between November 10 and April 10 (m)
Table 11: Recommended Distances from Residential Areas, Residences and Property Lines for Applying Manure (m)
Table 12: Setbacks from Property Lines, Watercourses, Sinkholes and Wells
Table 13: Recommended Criteria for Siting Livestock Operations
Table 14: Converting Number of Animals to Animal Units
Table 15a: Total Landbase Required for the Livestock Operation in Hectares - Liquid Manure
Table 15b: Total Landbase Required for the Livestock Operation in Hectares - Solid Manure