Environmental Planning on Livestock and Poultry Operations – Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community

Planning for environmental considerations on livestock and poultry operations is critical for the long term sustainability of the operation. Numerous tools, programs, and other resources have been developed to assist producers in environmental planning efforts. These planning tools are discussed in the following pages:

Beyond the Farm: Large-Scale Planning

TMDL and Watershed Planning

Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is often referred to as a “pollution diet”. For every water body, there is a maximum amount of pollution that can enter and still allow it to meet water quality standards for desired uses (drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, etc.) The first large TMDL in the U.S. was for the Chesapeake Bay. More on this TMDL: Changing Management of Nutrients and Implications of the TMDL.

Ecosystems Services

Most working lands (like farms) are increasingly being asked to manage their production systems in ways that have minimal impact on other resources. Things like air, water, wildlife, scenery, and more are valued by society but are not typically a “product” marketed by the business. Recently, these have come to be known as “ecosystem services”. Maintaining a balance between discrete products (food, fiber, etc.) and the more nebulous ecosystem services sometimes requires payments or programs to offset reduced production.