BURLINGTON — To comply with Act 64, Vermont’s water quality bill, all custom manure applicators must become certified in order to apply manure on farms and cropland in the state.
To help them earn their certification, University of Vermont (UVM) Extension will offer training sessions at three locations in February and March. Although free to attend, registration is required by Feb. 10. A light lunch is included.
This winter workshop is for owners, operators and managers of custom application operations that spread manure. A separate series of workshops will be offered in spring for farmers and their employees who apply manure.
The sessions for custom manure applicators will be offered at the following locations:
Feb. 14: UVM Extension Office, 278 S. Main Street, St. Albans, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Feb. 22: UVM Extension Office, 374 Emerson Falls Rd., St. Johnsbury, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
March 8: UVM Extension Office, 23 Pond Lane, Middlebury, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Contact Lindsey Ruhl at 802-524-6501 or [email protected] with questions or to register. Requests for a disability-related accommodation should be made by Jan. 24.
The training, the first step toward certification, will familiarize custom applicators with the required agricultural practices set by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets to ensure that farmers follow management practices that protect both waterways and natural resources and maintain healthy and productive soils.
They will learn about state water quality preservation regulations that minimize runoff, how to interpret and follow a farm’s nutrient management plan, about soil and weather restrictions for manure application and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s enforcement procedures and actions for non-compliance. Recordkeeping and requirements to maintain certification also will be covered.
Participants will receive a certificate of attendance that will allow them to spread manure during the upcoming cropping season.
For more information about Act 64 and custom manure applicator certification, visit http://agriculture.vermont.gov/water-quality/regulations/custom-applicator.