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The SCCD-NRCS Animal Feeding
Operation (AFO) Improvements program is a local
improvements program that provides voluntary,
locally-di rected,
financial and technical assistance to producers
wishing to minimize the impact of a livestock
operation on adjacent waterways.
The The program provides incentives
to landowners for the rearrangement or relocation of
corrals and feeding areas that have the potential to
negatively impact water quality. Storm water
run-off from corrals often contain bacteria (many of
which are human pathogens), nutrients, sediment, and
organic materials which are delivered to local
streams. By mitigating the impacts of these
storm waters, landowners also reduce their risk of
possible regulatory enforcement actions.
Funding for the program is
provided by a combination of Federal and State
grants administered by the SCCD, USDA program funds,
and landowner contributions.. Federal grants
come from US EPA through section 319 of the Clean
Water Act and are administered through the Wyoming
Department of Environmental Quality. State
grants come from the Wyoming Department of
Agriculture. USDA program funds generally come
from the Environmental Quality Incentives (EQIP) or
the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)
Programs. Depending on the individual project,
landowners may qualify to have 50% to 80% of their
improvement project cost-shared.
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