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Updated: 10/06/2009

Animal Feeding Operations (AFO) and Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)

Animal Feeding Operations

EPA defines AFOs as agricultural enterprises where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. AFOs congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures, fields, or on rangeland. There are approximately 450,000 AFOs in the United States.

USDA’s goal is for AFO/CAFO owners and operators to take voluntary actions to minimize potential air and water pollutants from storage facilities, confinement areas, and land application areas.

Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMP)

The objective of a CNMP is to provide AFO owners/operators with a plan to manage manure and organic by-products by combining conservation practices and management activities into a conservation system that, when implemented, will control soil erosion.

CNMP Definition

A CNMP is a conservation plan for an AFO that:
  1. Must include the following:

    2. (a) The production area including the animal confinement, feed and other raw materials storage areas, animal mortality facilities, and the manure handling containment or storage areas, and
    (b) The land treatment area, including any land under control of the AFO owner or operator, whether it is owned, rented, or leased, and to which manure or process wastewater is, or might be, applied for crop, hay, pasture production, or other uses;

  2. Meets Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) FOTG Section III quality criteria for Water Quality (nutrients, organics, and sediments in surface and groundwater) and Soil Erosion (sheet and rill, wind, ephemeral gully, classic gully, and irrigation induced natural resource concerns on the production area and land treatment area);
  3. Mitigates, if feasible, any excessive air emissions and/or negative impacts to air quality resource concerns that may result from practices identified in the CNMP or from existing on-farm areas/activities;
  4. Complies with Federal, State, tribal, and local laws, regulations, and permit requirements; and
  5. Satisfies the owner/operator’s production objectives.
Background Information
Automation of the CNMP Development Process

CNMP planners are strongly encouraged to use Manure Management Planner (MMP) because it was designed to simplify and hasten the CNMP development process. MMP was developed on a state-by-state basis to include each state’s unique data and circumstances important to CNMP development and acceptance by state authorities. MMP automates the generation of high quality CNMP reports.

CNMP Advantages

  • The CNMP documents agricultural utilization of nutrients according to science-based management strategies. Such documentation meets the criteria for the “storm water exemption” of the Clean Water Act (CWA) on fields receiving applications of manure or organic by-products.
  • USDA and EPA have agreed that the CNMP is acceptable documentation for those seeking an NPDES permit, with the addition of “chemical handling” provisions. The AFO decision maker (i.e., controlling manager or producer) can submit the CNMP as part of an NPDES permit application. The national CNMP template provides an acceptable chemical handling checklist.

CNMP National Policy and Guidance Documents

Handbooks

National Instructions

Additional Information

CNMP Flyer for Producers Single copies or bundles of the CNMP brochures are available at no charge. Orders may be placed by calling 1-888-LANDCARE (1-888-526-3227), or by visiting http://landcare.nrcs.usda.gov/. The CNMP brochure is also available at your local NRCS office.


Technical Service Providers (TSPs)

The Agency recognizes that TSPs will play a major role in meeting the CNMP workload stimulated by the Revised CAFO rule.