The Environmental Defense Center for Conservation Incentives (CCI) is one of a number of lead stakeholders and partners in an innovative project in Brown County, Wisconsin, to address pressing nutrient challenges. Both agriculture and natural resources are vitally important to Brown County. Agriculture generates $642 million per year and affects one out of every five jobs in the county. The bay that gives the city of Green Bay its name is one of North America's largest fresh water estuaries. 

But with changes that have occurred in animal agriculture over the past decades, Brown County, like many others like it, finds itself facing growing concerns about how to manage the manure generated from livestock operations to prevent runoff and pollution of water supplies and important water bodies. Studies of water quality have shown that most streams in the Lower Fox River Basin and lower Green Bay suffer from excessive loadings of sediment, nutrients, bacteria and heavy metals, which have led to degraded aquatic habitat and an unbalanced fish community; eutrophication from sedimentation and excessive nutrient levels; and high levels of toxic materials in bottom sediments and invertebrate organisms consumed by fish. While there are myriad contributors to these challenges -- meaning there is no single source or solution -- nonpoint source pollution in general and agriculture specifically are a major component of the mix. Yet, in addition to being part of the challenge, agriculture can be a major part of the soultion. And that is the goal of an on-going cooperative effort being led by the Brown County Land Conservation Department -- to help Brown County dairy farmers play a key role in addressing the region's water quality challenges. Other primary partners include the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District (GBMSD), the regional provider of wastewater treatment services and processor of wastewater sludges; Packerland Packing; Anamax Corporation; the Brown County Dairy Association; and CCI, among others.

The first phase of the project, currently underway, has centered on a Preliminary Feasibility Assessment Study for the composting of dairy farm manure, paunch manure from meatpacking operations, wastewater sludges and municipal yard wastes as bulking agents and the sale of the resulting compost.

After completing the Feasibility Study phase of the regional composting project in spring 2005, project partners decided to move forward on the windrow composting component of the project, which the study showed to be economically feasible. The windrow composting facility will take in dairy manure, and possibly other sources of organic byproducts. Project partners issued an RFP for proposals for composting firms to build and operate the proposed windrow composting facility. The report prepared by the composting partnership is available for review: Brown County Regional Compost Feasibility Study [PDF]. Prior work completed during the 2003 Fox River Valley Organic Recycling [PDF] feasibility study was also considered in this project. Although these studies indicate that composting appears to be economically feasible, other non-composting technologies may be considered if competitive.

Two NRCS programs, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Security Program (CSP), will likely be leveraged by project participants to further enhance manure management. EQIP can provide assistance with on-farm manure management before manure is transported to the regional composting facility, including improved storage and land application of manure kept on farm. Based on environmental achievement, project participants may also qualify for enrollment in the CSP in future years. CSP financially rewards producers for on-going environmental stewardship.