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Manure hauler certification offered at annual summit
An extension educator says Michigan’s Manure Hauler Certification Program is providing third-party education and training for manure handling.
Michigan State University’s Charles Gould tells Brownfield the program allows farms and application firms to proactively train staff about current regulations and receive insurance premium discounts.
“That can be quite substantial, that could be thousands of dollars,” he says. “For smaller operations, it might be hundreds of dollars. It just depends on the size of the policy and the level that you’re at.”
Tiered certifications work up to creating an environmental management plan with Michigan Farm Bureau to ensure applicators follow the state’s Right to Farm law and other regulatory permits.
“That plan says this is the amount of gallons per acre need to be applied, and that’s transmitted to the applicator and that’s what goes out,” he explains. “There shouldn’t be any manure that’s ever applied without a plan in place.”
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