Waste Management Practice

The NYTimes has a Story close to my Nose, having grown up on a farm. EQIP–The Environmental Quality Incentives Program–sounds like a great Conservation program, at least until you pass one of these sewage lagoons; I having passed a number in my life. They are the cheapest form of handling such Waste, and the Federal Government is funding this Cop-Out. Sewage from these facilities should be pumped through a compression chamber where the liquid is separated from the solids; the liquid Product to be immediately sprayed upon farmland, while the solids should be dried for eventual grinding and spread upon farmland. Why isn’t this done? The Answer is about $13 per ton Cost for the treated Affluent, and this only under a Unit size producing at least 70 tons per month.

Economists often talk about Externalities, and the Above is a great one deliberately engineered by the Animal Husbandry industry, while financed by American Taxpayers due to Lobbyist interests at the federal level. The industry claims that the switch to intensive cycling would increase the Cost of Meat in this Country. This is a basic Lie–with the Cost not studied, but my guess-estimate would be about $.07 per pound of Meat. The real factor involved here is the inability of the industry to pass the Costs forward, because of the multiplicity of Meat buyers and because of the easy provision of foreign Meats. My further estimate suggests that the industry would suffer about a 2% loss of Profits, with transference to adequate Waste Product management.

The real Answer to the problem is not the further financing of sewage lagoons, but Government finance of Cooperative Waste treatment facilities, which would extend long-term loans at adjusted Interest rates to Farmer Associations. The Solution would entail haulage or Pipe pumping of raw Wastes, so Plants should be small and geographically sited to lower Transportation Costs, The Ideal Unit would be a Compaction system light enough to be transported on a Truck trailer, with Feeder trucks to spray the liquid Wastes, and transport the compacted Solids to a Drying facility for grinding and later spread.

Such a Program will not work unless there is prohibitive legislation which would penalize, on a per ton fine basis, the retention of such Wastes longer than a 30-Day Period. This would not require on-site Inspections on a continual basis, only the establishment of minima and maxima limits of Waste limits per animal on a monthly average, and an automatic system for fining Violators unless they can prove compliance with the legislation. The real key to Success in this endeavor is the ownership of the Waste treatment facilities by the Farmer associations themselves, where they are responsible for the profitability of the Units, and where they will thereby provide assistance in Regulation enforcement as it affects their own Profits. lgl