For the first time, farmers in Lancaster County and across Pennsylvania have a clear guide to what's expected of them in controlling manure.

The state-issued Manure Management Plan Guidance comes after two years of negotiations and discussions between state regulators, livestock producers, environmentalists and others.

It follows years of uncertainty concerning what is required of farmers regarding the manure that their livestock produces and is used to fertilize their crops.

"I think it finally levels the playing field a little bit from the standpoint that all farmers are regulated and they all need a conservation plan," said Don McNutt, administrator of the Lancaster County Conservation District.

"Any farmer that produces manure on his farm or imports it must have a manure-management plan, at the minimum.

"The mistake for so long has been to say there are farms not regulated. The truth of the matter is all farms are regulated. At what level is defined primarily by livestock."

The PennAg Industries Association, a lobbying group with half of its board members from Lancaster County, applauded the efforts of the state Department of Environmental Protection. Jennifer Reed-Henry, the group's assistant vice president who chaired DEP's Agricultural Advisory Board praised the decision "to revamp the manual into a farmer friendly, useful tool which, when implemented, will bring all commonwealth farms into compliance with protecting our natural resources for future generations."

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a watchdog group that pushed for the new guidelines, also commended the effort.

"The guide enables farmers to keep the manure nutrients on the fields, where they are needed, and out of local waterways," said Kelly O'Neill, the group's agricultural policy specialist in Pennsylvania.

"At the same time, it does not create onerous requirements for farmers facing tight financial circumstances."

Since 1977, farmers have been required to prevent manure runoff to streams and other waterways and to guard against over-application, spills, storage leaks and barnyard runoff.

The requirements, however, were vague and often not understood by farmers.

The new guidelines require every farm that produces or uses manure to develop a written manure-management plan that has to be kept on-site and include records of manure applications and other on-farm practices.

The manual requires farmers to keep manure away from the edges of streams, defines maximum manure applications during winter, when the ground is frozen and runoff is more likely, and prescribes conservation practices for barnyards, feedlots and temporary manure stockpiles.

McNutt hopes the manual will help farmers, when they have more manure than is needed for growing their crops, deal with excess manure.

acrable@lnpnews.com