NRCS assists poultry growers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis Counties


The Southwest Washington Local Working Group was able to extend assistance, both technical and financial, to poultry growers in southwest Washington, through the EQIP program.


Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis County Conservation Districts


A typical broiler operation raises between 90,000 and 100,000 birds per flock cycle which is about six weeks long. This means over a half million birds are raised every year which translates to roughly 600 tons of waste produced annually. Another concern is flock mortality which ranges from 3 to 5 percent. What do you do with 15,000 dead chickens? Most poultry farms have a limited land base which presents some unique challenges when trying to dispose of litter and mortality without impacting water quality since land application is not an option.


Through NRCS’ EQIP program, along with Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD) confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) grant, both technical and financial assistance is being provided. The first step is to install a waste management system where waste can be collected and stored safely without impacting water quality. This typically involves constructing a roofed building over an impervious surface. The second piece of the puzzle is how to plan for managing all the nutrients generated by these farms. Because there is virtually no land on which to field-apply the waste, it was determined most of the litter must be exported from these farms. Through the help of NRCS’ Waste Utilization practice, poultry growers are able to find customers who see the waste as a resource and are eager to take it. They include farmers, homeowners, topsoil manufacturers, and developers. On some poultry farms, composting is being installed as an alternative means of treating mortality through NRCS’ Animal Mortality Facility practice. On other farms, local rendering plants are able to take all of the poultry mortality produced.


Handling chicken mortality on operations with limited acres requires varied approaches. A once popular treatment method involving incineration has fallen out of favor due to rising fuel costs and increased air quality regulations. Some farms have found local rendering plants willing to take the mortality; birds are either immediately removed from the farm or frozen and then transported in batches. Composting, although the technology has been around for a number of years, is gaining in popularity in southwest Washington due to its relatively low operating cost.


Thanks to the efforts of the Southwest Local Working Group, poultry growers now have the same potential as the dairies, beef operations, horse facilities, timber growers, and cranberry producers of southwest Washington, receiving NRCS assistance through the EQIP program. NRCS practices such as waste storage, waste utilization, and composting are helping to address water quality concerns on farms that traditionally have high animal unit numbers on a small land base.


Rich Bachert, Brush Prairie Field Office, (360) 883-1987


NRCS, Spring 2007

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