State Legislation Regulating Animal Manure Management

Abstract

This article examines the state legislation that has been imposed to regulate animal manure management and protect water quality. Regulations that control the design and location of animal feeding operations, regulate administrative and record-keeping procedures, and impose requirements on manure field application are discussed, and an index is created to identify the level of regulatory stringency in important livestock-producing states. Examination of state legislation for the years 1994 and 1998 demonstrates that the stringency of state manure management regulation has increased significantly over this time period.