The Dairy Dilemma: A Decision Case for Water Quality

Abstract

This decision case study involves a dairy (Bos taurus) operation that contributed bacterial pollution to a nearby waterway in northern Utah. Students must use whole-farm management and waste management design criteria in the decision process. A solution requires balancing the current crop and livestock management philosophies of the owners with water quality standards mandated by the state. The method has been used successfully in three courses. Chet and Todd Benson are currently operating a dairy in Wellsville, UT, which has been found to be a major contributor of water pollution in the Little Bear River. The state of Utah and the USEPA have hoped that an educational effort will allow for voluntary measures to mitigate the pollutants leaving the dairy. To date, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued few citations in the state and are hoping to continue on a voluntary compliance basis. The primary operator of the dairy, Todd, must decide what course of action to take related to their family dairy operation. It is a delicate issue because his father, Chet, feels that the state is meddling into their business. Todd must also take into account the future of the dairy because the voluntary compliance program has some attractive incentives to encourage participation, namely, cost-sharing for improvements. If they choose not to participate, it is likely that they will be ineligible for future USDA cost-sharing arrangements. The key issues in the case involve voluntary vs. involuntary participation in government programs, water quality, and implications to agricultural operations, dairy waste management, and Western water rights.