Changes in environmental regulations are posing new challenges for agriculturalists. As farms expand, they must consider how they are going to deal with the additional waste produced by expansion. E & M Engineers and Surveyors, P.C. works with farmers individually to develop environmentally compliant solutions for their waste handling that will satisfy the requirements of their Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) plan while adding to the overall efficiency of their operation.

E & M Engineers and Surveyors, P.C. has a strong working relationship with local agricultural agencies, including the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Cornell Cooperative Extension and Western New York Crop Management. By working directly with these agencies, E & M can stay up to date with changes to the environmental regulations and standards, as well as other issues facing local farms.

Waste handling systems are often limited to a manure storage structure such as an earthen pond or concrete tank, but on some farms further treatment including grass filter areas, composting systems and methane digestion may be appropriate. E & M Engineers and Surveyors, P.C. can help farmers determine the best type of waste handling system for their farm.

While most of our agricultural work is in the field of waste handling, we also have experience designing bunk silos, drainage systems and farm ponds. Our survey department can perform full farm surveys that can serve as a valuable tool when planning expansions.

Example projects include:

This project consisted of the design of a three million gallon earthen manure storage pond to serve as a second manure storage facility for a 1500-cow dairy farm. Preliminary work consisted of a survey to determine building locations and existing grades, calculation of actual manure production rates for proper pond sizing and a soils investigation to determine if the native soil was sufficient for pond construction. Manure is transferred to the pond via gravity to keep operational costs down. Combined with the existing storage, the farm has a total storage capacity of six million gallons, or roughly nine months of storage.

This 200-cow farm was expanding to 400-cows, changing their status to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO). In order to comply with regulations, the farm needed to construct a manure storage facility to accommodate the additional waste produced by expansion. Our engineers worked closely with the farm owner to determine actual manure production rates based on existing manure spreading records. Once an accurate production rate was determined, the new earthen manure storage was designed to provide 7-months of storage capacity, or 1.25 million gallons. Manure is collected in a pipe located beneath slatted flooring at the end of the barn and transferred to the storage via gravity.

The manure storage facility at this 700-cow dairy farm in Freedom, New York was constructed in 1999 without being specifically designed to meet the Natural Resource Conservation Service standards. The job consisted of a physical inspection of the facility including a soils analysis to locate possible seepage and water contamination issue, determination of the actual manure production and available storage duration, and preparation of a certified engineers report documenting compliance with the standards.

Concrete pit and pump used to transfer milk center waste to the storage pond.	West side of storage showing the four barns, concrete lane and push-off areas.