Utilizing Alternative Fertilizers

• Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of domestic sewage in a wastewater treatment facility (i.e., treated sewage sludge).
• A co-product of food manufacturing can be used as an alternative fertilizer made from waste streams from food processing plants.
• These alternative fertilizers offer a unique opportunity for farmers to have access to quality fertilizer for a low cost.  
• The value of manure as a fertilizer depends on where it is found, how expensive it is to transport and apply, and its crop nutrient composition. 
• According to data from USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS), 78 percent of applied manure comes from crop and livestock integrated farms. Only 14 percent of applied manure is bought from other farmers, and 8 percent is obtained for free.  

1. Do you or farmers in your county use alternative fertilizers? 
2. Have there been issues in your community around alternative fertilizers based on smell or safety? 
3. Do you need additional information about alternative fertilizers? 
4. How much regulation should there be on alternative fertilizers?

Another opportunity for alternative fertilizers lies in human waste. According to Chattanooga’s Wastewater Biosolids Management System, biosolids from waste treatment facilities are being distributed across 190 Tennessee and Alabama farms. Following the sky-high fertilizer prices farmers have seen, it is hard to turn down an opportunity to cut costs while still carrying out the same goal. Unfortunately, consumers could be left wondering about the safety of biosolids being used as fertilizer as part of our food systems. However, biosolids are some of the most regulated fertilizers by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where they go through treatment to be able to be used in agricultural production. Click HERE more information. There are also concerns around how alternative fertilizers will be regulated. Short staffing and budget shortages across the local, state, and federal levels lead to questions of how well these materials are regulated. Biosolids are regulated by the EPA and Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation and while they contain nutrients that add to the soil, if improperly management can contain pathogens, and heavy metals that can impact the

 Legislation was proposed to allow a singular county to be able to regulate biosolid waste within their county. Which could lead to other counties wanting to do the same thus causing a patchwork of regulations varying across county lines. Farm Bureau opposed this legislation as our policy and state law say local governments do not have the authority to regulate agricultural practices. Other issues have come as local governments continue pushing back against companies that serve as the in-between of biowaste and the farmer. As the smell prompted county citizens to oppose construction of a lagoon, application, and management practices of alternative fertilizers. Tennessee farm Bureau expects continued discussion surrounding how much government regulation should be for alternative fertilizers.

We support studies to find better methods for handling solid waste. Biodegradable containers, including cornstarch-based plastics, sorting and recycling centers, incineration, composting, and source reduction may help reduce the need for future landfills. 

Applying biosolids from wastewater management facilities to fields is a viable alternative to commercial fertilizer. However, chemical contaminants such as perchlorate and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) put farms at risk. Wastewater management facilities should test for these chemicals on-site before giving farmers access to biosolids and other substances. Landowners should not be liable if these chemicals are detected on their farm. 

Land Use Planning 

We oppose federal, state or local legislation imposing land use regulations to qualify for federal grants and loans or to participate in other government programs. No government agency should have the right to control land use without specific legislative authority. Local governments should not use zoning or local government functions as a tool to regulate agricultural practices. 

American Farm Bureau
506 / Waste Disposal and Recycling 

1.We support: 

1.7 Government agencies responsible for approving land application systems allowing private agriculture to utilize municipal wastewater and sludge; 

1.9 Contracts governing the use of farmland for disposal of such wastes that: 

1.9.6.  Provide farmers with an analysis of nutrients, heavy metals, and trace elements of biosolids applied to fields; 

1.10. Government agencies must utilize proven current scientific information when developing policies concerning the application of sludge. The responsibility of this being required to rest with the waste handling authorities; 

1.11. Each state having the right to require that all municipal biosolid applications be tracked using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and be reported electronically; 

1.12. Pathogen certification for sludge imported from out of state being supplemented with periodic instate lab tests, with results transmitted simultaneously to the applicator, the farmer, and the government;