The NC House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 162 on Wednesday, which would help many NC wineries with waste water issues.  Rep. Daryl McCormick, one of the primary bill sponsors, wanted to help wineries in his district by sponsoring the bill.

(http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=hb+162&submitButton=Go)

At the House Agriculture Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon, members heard from Debbie Stikeleather, Alamance County Farm Bureau Board member and owner of Iron Gate Winery in Mebane, and Kathryn Spann, Prodigal Farm and advisor to the Durham County Soil&Water Commission, regarding their personal experiences in dealing with NC DENR and other local and state agencies as they navigated a maze of regulations and bureaucracy in starting up their value-added operations. Debbie’s winery is located on a former tobacco farm and provides more than 20 jobs through the year. Kate opened a farmstead goat dairy last year. Both women encountered needless headwinds and delays due to a lack of regulatory clarity. Their stories helped to cement bipartisan solidarity for farmers seeking to begin on-farm value-added operations and propelled the bill to unanimous support when the chamber voted the next day.

We’re asking folks to give thanks to their NC House members.  Special thanks to HB 162 sponsors: Reps. Langdon (R-Johnston, Sampson), Dixon (R-Duplin, Onslow), McCormick (R-Iredell, Surry, Yadkin), and Spear (D-Chowan, Dare, Hyde and Washington). Also, thank you to Rep. Luebke (D-Durham) who joined Rep. Langdon in speaking on behalf of the bill on the chamber floor.

HB 162 will now move to the NC Senate. We’re asking our members to encourage your NC Senator to support HB 162 when it comes up in that chamber

 

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Wastewater from on-farm processing

North Carolina’s agricultural community is becoming more diversified in the types of income streams that enable today’s farmers to operate profitable farms. While it’s true that North Carolina leads the nation in the loss of farmland, those farmers who chose to continue working the land, especially those in our urban counties, must focus their efforts on higher value crops and add their own ingenuity and creativity to be economically successful. Today’s farmers seeking to remain profitable rely on a mix of economic activities that can include row crops, winery, fruit/vegetables, canned goods, soaps, pasture raised meats, honey, cheese and dairy products, etc.

Increasingly processed agricultural products made on the farm that are then sold directly to the public or local businesses are a vital part of the farm income stream. According to an informal survey of members of various NC agriculturally focused list serves, by NC Farm Bureau and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, 38% of the respondents said that processing comprises more than 25% of farm income:

On Farm Processing comprises:

0-25% farm income 62%

26-50% farm income 20%

51-75% farm income 7%

>75% 11%

 Some types of farm processing generate small amounts of waste water. For example, craft cheese makers producing artisanal cheeses generate waste water from their milking parlors and the cheese making room. Likewise, wineries generate small amounts of waste water when they empty and then clean their wine tanks.

Current Options for waste water from on-farm processing:

• Land apply (requires a permit, DWQ)
• Septic system (site specific conditions dictate/some sites will not work; can be very costly)
• Pump and haul (private companies, $$)

SOLUTION

No need for a permit if:

• Less than 1,000 gallons of water/day from on-farm processing of agricultural products
• Land apply  
• Must not violate surface or ground water standards or create a runoff event (cannot discharge into surface waters)  

 

Debbie Hamrick

Director Specialty Crops

NC Farm Bureau Federation

PO Box 27766

Raleigh, NC 27611-7766

(919) 334-2977

Cell: (919) 302-9538

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