OFAER Program Goals:
- Promote environmental stewardship
- Minimize livestock production’s impact on watersheds
- Improve the public perception of the livestock industry
- Encourage industry led self-regulation
OFAER Program History:
The OFAER Program started as the On Farm Odor/Environmental Assistance Program (OFO/EAP) initiative in June 1997. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) launched this initiative through funding from the National Pork Board (NPB) for the development, training and initial presentation of the program. Producer leaders called for the development of a comprehensive site assessment program that would be available on a voluntary basis and free of charge to producers.
A broad coalition of producers, agricultural engineers and manure management specialists from private industry, the Cooperative Extension Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was formed. Their purpose was to develop a procedure for accurately and reliably assessing the odor and environmental impact of livestock operations.
To pilot the assessment process, a total of 24 pork operations in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and North Carolina were chosen. The pilot testing was conducted between mid-October and mid-December 1997. Initially, a team compiled of three engineers/technicians from private industry, and public personnel from Extension and NRCS assessed each pilot test site. After the pilots, program developers decided on a two-person assessment team.
In 1998 the program changed its funding source from NPPC to
America’s Clean Water Foundation
(ACWF), who received a congressional appropriation from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use by the program.
In 2000, the program began further development and expansion to include poultry, beef feedlot and dairy operations. Assessment tools and processes were refined to include the species-specific information necessary to conduct the assessments on other livestock operations. Additional pilot testing was conducted for poultry, beef and dairy operations. As of January 1, 2001 all livestock species operations became eligible for an OFAER assessment regardless of size or type of operation. With this expansion the OFO/EAP Program became the
On Farm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER) Program.
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