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News Release 10-24-2001

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WEST VIRGINIA POULTRY LITTER TRANSPORTATION PILOT PROJECT REOPENED FOR SIGN UP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2001

Charleston, WV — The State of West Virginia and Pilgrim’s Pride, formally Wampler Foods, have agreed to reopen the sign up period for the West Virginia Litter Transportation Pilot Project. This program assists in the transportation of poultry litter from the Potomac River Watershed of Hardy, Grant, Mineral, Hampshire and Pendleton Counties to other geographic areas of West Virginia. The purpose of this program is to stimulate the use of poultry litter as a highly enriched soil amendment in areas that are historically nutrient deficient.

Initial project funds totaling $75,000 were administered in trust as a transportation subsidy by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) and the West Virginia Soil Conservation Agency (WVSCA). Remaining funds are available for this second phase of sign ups.

Eligible participants must be West Virginia landowners applying litter to pastureland, hay land or cropland. Subsidy payments will be exclusively for soil amendment use. Landowners within Greenbrier and Monroe Counties, as well as a ten-mile radius of the town of Danese in Fayette County, will be ineligible due to BUTA poultry facilities within this area. The minimum acceptable load will be 15 tons and maximum cost share will be 100 tons of litter per landowner. Landowners who participated in the first round of this program are eligible for additional funds. Payment will be made for only a single, one-time purchase. Split purchases will not be cost shared.

The first 50 miles of transportation costs will be at the sole expense of the purchaser. Mileage incurred after the first 50 miles from the source will be eligible for cost share through the subsidy program. Applicants are advised to purchase litter in advance of spring application. Litter is readily available during winter months. Consideration must be given to proper storage practices if litter will be stockpiled until application. Landowners will be responsible for working with a Certified Nutrient Management Consultant to develop a nutrient management plan for the utilization of poultry litter on their operation. This service will be offered through Natural Resources Conservation Service and WVSCA.

The initial sign-up period for this program will commence November 1, 2001, and continue through January 15, 2002. Applicants may contact the Potomac Interagency Water Quality Office’s toll-free litter hotline at 1-888-3LITTER or 1-888-354-8837 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Eligibility will be contingent upon on-site assessment of farmland and current soil test recommendations. Once approved, participants will be responsible for negotiating litter price and transportation costs. Reimbursement will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Compensation will be issued as soon as proper paperwork is returned to the WVDA and approved. Assistance will be available through the hotline to arrange transportation and identify available litter sources.

For more information about this program and its guidelines contact Sandra Smith, WVDA, 304/538-2397.

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