October 5, 2018

Marvin Farms, corner of Beecher Rd. and M34/Benner Hwy. in Dover Twp.  This is a dairy CAFO that does not need a NPDES CAFO permit because they don’t confine enough animals.  All livestock farms in Michigan, if they wish to be protected by Michigan’s Right-to-Farm Laws, must abide by the voluntary guidelines known as GAAMPs (Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Principles). 
Those guidelines say (p. 23):  “Liquid manures should not be applied in a manner that will result in ponding or runoff to adjacent property, drainage ditches, or surface water.  Therefore, application to saturated soils, such as during or after a rainfall, should be avoided.”  National Weather Service forecast (which farms are supposed to use) predicts a 100% chance of between ½ and 1 inch of rain in the next 48 hours, so today is the beginning of a stretch of predicted rain.  This manure application from Marvin’s lagoon was happening during light rain/heavier showers around 10:30 a.m.  (Raindrops on camera lens.)

Photos below are from a pivot irrigator manure application from the farm’s lagoon, during steady rain on the morning of 10.5.2018. 

Close-up view.