Chicken waste and the Chesapeake

I talked about this a little bit in class on Friday, but please take a look at this 2008 article from the New York Times on chicken farming and the health of the Bay. A few interesting statistics:

• 570 million chickens are raised per year in the state of Maryland
• They create 650 million pounds per year of chicken waste
• We spend about $100 million per year to protect the Bay
• The chicken industry contributes about $700 million per year to the MD economy
• Many farmers already do a lot to minimize their impact, including leaving buffer strips and recycling some waste at the world’s largest chicken manure recycling plant, which produces organic fertilizer pellets
• Agriculture contributes over 40% of the nitrogen and phosphorus that pollute the bay, and 70% of the sediment
• As of 2008 farms don't need permits and don't get regularly inspected: they just have to file "nutrient management plans" which are not public. Failure to file results in a $350 fine.