Air Quality Compliance For Agriculture
The tasks involved in the day-to-day operation of a farm, from preparing fields for planting to managing livestock manure, release air pollutants. However, farms generally do not require air permits. Your Regional Air Pollution Control engineer will help you determine which, if any, of the following regulations and permit requirements apply to your farm.
Internal Combustion Engines and Boilers:Federal New Source Performance Standards and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants; State Stationary Combustion Installation regulations; and State Permit and Registration regulations (Part 201).
Outdoor Wood Boilers: State Outdoor Wood Boiler regulation (Part 247). (link leaves DEC)
Open Burning: State Open Fires regulation (Part 215). (link leaves DEC)
Feed and Grain Milling: A permit or registration is required for grain terminal elevators with permanent storage capacities over 2.5 million U.S. bushels, and grain storage elevators with capacities above one million bushels (federal New Source Performance Standards 40 CFR 60 Subpart DD).
Manure management systems: The federal greenhouse gas reporting rule (40 CFR 98, Subpart JJ) applies to facilities with manure management systems greater than or equal to 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year. The following table from the federal rule indicates the approximate animal population thresholds that would result in emissions of greenhouse gases greater than 25,000 metric tons.
| Animal group | Average annual animal population (Head)3 |
|---|---|
| Beef | 29,300 |
| Dairy | 3,200 |
| Swine | 34,100 |
| Poultry (Layers) | 723,600 |
| Poultry (Broilers) | 38,160,000 |
| Poultry (Turkeys) | 7,710,000 |
1The threshold head populations in this table were calculated using the most conservative assumptions (high VS and N values, maximum ambient temperatures, and the application of an uncertainty factor) to ensure that facilities at or near the 25,000 metric ton CO2e threshold level were not excluded from reporting.
2For facilities with more than one animal group present refer to §98.360 (2) to estimate the combined animal group factor (CAGF), which is used to determine if a facility may be required to report.
3For all animal groups except dairy, the average annual animal population represents the total number of animals present at the facility. For dairy facilities, the average annual animal population represents the number of mature dairy cows present at the facility (note that heifers and calves were included in the emission estimates for dairy facilities using the assumption that the average annual animal population of heifers and calves at dairy facilities are equal to 30 percent of the mature dairy cow average annual animal population, therefore the average annual population for dairy facilities should not include heifers and calves, only dairy cows).
