Animal feeding operations: encouraging sustainable nutrient usage rather than restraining and proscribing activities

Due to storm events, spills and careless practices, nutrients from animal Feeding operations have denigrated water quality in the United States, Governments at all levels are taking action to reduce pollution problems from these operations. The numerous legislative and regulatory responses have not been directed at employing nutrients from animal wastes in crop production. Instead, the command and control provisions respond to some of the concerns voiced by the public, but their generalized coverage makes them costly and imposes expenses on producers who are not causing any problems. Governments need to consider alternative strategies that would incorporate a relationship between crop land and the animal wastes from feeding operations to more accurately account for environmental costs from excess nutrients. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.