Submitted by Lynn Stillwell, Livestock Agent
Sampson County
North Carolina ranks number two in Hog and Turkey production with around 10 million hogs and 35 million turkeys produced each year. The State also ranks number 5 in broiler production with around 760 million birds produced. While these animals provide a significant amount of low cost, safe food for consumers, they also generate a significant amount of waste that must be dealt with by the farmer who raises them. Waste must regularly be removed or cleaned out and properly land applied as fertilizer.
Transporting tons/gallons of waste has proved to be not only costly for the farm in terms of dollars spent trying to stay within the regulations set forth by the NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), but also in fines given out by the NC Highway Patrol. In years past farmers hauling animal waste from farm to field were continually stopped by Law Enforcement Officers and given heavy fines sometimes amounting to over $1500 for their vehicles being overweight.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension worked closely with local house representatives and NC Farm Bureau Board Members throughout the State to get the law changed so that farmers would not accrue these hefty fines. As of December 1, 2010 House Bill 1729 was changed to give exemptions to farmers hauling animal waste from the farm to the field. As long as farmers abide by other regulations for hauling animal waste, they should not have to worry about being fined for overweight vehicles.
