N.J. Admin. Code § 2:76-2A.8 - Agricultural management practice for on-farm compost operations

(a) Pursuant to the authority at N.J.A.C. 1:30-2.2, the State Agriculture Development Committee hereby adopts and incorporates by reference the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service's "Field Guide to On-Farm Composting," NRAES-114, as amended and supplemented, and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Bulletin E347, "Livestock Mortality and Butcher Waste Composting: Rutgers Recommended Practices," as amended and supplemented, as the agricultural management practice for on-farm compost operations operating on commercial farms, provided that:

1. Biosolids, including sludge derived materials, paper sludge, cotton sludge, and solid wastes subject to regulation pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26 are not part of the compost mixture;

2. The finished compost product is not distributed or sold to off-farm users, except as set forth at N.J.A.C. 2:76-2B.3(b)3;

3. The production or use of compost on a commercial farm shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Water Pollution Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10-1 et seq., N.J.A.C. 7:26A and 7:14A, and this section;

4. Only finished compost meeting the product quality criteria at N.J.A.C. 7:26A-4.5(c) shall be land applied to commercial farms;

5. The location of compost areas and the land application of compost to commercial farms shall be in conjunction with and conformance to a farm conservation plan and a comprehensive nutrient management plan prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service or a technical service provider and approved by the Soil Conservation District; and

6. When livestock mortality and butcher waste are used as part of the compost mixture:

i. The livestock mortality and butcher waste shall have been generated on the commercial farm; and

ii. The on-farm composting activities shall be managed to minimize objectionable odors.

(1) The activities shall be in conjunction with and conform to a farm conservation plan that meets the planning criteria for odor resource concerns;

(2) As measured at the property lines of the commercial farm, odor related to the activities shall not be greater than "2--Light" as set forth in the odor intensity scale of the Air Pollution Investigation Guidelines published by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at 39 N.J.R. 3999(c); and

7. The recommendations concerning local ordinances in the "Livestock Mortality and Butcher Waste Composting: Rutgers Recommended Practices" in the section entitled "Best Management Practices: Burial of Normal Mortalities" are excluded from this agricultural management practice for on-farm compost operations on commercial farms.

(b) Within one year of the start-up of the composting operation, commercial farm operators shall attend a composting course sponsored by the Rutgers Extension County Agricultural or Resource Management Agents or other courses approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

(c) The "Field Guide to On-Farm Composting" is available on the Cornell University Library eCommons website at https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/67148.

(d) The "Livestock Mortality and Butcher Waste Composting: Rutgers Recommended Practices" is available on the Rutgers Cooperative Extension website at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 2:76-2A.8

New Rule, R.2002 d.94, effective 3/18/2002.
See: 33 N.J.R. 2564(a), 34 N.J.R. 1262(c).
Amended by R.2008 d.229, effective 8/4/2008.
See: 39 N.J.R. 2561(a), 40 N.J.R. 4503(a).
Section was "Agricultural management practice for on-farm compost operations operating on commercial farms". In (a)2, inserted ", except as set forth in N.J.A.C. 2:76-2B.3(b)3". Amended by 56 N.J.R. 1176(a), effective 7/1/2024