When an emergency occurs, every second matters. Valuable time can be lost searching for instructions or contact information.
All farms should have an emergency response plan, especially one tailored to a manure spill or crisis. On a recent University of Minnesota Nutrient Management Podcast, Chryseis Modderman emphasized this need.
“I recommend everyone has a plan,” said the University of Minnesota extension educator. “Even if you’re a smaller operation, it’s important for your farm, your well-being, and the well-being of your employees and family.”
If your farm is not required to have an emergency response plan in a particular format, there are plenty of templates to work from. Modderman said to search “manure emergency response plan” online to find examples.
An emergency response plan should include important phone numbers. Of course, 911 is the number to call if there is human injury or immediate danger. Modderman said in Minnesota, the duty officer should be high on that list. The Minnesota Duty Officer Program provides a single answering point to request state-level assistance for emergencies, serious accidents or incidents, or for reporting hazardous materials and petroleum spills. The duty officer is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Other states may have similar response units.
When reporting a spill or accident, Modderman said the caller should be prepared to share the following:
• The caller’s contact information
• The location
• The date and time of the incident
• If a spill, how manure was involved and what has been done to mitigate the spill
• Any human or animal injury
The emergency response plan should also list the phone number for the county sheriff’s office and the local fire and ambulance service. Also important is a phone number for the state’s pollution control agency and the farm’s insurance company. If dirt needs to be moved, easy access to the Digger’s Hotline also saves time. Modderman said this is also a good place to list contact information for vendors for machinery, pumps, and so forth.
University of Minnesota researcher Nancy Bohl Bormann added that contact information for key individuals from the farm should be included. This tells people who they can call if the farm owner is not available.
Bohl Bormann also advised having the farm’s physical address listed on that emergency response plan in a visible place. “Applicators are traveling around. Making sure they at least have the address for the farm they are on is super important,” she emphasized.
This article appeared in the November 2025 issue of Journal of Nutrient Management on page 24.
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