As agriculture, especially animal agriculture, has intensified (fewer, larger, confined operations) it is no surprise that regulations have become a more prominent aspect of this business. The primary regulations faced by animal agriculture are related to the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972, and versions amended since. In most cases, these rules are delegated to the states to enforce.
This module introduces the major water quality laws and regulations that apply to agriculture, with an emphasis on animal agriculture. This material was developed for use in beginning farmer and extension programs, high school classrooms, and for professional continuing education.
Farmers, Ranchers, and Agribusiness
Future plans include development of a self-study module that can be completed for a certificate or continuing education credit through American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.
Teachers, Extension, Consultants
Educators are welcome to use the following materials in their classrooms and educational programs. 
- Instruction Guide - includes lesson plan, links to additional information, connections to national agriculture education standards (AFNR Career Content Cluster Standards), application to Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects, sample quiz/review questions, and enrichment activities.
- Presentation - 36 slides, Powerpoint 97-2003 format. Annotated.
- Preview on Slideshare
- Download from Slideshare or extension.org
Acknowledgements
Author: Thomas Bass, Montana State University
Reviewers: In progress
Building Environmental Leaders in Animal Agriculture (BELAA) is a collaborative effort of the National Young Farmers Educational Association, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Montana State University. It was funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under award #2009-49400-05871. This project would not be possible without the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center and the National eXtension Initiative.
