Agricultural Operations

Definitions:

Actual Emissions:

The emissions produced by a facility or operation based on its normal operating conditions. This may be derived from actual measurements or emissions testing, or historical records of activities which can be used to estimate emissions.

Agricultural  source:

A source, or group of sources, used in the production of crops or the raising of fowl or animals located on contiguous property and under common ownership or control. See more here.

Confined Animal Facility (CAF):

Any type of confinement for animals or fowl that restricts them to a specific area and involves feeding the animals by any method other than grazing.

Contiguous:

Adjacent or adjoining; having a common boundary. For the purposes of this program, some acreage that is not adjoining may be considered contiguous, for example, when land is divided by a public road, see this page for more info.

Land Manager:

Person or entity contractually responsible to the owner for day to day operations of emitting equipment.

NOx:

Nitrogen oxides are typically created during combustion processes, and are major contributors to smog formation and acid deposition.

Operator:

Person or entity responsible for day to day operations of emitting equipment.

Owner:

Person or entity responsible for any property taxes due and has legal right to sell the land.

Potential to Emit:

A source's potential to emit is generally considered to be the maximum amount of air pollution it can emit, considering physical and other enforceable limitations.

Source:

The term "source" may refer to an individual piece of equipment such as an internal combustion engine or to a group of emitting equipment.

Stationary source:

Generally, a stationary source consists of an operation or operations that emit air pollution and exist on one or more contiguous properties and under common ownership or control. All air pollution emissions (excepting fugitive dust) from non-exempt equipment operated at the stationary source are aggregated for purposes of determining applicability of permitting requirements. This definition is important as permit requirements will be based on the overall emissions at the stationary source. For instance, it is possible that multiple farms could comprise a single stationary source

Stationary internal combustion engines:

A stationary engine is one that stays at the same location for more than 12 consecutive months, or, for seasonal sources, more than 3 months

VOC:

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC).

Also known as Reactive Organic Compounds (ROC), or gases (ROG): A reactive chemical gas, composed of hydrocarbons, that react with nitrogen oxides and contribute to the formation of ozone.

More Information:

Do You Need a Federal Operating Permit? (Calculate Emissions)

Deadlines, Details, Forms and Instructions, Exclusions

Definitions (this page)

Frequently Asked Questions

Agriculture Operations Home Page