Code of Maine Rules
01 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY
001 - AGRICULTURE - GENERAL
Chapter 600 - RULES REGARDING DISPOSAL OF CULL POTATO PILES
CULL POTATO DISPOSAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Section 001-600-4 - WARM WEATHER TEMPORARY CULL POTATO STORAGE BMP
Current through 2024-38, September 18, 2024
This BMP provides acceptable procedures for the storage of cull potatoes between the dates of March 1 and October 1 of the same year, when tuber breakdown will or is likely to occur Cull potatoes placed in Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages should be disposed of each fall, in accordance with another cull potato disposal BMP (such as field spreading) Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages must however, be emptied by March 1 of any year following a year in which it was used between the dates of March 1 and October 1, with the cull potatoes being utilized (feed, starch source, etc) or disposed of in accordance with another cull potato disposal BMP Cull potatoes can be transferred from a Cold Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage to a Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage but not vise versa
Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage Site Criteria
a. Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages that are not completely self contained (constructed in such a way that if any leachate is generated it will be captured and will not be discharged to the soil) must be sited upon well drained, deep (40 inches or more to the seasonal water table and bedrock), non-sandy soils. This criteria can be met by natural conditions or by site modification such as lowering the water table or adding fill.
b. Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages that are self contained (where leachate will be generated but will not be discharged to the soil) have no minimum soil conditions for siting.
Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage Covering Criteria: No cover material for Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage is required from March 1 to June 10 (or from October 1 to March 1, if used between those dates). From June 10 to October 1, all Warm Weather Temporary Cull Storage piles shall immediately be covered (including the unbermed side) in a manner so as to prevent potatoes from sprouting and potentially spreading disease. Acceptable covering methods include, but are not limited to a minimum of 6 inches of sawdust, 12 inches of soil, or 6 mill black plastic polyethylene, all of which must completely cover the pile and, be secured and remain in place.
Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage Setback Criteria: Warm Weather Cull Potato Storages must be set back a minimum of 100 feet from neighboring dwellings, property lines, wells, springs, water bodies, streams, gullies, swales, ravines and downslope diversions (those not associated with construction of the storage site).
Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storage Site Construction Criteria
a. Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages which are not self contained (discharge to the soil) must be constructed in accordance with "Tuber Stockpile Compound" , Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Miscellaneous Report 318. In addition, the stockpile must be surrounded on three sides by an earthen, sawdust, haybale or similar berm at least two feet in thickness and the downslope leachate trap (ditch) must be constructed with a level lip spreader which outlets to a vegetated buffer. When it is desirable to utilize nutrients in the leachate as a soil amendment, or the storage site has soil and/or site limitations, culls should be placed on a sawdust, or similar absorptive pad, 12 to 18 inches thick. Sawdust can also be mixed with the culls as they are placed on the storage site to further act as a leachate absorbent. When the culls are to be used as a soil amendment they, along with the leachate saturated bulking agent, shall be applied on the land in accordance with the Cull Potato Winter Spreading BMP. This is because there may be tubers which have not broken down and therefore pose a disease threat.
(NOTE: To maximize the soil amendment benefits of the culls and bulking agent, they should be land applied in the fall and incorporated into the soil).
b. Warm Weather Temporary Cull Potato Storages which are self contained ( non discharge) have no minimum Site Construction criteria.
