The last straw. Covering animal waste lagoons with barley straw significantly reduces odors for as long as the waxy straw floats and no major cracks appear in the surface.

The Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association, Wisconsin Pork Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Dairy Business Association, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc. and Gold'n Plump Poultry say that NR 445 was not developed for the purpose of regulating emissions associated with agricultural waste and that the DNR believes that best management practices are the preferred approach to controlling these emissions.

In the spring of 2004, NR 445 (Control of Hazardous Pollutants) was amended to include a three-year exemption from permitting requirements for emissions associated with agricultural waste. This three-year period ended on July 1. The groups say the extension is needed because research is underway on establishing air emission testing.

The Farm Bureau says that at the time, the rationale for providing the three-year exemption was that there were initiatives underway at both the federal and state levels to develop an approach for emissions associated with agricultural waste.

"These initiatives included various studies to assess the existence, magnitude and extent of air emissions from agricultural waste and the effectiveness of certain practices at reducing such emissions," the organization said in a statement.