Estimating Setback Distances Using the Odor Footprint Tool

Introduction: As animal production has changed and the facilities in which livestock and poultry are raised have grown in size, neighbors of animal feeding operations increasingly are expressing concerns about potential negative environmental effects on the surrounding rural community. Degradation of air quality is a prevalent concern, and the expected presence of offensive odors commonly is near the top of the list of issues and complaints. Livestock and poultry producers, community planners and officials, and rural residents in general, benefit from having objective, easily visualized information upon which to make well-informed decisions regarding odor impact, siting of facilities, and odor control. The Odor Footprint Tool is a planning and screening tool that can produce useful, science-based information, and help fill some of the void in objective information. This fact sheet provides a general description of odor footprints and the Odor Footprint Tool. The overview highlights the type of information conveyed, practical ways of representing setbacks and risk-based impact areas, the interpretation of risk-based odor impact, information needed to utilize the tool, and versions of the Odor Footprint Tool. More detailed information and instructions can be found in supplementary fact sheets.