VII. Plans and Specifications
A. The minimum requirements for a nutrient management plan are specified in the previous sections of this standard and expanded in Part I of the Wisconsin Conservation Planning Technical Note WI-1. Include in a nutrient management plan:
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a soil map and aerial photograph of the site;
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current and planned crops and crop yields; realistic yield goals;
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results of soil, plant, manure, or organic byproduct sample analysis;
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recommended nutrient application rates;
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documentation of actual nutrient applications including the rate, form, timing, and method. Revise the plan to reflect any changes in crops, yields, tillage, management, and soil or manure analyses;
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the location of sensitive areas and the resulting nutrient application restrictions;
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guidance for implementation, maintaining records;
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each field's tolerable and actual soil losses;
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soil test P-ppm; P balance, or P Index level where applicable;
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other management activities required by regulation, program requirements, or producer goals;
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a narrative to explain other implementation clarifications.
B. Winter Spreading Plan – The plan shall identify those areas of fields that meet the restrictions for frozen or snow-covered ground identified in this standard. If necessary, land application of manure on frozen and snow-covered ground shall occur on those fields accessible at the time of application that represent the lowest risk of runoff and deliverability to areas of concentrated and channelized flow and surface waters. Low-risk fields shall be identified using either the P-Index or an approved conservation plan. In general, fields most suitable for land application during frozen and snow-covered ground conditions include those fields:
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with low slope,
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with low erosion,
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with high levels of surface roughness,
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with the greatest distance to surface waters and areas of concentrated flow,
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with no drainage to Outstanding/ Exceptional/nutrient impaired water bodies,
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with low delivery potential during active snowmelt.
Refer to section VIII.E for storage/infield stacking of manure during periods of active snowmelt.
C. Persons who review or approve plans for nutrient management shall be certified through any certification program acceptable to the NRCS (NRCS General Manual, Title 180, Part 409.9, NRCS TechReg) or other appropriate agencies within the state.
D. Industrial wastes and byproducts and municipal sludge are regulated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). They must be spread in accordance with a Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit as obtained from the WDNR.
E. Plans for nutrient management shall be developed in accordance with policy requirements of the NRCS General Manual Title 450, Part 401.03 and Title 190, Part 402, the contents of this standard, the procedures contained in the National Planning Procedures Handbook, and NRCS National Agronomy Manual, Section 503.
F. Plans for Nutrient Management that are elements of a more comprehensive conservation plan shall recognize other requirements of the conservation plan and be compatible with the other requirements. A Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) is a conservation system unique to animal feeding operations (AFO). The CNMP will be developed to address the environmental risks identified during the resource inventory of an AFO. A CNMP will require use of all the applicable criteria in this technical standard along with the additional criteria located in NRCS National Planning Procedures Handbook, Subpart B, Part 600.54.
VIII. Operation and Maintenance
A. Document the actual nutrient application including the rate, form, timing, and method of the application. Revise the plan to reflect any changes in crops, tillage or management, soils, and manure tests.
B. Evaluate the need to modify field operations to reduce the risk of large nutrient losses during a single runoff event based on current field conditions or forecasted weather events.
C. Minimize operator exposure to potentially toxic gases associated with manure, organic wastes, and chemical fertilizers, particularly in enclosed areas. Wear protective clothing appropriate to the material being handled.
D. Protect commercial fertilizer from the weather, and agricultural waste storage facilities from accidental leakage or spillage. See Wisconsin administrative rules and county or local ordinances concerning regulations on siting, design, operation, and maintenance of these facilities.
E. During periods when land application is not suitable, manure shall be stored in a manure storage facility designed in accordance with the criteria contained in NRCS FOTG Standard 313, Waste Storage Facility. Temporary management of manure shall be in accordance with the criteria for temporary unconfined stacks of manure contained in Table 7 of Standard 313.
F. When cleaning equipment after nutrient application, remove and save fertilizers or wastes in an appropriate manner. If the application equipment system is flushed, use the rinse water in the following batch of nutrient mixture where possible or dispose of according to state and local regulations. Always avoid cleaning equipment near high runoff areas, ponds, lakes, streams, and other water bodies. Extreme care must be exercised to avoid contaminating potable drinking water wells.
G. The application equipment shall be calibrated to achieve the desired application rate.
IX. References
Cranberry Tissue Testing for Producing Beds in North America (1995) Davenport et al., Oregon State Univ. Ext. Serv. Pub. CM8610.
Mineral Nutrition for Fruit Crops, Roper, Univ. of Wisconsin Dept. of Horticulture Pub.
National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, National Academy Press, 7th Revised Edition, 2001.
Nitrogen for Bearing Cranberries in North America (2000) Davenport et al., Oregon State Univ. Ext. Pub.
North Central Regional Research Report 346, Applying Manure to Alfalfa, December 2003.
Phosphorus for Bearing Cranberries in North America (2004) Roper et al., Univ. of Wisconsin Ext. Pub.
USDA, NRCS, General Manual, Title 180, Part 409 Conservation Planning Policy, Wisconsin Supplement 409.9, Minimum Criteria to Achieve an NRCS Certified Conservation Planner Designation.
USDA, NRCS, General Manual, Title 190, Part 402, Nutrient Management.
USDA, NRCS, National Agronomy Manual, October 2002.
USDA, NRCS, National Planning Procedures Handbook, Amendment 4, March 2003.
USDA, NRCS, National Handbook of Conservation Practices, Subpart B, Part 600.54, Element Criteria for CNMP Development.
USDA, NRCS, Wisconsin Conservation Planning Technical Note WI-1, Companion Document to NRCS FOTG Standard 590, Nutrient Management.
USDA, NRCS, Wisconsin Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG), Section I, Erosion Prediction, Maps.
USDA, NRCS, Wisconsin Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG), Section II, Soil Interpretations (T-Value).
USDA, NRCS, Wisconsin Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG), Section IV, Practice Standards and Specifications.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A2100, Sampling Soils for Testing, May 2, 2001.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A2809, Soil Test Recommendations for Field, Vegetable, and Fruit Crops, revised 1998.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3340, Corn Fertilization.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3392, Guidelines for Applying Manure to Cropland and Pasture in Wisconsin, August, 1995.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3422, Commercial Vegetable Production in Wisconsin, 2005.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3512, Wisconsin's Preplant Soil Profile Nitrate Test, 1990.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3517, Using Legumes as a Nitrogen Source, September 1997.
University of Wisconsin Extension (UWEX) Publication A3557, Nutrient Management: Practices for Wisconsin Corn Production, September 1994.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3568, A Step-by-Step Guide to Nutrient Management, May 1992.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3624, Soil Nitrate Tests for Wisconsin Cropping Systems, 1994.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3634, Nitrogen Management on Sandy Soils, 1995.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX), NPM Program, Know How Much You Haul!,
http://ipcm.wisc.edu.
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) Publication A3769, Recommended Methods of Manure Analysis, 2003.
University of Wisconsin Soil and Forage Analysis Lab Sampling for plant analysis:
http://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/ (Click on Lab procedures and then plant analysis).
Wisconsin Administrative Code, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Chapter
48, Drainage Districts.
X. Definitions
Apparent Water Table (V.B) - Continuous saturated zone in the soil to a depth of at least 6 feet without an unsaturated zone below it.
Budgeting (II) - Document present and prior year's crop, estimated nutrient removal by these crops and known nutrient credits. When nutrients are applied for future crop needs in the rotation, implement a tracking process to allow adjustment of subsequent nutrient applications so that the total amount of nutrients applied to the farm or tract complies with this standard and is documented in the plan. Required as a component for all nutrient management plans (VII.A.; Wisconsin Conservation Planning Technical Note WI-1 Part 1 B.d. (1), (2); C.6.).
Concentrated Flow Channel (V.A.2.a.(1)) - A natural channel or constructed channel that has been shaped or graded to required dimensions and established in perennial vegetation for the stable conveyance of runoff. This definition may include non-vegetated channels caused by ephemeral erosion. These channels include perennial and intermittent streams, drainage ditches, and drainage ends identified on the NRCS soil survey and not already classified as SWQMAs. Concentrated flow channels are also identifiable as contiguous up-gradient deflections of contour lines on the USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic map. The path of flow to surface water or direct conduits to groundwater must be documented. For construction, refer to NRCS FOTG Standard 412, Grassed Waterway, for more information.
Conservation Plan (V.A.2.b.(2)) - A plan developed and field verified by a conservation planner to document crop management and the conservation practices used to control sheet and rill erosion to tolerable levels (T) and to provide treatment of ephemeral soil erosion. A conservation plan must be signed by the land operator and approved by the county land conservation committee or their representative. A conservation plan will be needed for designating winter spreading restrictions other than those specifically listed in this standard, and when implementing the soil test P management strategy where the soil erosion assessment is not calculated with the Wisconsin Phosphorus Index model. A conservation planner must develop conservation plans using the minimum criteria found in the USDA, NRCS National Planning Procedures Handbook and the Wisconsin Field Office Technical Guide and be qualified by one of the following:
1. Meeting the minimum criteria in the NRCS General Manual, Title 180, Part 409.9(c), NRCS Certified Conservation Planner Designation.
2. Meeting criteria established by the county land conservation committee.
3. Meeting the NRCS TechReg Certified Conservation Planner Option 1, 2, 3.
Direct Conduits to Groundwater (V.A.2.a.(4)) - Wells, sinkholes, swallets (a sinkhole or rock hole that intercepts a stream, diverting all or a portion of it to the groundwater), fractured bedrock at the surface, mine shafts, non-metallic mines, tile inlets discharging to groundwater quarries, or depressional groundwater recharge areas over shallow fractured bedrock. For the purpose of nutrient management planning, these features will be identified on the NRCS soil survey and/or USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic map, or otherwise determined through on-site evaluation and documented in a conservation plan.
Documented yields (V.A.1.b.) - Crop production yield-records documented by field for at least two consecutive years that are used to determine phosphorus and potassium fertility recommendations. Yield record documentation may include measurements of harvested crop weight, volume, or the use of calibrated yield-monitors.
Effectively Incorporated (V.A.2.a.(4)) - Means the mixing with the topsoil or residue or subsurface placement of nutrients with topsoil by such means as injector, disc, sweep, mold-board plow, chisel plow, or other tillage/infiltration methods. Nutrients will not run off the field or drain to subsurface tiles during application.
Fields (III) - A group or single nutrient management unit with the following conditions: similar soil type, similar cropping history, same place in rotation (i.e., second year corn fields, established alfalfa), similar nutrient requirements, and close proximity. Examples include: alternate strips in a contour strip system, pasture, variable rate nutrient application management units, and other management units where grouping facilitates implementation of the nutrient management plan.
Gleaning / Pasturing (V.A.1.m.) - An area of land where animals graze or otherwise seek feed in a manner that maintains the vegetative cover over all the area and where the vegetative cover is the primary food source for the animals. Livestock shall be managed to avoid the routine concentration of animals within the same area of the field. Manure deposited near a well by grazing of livestock does not require incorporation.
High Permeability Soils (V.B) - Equivalent to drained hydrologic group A that meet both of the following criteria:
1. Permeability = 6 inches/hour or more in all parts of the upper 20 inches and
2. Permeability = 0.6 inches/hour or more in all parts of the upper 40 inches.
Use the lowest permeability listed for each layer when evaluating a soil. For a multi-component map unit (complex), evaluate each component separately. If the high permeability components meet the criteria and cannot be separated, the entire map unit should be considered as high permeability.
Major Nutrients (V.A.1.a.) - Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
Note (V.A.1.i.) - Any section labeled as a `note' is to be considered a recommendation rather than a requirement. The note is included in the criteria section to ensure subject continuity.
Permanent Vegetative Buffer (V.A.2.a.(1)) - A strip or area of perennial herbaceous vegetation situated between cropland, grazing land, or disturbed land (including forest land) and environmentally sensitive areas (as defined in NRCS Technical Standard 393, Filter Strip).
Phosphorus Index (PI) (V.C.2) - The Wisconsin Phosphorus Index (PI) is an assessment of the potential for a given field to deliver P to surface water. The PI assessment takes into account factors that contribute to P losses in runoff from a field and subsequent transport to a water body, including:
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Soil erosion as calculated using the current approved NRCS soil erosion prediction technology located in Section I of the NRCS FOTG.
