Bradford County Conservation District
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Careers
    • Board Meetings
    • Right to Know Request
    • BCCD Earth Day
  • Programs
    • Agriculture & Soils >
      • Woodchip Barnyard Project
      • No Till Garden
      • Interseeder
      • Farmland Preservation
      • Women in Agriculture Day
    • Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads
    • Education >
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • Envirothon
      • Conservation Field Day
    • Environmental Permitting >
      • Chapter 102
      • Chapter 105
    • Forestry >
      • Spotted Lanternfly
    • Watershed Restoration >
      • Pond & Lake Management
      • Stream Crossing Replacements
    • West Nile Virus
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact

CONSERVATION CORNER

A weekly blog for all things conservation

Nutrient Management Planning: An Overview

9/13/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​An Excerpt from Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management Program
Nutrient management traditionally has been concerned with optimizing the economic returns from nutrients used to produce a crop. More recently, nutrient management also has begun to address ways to minimize the negative impact of nutrients on the environment.
Programs such as the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Nutrient Management Act in Pennsylvania have focused attention on improving nutrient management on Commonwealth farms.

​The environmental problems associated with nutrients can come from animal manure and commercial fertilizers used on farms. Applying nutrients in excess of crop needs or at the wrong time, or handling it improperly may release nutrients into the air or water, where they no longer contribute to crop production and may act as pollutants. The leaching of nitrogen through the soil can raise groundwater nitrate levels. In addition, runoff and erosion may increase nitrogen and phosphorus levels in surface waters, which can lead to eutrophication and related problems such as algae scums, odors, and loss of fish populations. Good nutrient management planning can help to avoid some of these problems.
Nutrient management plans are not new. All farmers have a plan for using the manure produced by their animals. In many cases, however, this plan is very informal and addresses only manure disposal and possibly the crop response to the manure nutrients; environmental concerns usually are not addressed. Changing regulations now require farmers to implement more formal nutrient management plans that address environmental issues.
A basic manure management plan can be completed by farm operators to meet Pennsylvania’s requirements.  Some farms may want or need a more complete nutrient management plan which would include the following:
  • An inventory of nutrient sources on the farm, including manure and crop residues.
  • Nutrient analyses of each of these sources. The compositions of many of these sources may vary considerably, so “book values” may be inadequate for planning purposes.
  • Handling and storage procedures for minimizing the potential for nutrient loss around the barnyard.
  • Lists of crops and crop rotations by field, or crop groups and expected yields.
  • Soil tests to determine the nutrient needs of the crops to be grown.
  • Prioritization of the fields based on maximizing the economic benefit and minimizing the environmental impact of the manure nutrients.
  • Procedures for when and how to apply the manure to maximize the economic benefit and minimize the environmental impact of the nutrients.
  • A practical manure spreading rate for each field that does not apply the nutrient of greatest environmental concern in excess of the crop needs.
  • Best management practices that minimize the potential for nutrient loss from the fields.
  • Nutrient balances for each field to indicate any additional nutrient needs for the crop and/or any excesses that might be of concern.
  • Plans for dealing with any excess manure produced on the farm.
 
While all manure or nutrient management plans will contain the same basic elements, the actual plans themselves will take on many forms. Pennsylvania requires that all farms document these plans in writing.  Many farms ask their local conservation district for help developing these plans.
The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Authors

    Various staff at the Bradford County Conservation District

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Chapter 102
    Chapter 105
    Community
    Conservation Planning
    County Initiative
    Cover Crop
    DGLVR
    Earth Day
    Education
    Energy
    Events
    Farmland Preservation
    Floodplain
    Forest Pests
    Forestry
    Grazing
    Home & Garden
    Interseeder
    Manure Management
    Native Species
    No Till Garden
    Nutrient Management
    Outreach
    Permitting
    Pollinators
    Ponds
    Riparian Buffer
    Scholarship
    Soil Health
    Storm Water
    Stream Crossings
    Streams
    Watershed
    Wildlife

Bradford County Conservation District
​​
​Stoll Natural Resource Center
200 Lake Road, Suite E | Towanda PA 18848
Phone: (570)-485-3144
Programs
Agriculture and Soils
Dirt Gravel & Low Volume Roads
Education
Forestry

Chapter 102
Chapter 105
Watershed Restoration
West Nile Virus
Quick Links
Programs Resources
Blog
Events Calendar
Get Assistance
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Careers
    • Board Meetings
    • Right to Know Request
    • BCCD Earth Day
  • Programs
    • Agriculture & Soils >
      • Woodchip Barnyard Project
      • No Till Garden
      • Interseeder
      • Farmland Preservation
      • Women in Agriculture Day
    • Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads
    • Education >
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • Envirothon
      • Conservation Field Day
    • Environmental Permitting >
      • Chapter 102
      • Chapter 105
    • Forestry >
      • Spotted Lanternfly
    • Watershed Restoration >
      • Pond & Lake Management
      • Stream Crossing Replacements
    • West Nile Virus
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact