Nutrient Management Plans: Here’s State of the State Agri-View: Crop News

As of Jan. 1 this year, a nutrient management plan is required of most producers in Wisconsin. While steady progress is being made in getting NMPs applied to Wisconsin’s cropland, the state has a “long way to go,” says Sue Porter, nutrient management specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP).

As of the end of 2007, formal nutrient management was being practiced on 1,006,342 acres in Wisconsin. But with approximately 9 million acres of cropland in the state, Porter and fellow nutrient management advocates have eight million acres to go to meet a deadline that became official last week.

Specifically, a nutrient management plan can be required everywhere in Wisconsin after Jan. 1, when producers: Are offered or accept cost-share dollars for nutrient management, receive cost-sharing for manure storage, participate in the Farmland Preservation Program, are regulated under a DNR Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit (i.e. mostly farms over 1,000 animal units) and are regulated under a county manure storage or livestock siting ordinance.

The 2007 growing season was the 12th year of “quality assurance review” for Wisconsin NMPs. Even Porter n still facing a big public education job on NMPs n admits that time sure flies. She’s still trying to get the word out that “managing nutrient applications to maximize profitability and minimize water degradation is a smart move” and a Nutrient Management Plan is “a great way to do it.”

A NMP is an annual plan updated to follow the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) 590 Nutrient Management Standard. Changes to Wisconsin Administrative Code (ATCP 50) went into effect in June last year to implement the 590 standard. A NMP, according to Porter, accounts for all nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium applied to each field and consists of: UW soil test recommendations minus manure and legume credits to equal the fertilizer to apply. Soils need to be tested by a DATCP-certified lab every four years, with each field sampled at approximately every five acres.

Of the just over a million “Nutrient Management Acres” in the state, 296,000 have plans because of county ordinances, 152,000 acres are WPDES operations, 522,000 have plans because of cost-sharing programs, and 36,000 are farms practicing formal nutrient management planning but not in programs. As noted, progress is being made. In 2000, Wisconsin had 236,326 acres covered by Nutrient management, jumping to 366,581 acres in 2002 and 650,963 in 2004.

Porter says about 91 percent of the NMPs (2,106 plans covering 927,700 acres) reported in 2007 were written to the phosphorus-based 590 standard. In 2003, only 6 percent of plans (38 covering 25,260 acres) were written to the P-based standard. Of the N-based NMPs written for 2007, about 74 percent are in Brown and Marathon counties.

Thirteen counties reported 20 precent or more of their cropland acres under NMPs in 2007. Those are:

- Marathon n 108,771 acres, 38 percent of county cropland with NMP, up 188 plans and 43,974 acres from 2006

- Brown n 89.612 acres, 59 percent of county cropland with NMP, up 37 plans and 10,009 acres

- Fond du Lac n 56,530 acres, 22 percent, up 16 plans and 10,040 acres

- Outagamie n 56,146 acres, 30 percent, up 24 plans and 18,467 acres

- Shawano n 53,494 acres, 33 percent, up 62 plans and 30,430 acres

- Clark n 53,018, 20 percent, up three plans ad 5,768 acres

- Manitowoc n 40,759 acres, 22 percent, up six plans but down 5,950 acres

- Oconto n 33,549 acres, 27 percent, up 16 plans and 6,344 acres

- Kewaunee n 34,645 acres, 27 percent, down 8 plans and 1,320 acres

- Door n 33,432 acres, 41 percent, up 48 plans and 8,048 acres

- Winnebago n 25,249 acres, 22 percent, up three plans and 3,862 acres

- Marinette n 22,753 acres, 31 percent, up 11 plans and 8,294 acres

- Washington n 21,119 acres, 22 percent, up six plans and 1,358 acres.

The WDATCP collects NMP acreage through bulk fertilizer supplies and a NMP “checklist” form submitted by farmers, agronomists and public agency personnel. In 2007, 2,320 NMPs covered the already noted 1.006 million acres. That reported acreage is up 28 percent from acres reported the year before.

Porter reports about the same number of farmer planners and acreage as the prior year, but improved progress with the numbers of agronomists and plans produced (with 14 percent as agronomist planners covering 30 percent more acres than in 2006).

NMPs were reported from 60 counties in 2007, compared to 54 in 2006. Fifty-nine counties have ordinances requiring farmers within their borders to get a NMP.

Suppliers of bulk fertilizer to Wisconsin growers reported 2,484 plans last year. In 2007, 76 suppliers reported 20 percent of producers buying bulk fertilizer had 590 plans n up 3 percent from 2006, but, nevertheless, “giving the industry substantial room for growth in providing NM planning services,” notes Porter.

Porter notes there are 388 producers in Wisconsin who’ve written a NMP for their farm. There are 717 “other certified planners.” Wisconsin’s qualified planners are:

- Certified crop advisors and professional agronomists and Soil Science Society of America soil scientists

- Certified professional crop consultants (National Association of Independent Crop Consultants)

- Farmers developing their own NMPs and submitting to DATCP a planning “checklist” form with their address. The checklist is a way to certify that the NMP the checklist represents complies with Wisconsin’s NRCS 590 standard (which in June switched from an emphasis on N to a P-based standard). The planner signs off on it. It’s a way of reducing reams of paperwork from having to exchange hands.

With this year’s deadline for NMPs, the State Legislature has allocated $6.5 million a year to nutrient management efforts. Over a two-year state budget, that’s $13 million. Porter says formerly, about $500,000 a year was devoted to this effort. The heftier allocation includes more cost-sharing for farmers to do NMPs.

She suggests they contact their county Land Conservation Department immediately to inquire about cost-sharing to help get a plan on place on their farm. The new cost-sharing amounts to $28 an acre across four years. In other words, that’s the total amount for a four-year effort n not $28 annually for four years. The lump sum is given up front. She says it should sufficiently cover the work involved n and more n not to even mention that operating under a NMP plan can save big-time on the fertilizer bill.

Porter estimates that the required soil testing typically comes to only 50 cents an acre and is only needed once every four years. A ballpark figure for hiring a planner to help write a NMP is $10 an acre. Farmers can also write their own plans by attending special training, offered by county UW-Extension offices. Once they have a NMP in place, by law, they need to update it annually. The previously mentioned “checklist” suffices as an update and must be submitted to the Land Conservation Department.

The Checklist and other handy NMP documents can be accessed online at www.datcp.state.wi.us/arm/agriculture/land-water/conservation/nutrient-mngmt/planning.jsp.

Porter hopes that by reviewing plans and planners, it’ll improve plans written in future year. Compared to previous years, the 2007 Quality Assurance Team saw improvement in following UW soil test recommendations and manure application rates. However, declines in spreading restrictions and phosphorus planning were also noted.

She says the 590 standard requires planners to think about the whole crop rotation for tolerable soil loss and P applications and not all planners are accustomed to that change. Tillage and applications for the entire rotation “not just this year and last year” are necessary, says Porter.

She notes that the Quality Assurance Team looking over NMPs also saw a deficiency with the maps given to farmers by planners. Manure spreading restrictions aren’t adequately noted. Those are: No winter spreading 300 feet from a perennial stream or 1,000 feet of lakes and ponds, and no mechanical applications (grazing is allowed) within 50 feet of a well. Further, manure must be incorporated within 200 feet of a well, which makes for a practical well setback in the winter (when manure can’t be incorporated) of 200 feet.

Delving into the 2007 NMP review, Porter specifically notes that spreading restrictions in 14 of 19 plans examined need improvement. Twelve plans had no manure spreading prohibitions around all adjacent wells. As noted, areas within 50 feet of a drinking water well shall not receive mechanical manure applications, and areas contributing runoff within 200 feet up slope of direct conduits to groundwater (wells, sinkholes, surface fractured bedrock, tile inlets or gravel/sand mines) can’t have manure applied unless the nutrients are effectively incorporated within 72 hours.

Four of the 19 spot-checked plans didn’t correctly identify specific soils where fall N applications are restricted. These restrictions reduce N losses to groundwater. Use Snap Plus computer software, notes Porter, and those soils will be identified. See an updated soils list at www.datcp.state.wi.us/arm/agriculture/land-water/conservation/nutrient-mngmt/planning.jsp.

Four plans lacked identification of areas with spreading restrictions that require one or more of the following practices on non-frozen soils within 1,000 feet or lakes and ponds or 300 feet of perennial streams:

- Permanent vegetative buffers

- Maintain 30 percent crop residue or vegetative cover on the soil surface

- Incorporate nutrients within 72 hours leaving adequate residue

- Cover crops established promptly following application

- In addition, unincorporated liquid manure (less than 12 percent solids) on non-frozen soils in such an area can not exceed maximum acceptable rates based on soil texture and listed in the 590 standard.

She notes that six plans have winter applications with no mention of winter application restrictions on maps or within the printed plan. One plan even showed a winter manure application on 16 percent slope.

On frozen or snow-covered soils that prevent effective incorporation at the time of application:

- Do not apply nutrients within the 1,000 feet of lakes and ponds or 300 feet of perennial streams except if manure is deposited through winter grazing of residue. Where winter gleaning occurs in these areas, calculate manure nutrients applied and don’t exceed the N and P requirements of this standard.

- Don’t apply manure on slopes greater than 9 percent or up to 12 percent if slopes are contour farmed, and don’t exceed the P removal of the following growing season’s crop when applying manure. Limit liquid manure applications to 7,000 gallons per acre.

- Don’t apply nutrients to locally identified areas delineated in an approve conservation plan. In the case of livestock siting ordinances, locally identified areas with winter spreading restrictions must be codified to protect public health and safety, according to Porter.

- Don’t apply commercial N and P fertilizer except for grass pastures and winter grains.

As noted, 14 of 19 plans needed to address all the P applications across the rotation. Poter says a complete P assessment must follow the crop rotation (up to eight years) and identify which P strategy the farm is using for manure application (P Index or soil test P). Farms with only fertilizer and no manure applications can’t exceed the total P and K soil test recommendation for the rotation. These fertilizer applications can be combined into a single application to meet the total P and K needs during the crop rotation (up to eight years) or comply with the soil test P and K recommendations annually.

Three plans had fields exceeding tolerable soil loss and aren’t documenting if concentrated flow areas are protected with perennial cover. In 2006, this was the main problem found because plans were missing soil erosion control information. This past year’s improvement is attributed to more plans being develop with Snap Plus, where rotations are planned into the future. Porter notes such conservation planning will help producers control soil loss, manage P, track past and calculate future nutrient application n even as the plan changes.

Five plans had some field N applications exceeding UW soil test recommendations. Some recommended putting commercial N on soybeans where it isn’t needed. Two plans recommended N that exceeded the 590 standard. Excess applications ranged from 36 to 200 pounds of N per acre. She doesn’t expect to see that in this year’s plans as a change has been made to Snap Plus. When N recommendations are exceeded, it’ll automatically be highlighted in attention-getting red.

Five of the 10 plans didn’t have an adequate number of soil samples. Why soil test every four years? Porter says to save money. At a cost of only 50 cents per acre per year, it’s a small but important input.

Twelve plans didn’t show manure spreader calibrations for the producer-applied manure. And six plans should have included the amount of manure produced, collected and how and when it’ll be applied. The team saw difference between amounts of manure produced and the planned application ranging from 150,000 to 1.8 million gallons. One plan had liquid manure daily hauled, yet most of the applications were planned for spring. Daily haul operations should designate which fields will have winter, spring, summer or fall applications, Porter directs.

She warns that incomplete plans could leave planners open for liability issues.

Porter points out that maintaining a NMP will provide more liability protection for the farmer than not having a plan. ATCP 50 presumes a producer complies with the code requirement if his NMP is prepared or approved by a qualified planner (other than the farmer) and he’s following the plan.

Porter says better managing manure and following a NMP saves money. In June, a 20-acre continuous-corn field in Dane County was examined. The field had a soil test recommendation or crop need of 160 pounds of N per acre, 70 pounds of phosphate and 50 of potash. If no manure is applied, the cost for commercial fertilizer amounted to $2,195.20 for this 20-acre field. If the field had 14,000 gallons of liquid dairy manure applied per acre and 50 pounds of commercial urea fertilizer to meet the crop need (instead of all commercial fertilizer) the nutrient cost was only $230 for the 20 acres. On this field, manure nutrients were worth $1,965.20 back in June when urea N was valued at 23 cents a pound, phosphate at 23 cents per pound and 13 cents a pound for potassium chloride (0-0-61).

That manure is worth even more today when urea is still at 23 cents a pound but diammonium phosphate is up four cents a pound to 27 cents, and potassium chloride is up seven cents per pound to 20 cents.