NRCS Changes 590 Standard

10-31-2013 in Commodities

The Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has rolled out a revised 590 Nutrient Management Practice Standard. These changes affect livestock and poultry farmers who have taken, or are considering applying for, EQIP funding.

General changes include:

• Aligned better with the nutrient management conservation planning process.
• More consistent use of 4Rs language (the Right nutrient source applied at the Right rate in the Right place at the Right time) to describe nutrient management planning.
• Manure and commercial fertilizer management are treated more similarly than different.

Significant changes include:

• Adds municipal and industrial biosolids management as sources of plant nutrients as a purpose, plus related criteria.
• Ads manure with high ammonium content and MAP/DAP to the current anhydrous criteria for fall application (50 degrees or colder)
• Adds a “Rescue Nitrogen Application” section to the criteria, which allows over-application of N when weather causes a loss of N. Specifies evaluating the cause of the N loss, and formulating and evaluating management alternatives.
• Eliminates the requirement that sheet and rill erosion be controlled to Tolerable Soil Loss or “T”. Requires that when “T” is not met the P-Index be used and met.
• Specifies additional conservation practices that can be used to control and trap nutrients preventing them from being delivered to surface or ground water.
• “Sensitive areas” changes include: Adds tile inlets to the list of water quality sensitive areas.  Sensitive area nutrient application restrictions apply to all P & N nutrient sources. 50’ filter strip can be substituted for the 200’ setback. (Editor’s note: manure can be applied within 200’ of a tile inlet IF it is incorporated within 24 hours.)
• Specifies that fields within well source water protection areas be identified on plan map
• Adds that manure testing will be done by a certified lab.
• Switches from “yield goal” language to “realistic yield potential” and provides simpler methodologies to estimate.
• Adds guidance to use adaptive nutrient management.
• Emphasizes calibration.

Other changes are:

• Adds “reducing odor” to the air quality purpose and provides considerations for planning.
• Adds criteria for organic crop production
• Adds specifications for precision agriculture.
• Adds organic matter analysis to each soil test (previously every 12 years).
• Removes the reference to using the Iowa 303d impaired waters list to trigger the use of the P-Index. The old criteria “Directly draining into…” a 303d listed water body was difficult to define and implement. The replacement trigger criteria are designed to require the use of the P-Index when there is a potential that the risk of P runoff is high.
• Adds a Leaching Index report which estimates the likelihood that water will leach through the field. Interpretations will be used for educational purposes.
• Promotes innovative use of cover crops to manage nutrients.
• Will be providing considerations in the form of a technical note to improve soil quality.

Areas of no changes from the previous 590 standard:

• The Iowa Phosphorus Index and interpretations remain the same.
• Applications of manure to frozen, snow covered, or saturated soils is precluded except for some emergency situations (but the language has been modified).
• No direct cap on soil test phosphorus.

For more information, the entire practice standard is available online. Questions can be directed to Eric Hurley, Iowa NRCS nutrient management specialist, at 515-323-2243 or eric.hurley@ia.usda.gov, or your county NRCS office or nutrient management consultant.

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