USDA strategies to improve cropland nutrient management

USDA – When farmers effectively manage nutrients from commercial fertilizer, manure, and other inputs, they minimize the losses of those nutrients from their fields into local waterbodies. While all crops need nutrients to grow and thrive, effective nutrient management is not one-size-fits-all. NRCS works with farmers to achieve SMART Nutrient Management.

A SMART Nutrient Management Plan includes the four Rs of nutrient stewardship we’ve used for years – the right Source, or type of nutrients; the right Method for applying them; the right Rate at which they’re applied; and the right Timing of application – while additionally emphasizing the need for a comprehensive Assessment of site-specific conditions. No two fields have identical histories or plans for production. When farmers work with NRCS to develop a SMART Nutrient Management Plan, our conservationists assess site-specific risks for nutrient and soil loss and offer opportunities to address those risks, all through voluntary measures.

This provides a way to boost crop yields, bottom lines, and water quality benefits all at once. In fact, farmers on average save $30 per acre on land currently receiving excess nutrients by implementing a SMART Nutrient Management Plan with NRCS. This Conservation Outcomes Webinar recording offers a detailed overview of SMART Nutrient Management and the science behind this approach.

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Wayne Creed

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