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Planning - Nutrient Management
Minnesota NRCS

This page focuses on plan formats and content. Visit the “Standards and Policy page” of this website for NRCS nutrient management guidance. Visit the “Plant Nutrient Requirements” page for procedures used to estimate plant nutrient needs. Visit the “Environmental Assessment” page for procedures used to determine sensitive areas that must be considered when managing nutrients. Visit the “Manure Management Page” for guidance on determining plant available food from manure.

 These documents require Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word.


Planning Guidance

Planning for Odor Management
Link to University of Minnesota Extension site

Emergency Response Planning
Link to University of Minnesota Extension site. Focuses on manure spills but can be developed for other spill incidences.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentUSDA-NRCS-Minnesota Nutrient Management Planning Policy (300 KB)
Minnesota Amendment to National Planning Procedure Handbook (NPPH). Describes nutrient management and comprehensive nutrient management planning procedures. This policy is located on the Standards and Policy sub-page of this website

Adobe Acrobat DocumentComponents of a Nutrient Management Plan  (784 KB)
Brochure describing similarities between MPCA’s Manure Management Plans and NRCS Nutrient Management Plans.

Microsoft Word DocumentPlan Component Checklist  (149 KB)
(USDA-NRCS Minnesota Form MN-ECS-015)
NRCS list used to check nutrient management plans.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentState Manure Management Plan Requirements
 (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)

Planning Software

Adobe Acrobat DocumentVersion 2.1 of Nutrient Management Planner for Minnesota (198 KB)
Fact sheet on software, system requirements and contacts. This software calculates crop nutrient needs and plant food available from manure. It allows the user to develop custom nutrient management plans. The software generates numerous reports. Most users choose too many reports to give to their clients, NRCS or MPCA. Many of the reports are analogous to NRCS inventory sheets and plan forms found below.

Purdue University Manure Management Planner
This web-based tool can be used for nutrient management planning purposes. However it currently provides some but not all reports required by NRCS in Minnesota.

Manure Management Planner Spreadsheet
This computer spreadsheet can be used to develop a manure management plan that meets State of Minnesota feedlot rule requirements. However it does not contain all reports or recommendations needed for an NRCS nutrient management plan. These additional reports would have to be appended to the spreadsheet reports.
 

Sample Nutrient Management Plans

Adobe Acrobat DocumentEQIP 1st year Nutrient Management-NRCS Jobsheet 590b (26 KB)
Jobsheet 590b is used to schedule nutrient management activities for producers receiving USDA incentive payments for managing nutrients. Used in the 1st cost-shared year if the producer hasn’t already conducted the listed activities.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentComprehensive Nutrient Management Plan  (953 KB)
Developed when producers request USDA financial assistance to design and install manure and other animal by-product storage, treatment or transfer systems. Also used when producers request a manure or nutrient management plan that meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requirements. Provides recommendations for manure handling and treatment; sensitive area practices; mortality disposal; emergency response planning, recordkeeping and other items. Specific to livestock operations. Developed once and only updated as necessary.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentAnnual Plan (223 KB)
Used in years following development of baseline plans or CNMPs. Provide field specific nutrient application recommendations. Reviewed annually and updated as necessary.

Baseline Plans
Baseline plans are called strategic plans in other states; are only developed once; and address many facets of nutrient management other than fertilizer recommendations (e.g. sensitive area practices; soil and manure sampling and testing guidance; equipment calibration guidance; and/or operation and maintenance information). Producers receiving USDA EQIP incentive payments for managing nutrients should have a baseline plane developed by the end of the 1st cost-shared year of nutrient management

Adobe Acrobat DocumentBaseline Plan for Livestock Farm (2170 KB)
Used when producer is only requesting advice for land application of commercial fertilizer and manure.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentBaseline Plan for Non-livestock farm (259 Kb)
Used when producer is only requesting advice for land application of commercial fertilizer

Plan Templates

Microsoft Word DocumentEQIP 1st Year Nutrient Management-NRCS Jobsheet 590b (111 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentBaseline Nutrient Management Plan for Livestock Operations (2170 KB)
This template contains multiple cover sheet options. Select the most appropriate and fill in the requested information. The non-selected cover-sheets remain and will print out along with the selected sheet.

Microsoft Word DocumentBaseline Plan for Operations without Livestock (3724 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentComprehensive Nutrient Management Plan(CNMP) (4608 KB)
This template contains multiple cover sheet options. Select the most appropriate and fill in the requested information. The non-selected cover-sheets remain and will print out along with the selected sheet.

Microsoft Word DocumentAnnual Field Nutrient Management Plan- NRCS form MN-CPA-023  (178 KB)
Used for field specific nutrient budgeting and recommendations. Analogous form is found in the Nutrient Management Planner for Minnesota software.

Microsoft Excel DocumentAnnual Farm Nutrient Management Plan-NRCS form MN-CPA-38 (31 KB)
Contains recommendations for multiple fields. Analogous form is found in the Nutrient Management Planner for Minnesota software.

Inventory and Evaluation Worksheets and Forms for Appendices of Baseline Plans Includesng CNMPs (Inventory, recordkeeping and certification forms are only inserted into the producer copy of plans upon request)

Microsoft Word DocumentField Nitrogen Loss Assessment (140 KB)
Also found on Environmental Assessment sub-page of this nutrient management web-site.

Microsoft Word DocumentField Phosphorus Loss Assessment (96 KB)
Also found on Environmental Assessment sub-page of this nutrient management web-site.

Microsoft Word DocumentNutrient Application Restrictions in Sensitive Areas (42 KB)
Also found on Environmental Assessment sub-page of this nutrient management web-site.

Management Practice Considerations for Nitrogen and Phosphorus
Found on Environmental Assessment sub-page of this nutrient management web-site.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Sampling Fact Sheet (187 KB)
Also found on the Management-Plant Nutrient Requirements sub-page of this web-site

Adobe Acrobat DocumentManure Sampling Fact Sheet (70 KB)
Also found on the Management-Manure sub-page of this web-site.

Microsoft Word DocumentFarming Practices Inventory- NRCS Form MN-CPA-40 (129 KB)
Used when working with client the 1st time to determine general farming practices. Also used to list sensitive areas on planning acreage

Microsoft Word DocumentCropping History and Soil Fertility Inventory- NRCS Form MN-CPA-41 (214 KB)
Used when working with client the 1st time to gather information needed for nutrient management planning purposes.

Microsoft Word DocumentManure Information Inventory- NRCS Form MN-CPA-42 (92 KB)
Used when working with client the 1st time to gather information needed for nutrient management planning purposes.

Microsoft Word DocumentNutrient Management Practices Inventory- NRCS Form MN-CPA-43 (131 KB)
Used when working with client the 1st time to gather information needed for nutrient management planning purposes.

Microsoft Word DocumentRecord Keeping Form (184 KB)
 
 Microsoft Word DocumentPractice Certification Form  (125 KB)
Minnesota form MN-CPA-046 used by USDA program participants to certify that nutrients and pests have been managed according to NRCS guidelines.

Additional plans and forms specific to Appendices of CNMPs

Microsoft Word DocumentManure and Wastewater Handling and Storage Recommendations and Assessment Worksheet  (186 KB)
Used to help guide the assessment of the manure and wastewater handling and storage system

Microsoft Word DocumentOperation and Maintenance Plan (148 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentEmergency Response Plan (108 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentAnimal Mortality Worksheets (228 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentMPCA mortality plan (94 KB)

Microsoft Word DocumentMPCA odor management plan (112 KB)
Developed if needed

Microsoft Word DocumentCNMP Rotational Crop Nutrient Budgets (112 KB)
Used to determine generic nutrient rate recommendations prior to construction of manure storage or handling structures.

Microsoft Word DocumentAnimal Nutrition Self-Assessment Worksheets (91 KB)
NRCS worksheets used by producers to review their current feed management program.

 Management Fact Sheets
Explain the relationships between feed management and excreted nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock.

        Adobe Acrobat DocumentGeneral (444 KB)
        Adobe Acrobat DocumentDairy (438 kb)
        Adobe Acrobat DocumentPoultry (438 kb)
        Adobe Acrobat DocumentSwine (438 kb)
        Adobe Acrobat DocumentBeef (438 kb)

Conversion Factors and Tables

Adobe Acrobat DocumentFactors and Tables Useful When Planning (112 KB)


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