InfoAg 2009

Adaptive Nutrient Management - Reviewing the NRCS Standards

The purpose of the 590 nutrient management standard is to budget and supply nutrients for plant production, to properly utilize organic amendments as plant nutrient sources, to minimize pollution from application of nutrients, and to maintain or improve the condition of soils. The 590 standard requires the use of soil and plant tissue tests to manage organic amendments and fertilizers. Incorporating the results of soil and plant tissue tests into a management plan is a complex process. The process can be simplified by use of adaptive management, which is a process that has been used by ecologists to improve the management of ecosystems. A key component of adaptive management is post-mortem evaluation of a management plan or parts of a plan to improve the plan. The 590 standard already requires evaluation using soil and plant tissue tests, but post-mortem evaluation to specifically improve a plan with time has not been an explicit component of the 590 standard. Development of a clearly defined adaptive management process for improving nutrient management would conserve resources and be beneficial to farmers. Including adaptive management concepts into the 590 nutrient management standard could improve the standard. The 590 nutrient management standard is currently under revision to embrace the adaptive nutrient management process.

Speakers

Mr. Norm Widman

National Agronomist, Ecological Sciences Division
NRCS