National Planning Procedures Handbook

Subpart B, Part 600.50
Draft Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning Technical Guidance

600.50 Background

Conservation planning is a natural resource problem-solving process. The process integrates ecological (natural resource), economic, and production considerations in meeting both the owner's/operator's objectives and the public's natural resource protection needs. This approach emphasizes identifying desired future conditions, improving natural resource management, minimizing conflict, and addressing problems and opportunities. Comprehensive nutrient management plans (CNMPs) are developed in accordance with NRCS conservation planning policy and rely on the planning process and established conservation practice standards.

A GNMP identifies management and conservation actions that will be followed to meet clearly defined soil and water conservation goals, including nutrient management, on an animal feeding operation (AFO). Defining soil and water conservation goals and identifying measures and schedules for attaining these goals are critical to reducing potential and actual threats to water quality and public health from AFOs. The CNMP fits within the total resource management objectives of the entire farm/animal feeding operation.

The CNMP Technical Guidance is for use by those individuals who develop or assist in the development of CNMPs. The purpose of this document is to provide technical guidance for the development of CNMPs, whether they are developed for USDA ' s voluntary programs or as a means to help satisfy the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEP A) National l Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.

The Technical Guidance is not intended as a sole-source reference for developing CNMPs. Rather, it is to be used as a tool in support of the NRCS conservation planning process, as described in the preceding Sections 600 through 600.4 of this handbook and NRCS Technical References, Handbooks, and Policy Directives. The conservation planning process has not been changed by the introduction of CNMPs.

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