Install Variable Frequency Drive(s) (VFD) on Pumping Plant (Conservation Practice Standard CPS 533) with the correct sensors, on all pumps as indicated in the energy audit.
Switch the fuel source for the pump motor(s) indicated in the energy audit to a renewable source (wind, solar, geothermal, etc.) (CPS 533 Pumping Plant)
Increase riparian herbaceous cover width to enhance wildlife habitat
Conservation Practice 390: Riparian Herbaceous Cover
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture; Range; Associated Ag Land; and Farmstead
Resource Concern Addressed
Fish & Wildlife – Inadequate Habitat
Enhancement Lifespan
5 Years
Enhancement Description
Where an existing herbaceous riparian buffer is located along a river, stream, pond, lake, or other waterbody, increase the diversity of native species, control invasive species, install fencing and relocate equipment operations, trails, and livestock, and increase the width of the buffer.
Where an existing riparian forest buffer is located along a river, stream, pond, lake, or other waterbody, increase the diversity of native species, control invasive species, install fencing and relocate equipment operations, trails, and livestock to increase the functional width of the buffer.
Complete pumping plant evaluation for all pumps on a farm
Conservation Practice 449: Irrigation Water Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture; Associated Ag Land
Resource Concern Addressed
Insufficient Water
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
Evaluation of all pumping plants to determine the potential to rehabilitate/replace/reconfigure pump performance to improve water delerivery efficiency 10% or more. Evaluate to determine if a Variable Frequency Drive motor controller(s) is recommended and the simple payback in terms of energy savings is less than 10 years.
Advanced Automated IWM – Year 2-5, soil moisture monitoring
Conservation Practice 449: Irrigation Water Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Insufficient Water
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
Advanced automated irrigation water management using soil moisture or water level monitoring (one sensor per 40 acres or less) with data loggers. Record keeping is such that a daily water balance is calculated and future irrigation is forecast. Equipment was bought in year one, this is monitoring for future years. Subscription service may be used as source for monitoring. System will be monitored and controlled using remote devices.
Advanced Automated IWM – Year 1, Equipment and soil moisture or water level monitoring
Conservation Practice 449: Irrigation Water Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Insufficient Water
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
This activity includes installing and monitoring soil moisture or water leveling equipment for advanced automated irrigation water management. The equipment includes field specific weather station data with soil moisture monitoring (one sensor station per 40 acres or less), data loggers and telemetry. Sensor stations will include a minimum of 2 sensors per site at depths appropriate for the crop and soils. If rice is the major crop, water level sensors may be substituted for the soil moisture sensors. Monitoring will be for the entire irrigation season and data gathered will be used to predict and manage irrigation water on crop grown.
Complete pumping plant evaluation for all pumps on a farm
Conservation Practice 449: Irrigation Water Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture; Associated Ag Land
Resource Concern Addressed
Inefficient Energy Use
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
Evaluation of all pumping plants to determine the potential to rehabilitate/replace/reconfigure to perform 10% more efficiently. Evaluate to determine if a Variable Frequency Drive motor controller(s) is recommended and the simple payback in terms of energy savings is less than 10 years.
Installation of structures and implementation of grazing management actions that restrict livestock access to streams, ditches, and other waterbodies in order to reduce nutrient loading to surface waters.
Installation of structures and implementation of grazing management actions that restrict livestock access to streams, ditches, and other waterbodies in order to reduce the introduction of pathogens to surface waters.
Forage harvest management that helps maintain or improve wildlife habitat (cover and shelter)
Conservation Practice 511: Forage Harvest Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Fish & Wildlife – Inadequate Habitat
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
The timely cutting and removal of forages from the field as hay, green-chop, or ensilage in such as way and time frames so as optimize both forage yield/quality and wildlife cover and shelter
Forage harvest management that helps maintain wildlife habitat continuity (space)
Conservation Practice 511: Forage Harvest Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (Annual & Mixed); Crop (Perennial); Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Fish & Wildlife – Inadequate Habitat
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
The timely cutting and removal of forages from the field as hay, green-chop, or ensilage in such as way and time frames so as to optimize both forage yield/quality and wildlife cover and shelter for habitat and/or continuity between otherwise disconnected habitats.
Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques
Conservation Practice 595: Integrated Pest Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (annual & mixed), Crop (perennial), Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Water Quality Degradation
Enhancement Lifespan
1 year
Enhancement Description
Utilize integrated pest management (IPM) prevent, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression (PAMS) techniques to reduce risk of pesticides in surface water and reducing the potential for delivery of chemicals into water bodies.
Reduce ozone precursor emissions related to pesticides by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques
Conservation Practice 595: Integrated Pest Management
Applicable Land Use
Crop (annual & mixed), Crop (perennial), Pasture
Resource Concern Addressed
Air Quality Impacts
Enhancement Lifespan
1 Year
Enhancement Description
Utilize integrated pest management (IPM) prevent, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression (PAMS) techniques to reduce ozone precursor emissions related to pesticides. Download full enhancement activity E595129Z (PDF, 196KB)
Enhancement Code and Name
E612130Z
Planting for high carbon sequestration rate
Conservation Practice 612: Tree/Shrub Establishment
Plant tree species and use stocking levels for higher growth to increase the rate of carbon sequestration (capture). Use species with a longer life span as well as relatively fast growth, and species suitable for durable manufactured products. Increase stocking levels in forests that are not fully stocked. Implement afforestation on appropriate open lands.
Plant food-producing trees and shrubs for wildlife or human consumption within windbreaks, alley cropping, multi-story cropping, silvopasture systems, and/or riparian forest buffers.
Tree and shrub planting will enhance habitat for native wildlife. A minimum of five tree and shrub species will be used; they will be species that provide food for identified wildlife species.
Tree and shrub planting will enhance habitat for native wildlife. A minimum of five tree and shrub species will be used; they will be species that provide cover for identified wildlife species.
