NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The state of California is now (2018) requiring growers to present their own nutrient management plan for reducing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer that may appear in runoff and groundwater. (Today nitrogen, next year it may be Phosphorous). This is forcing you to consider the amounts, types and the timing of nitrogen applications. While this is a worthy cause, why subject yourself to the blizzard of paperwork this entails.

The purpose of the Nutrient Management practice is to reduce the nutrient loss from agricultural lands, which occurs through edge-of-field runoff or leaching from the root zone. The most effective way to manage nutrients is to develop a nutrient management plan (NMP) in accordance with USDA NRCS Standard …

Why not take a proactive position and join the “I GROW MY OWN “ movement– growing your own plant available nutrients that utilize soil biology to produce the needed soil nutrients in an organic form usable by the plants but in a form that doesn’t leach into groundwater.” (Our soils aren’t deficient in the nutrients that we add, just deficient in soil biology that will release these already paid for and applied synthetic nutrients.) Just to repeat, biology produced nutrients are plant available, and they do not leach into the groundwater–thus making the nutrient management plan very easy to adopt.

Then, there is the cost issue, growing your own nutrients can be substantially cheaper than the conventional method of applying the synthetic fertilizer.

To some, this may appear to be a pipe dream, but it is being done locally with laudable success. Compost, cover crops, and a willingness to “think outside the box “ are the key.

For further “enlightenment,”
call Gary (530-521-1616),
Brint (530-521-2022)
Scott (530-624-3206)

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