The educational materials listed on this page are about Nutrient Management.
A nutrient management plan is used to manage the application of plant nutrients and soil amendments. Integrated nutrient management may include utilizing variable rate application, soil inoculants, microbial inoculants, biologicals, foliar feeding and proper fertigation techniques and fertigation systems. An understanding of nutrient cycling can also aid in budgeting and supplying nutrients for plant production, while minimizing soil and water pollution. Farmers can harness the power of the nitrogen cycle by using organic fertilizer and manure to supply plant nutrients. Careful nutrient management can also improve the overall condition of soil, especially if your plan includes cover crops. Key practices include biological inoculants, nutrient cycling, fertigation, organic fertilizers, reduced applications, foliar feeding, municipal wastes, cover crops.
Building Soils for Better Crops, a book offered by SARE, helps farmers navigate ecological soil management strategies. A useful bulletin, Smart Water Use on your Farm or Ranch, addresses the role of water in a farm system and in nutrient management. The Season Extension: Fertility Management Topic Room helps producers gain knowledge of effective and proper fertility management techniques, including fertigation, to improve nutrient cycling on a farm. What is Sustainable Agriculture? provides information on best practices the encourage the stewardship of land, water and air resources.
Showing 1-9 of 9 results
Estimating Plant-Available Nitrogen Release from Cover Crops
This Oregon State University fact sheet explains the basics of plant-available nitrogen (PAN); when to kill cover crops for the maximum PAN benefit; step-by-step instructions on how to perform site-specific measurements to predict PAN from your cover crop; and case studies from the Willamette Valley.
A Sunn Hemp Cover Crop for Soil Health and Nematode Management
These University of Hawaii fact sheets and virtual field day explain how to use sunn hemp as a cover crop to control weeds, nematodes and other pests, add soil nutrients, prevent erosion, and contribute to a more robust and complex community of beneficial nematodes. Available fact sheets include:
Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems Project
Public concerns regarding pesticide misuse, food safety, water use and contamination, and depletion of non-renewable resources have motivated the reevaluation of some of the practices of conventional agriculture and the exploration of alternative, more sustainable approaches to growing food. In 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems (SAFS) project was established at the University of California’s […]
Nutrient Management Plans: Oregon
This is a collaborative project to build the capacity of conservation professionals to assist organic and transitional farmers in planning and implementing conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative. This guide is part of a series of guides created by Oregon Tilth for use by NRCS staff in the Western Region. This document is an instruction […]
Nutrient Management Plans: Idaho
This is a collaborative project to build the capacity of conservation professionals to assist organic and transitional farmers in planning and implementing conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative. This guide is part of a series of guides created by Oregon Tilth for use by NRCS staff in the Western Region. This document is […]
Nutrient Management Plans: California
This is a collaborative project to build the capacity of conservation professionals to assist organic and transitional farmers in planning and implementing conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative. This guide is part of a series of guides created by Oregon Tilth for use by NRCS staff in the Western Region. This document is an instruction […]
Nutrient Management Plans: Western Region
This document is an instruction guide for creating and implementing a nutrient management plan on certified or transitioning organic lands in the Western Region.
Fresh Growth Podcast
Fresh Growth: Approaches to a More Sustainable Future from Western Ag Practitioners introduces you to farmers and ranchers from around the western United States who are finding innovative sustainable practices that enrich the natural resources we all care about. These successful multi-generational operations experiment with new ideas and are making it pay. Listen in as […]
Organic Fertilizer and Cover Crop Calculator
This free online tool compares the nutrient value and cost of cover crops, organic and synthetic fertilizers and compost. Use this Excel Calculator to develop well balanced and cost effective nutrient management programs for your farm.