Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning

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The concept of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning (CNMP) was introduced by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It is anticipated that the CNMP will serve as a cornerstone of environmental plans assembled by animal feeding operations to address federal and state regulations. EPA and NRCS guidelines for CNMP are given in Table 1.

Table 1. Summary of Issues addressed by a CNMP as initially defined by EPA's Guidance
Planning components of CNMP	Issues addressed
A manure handling and storage plan	Diversion of clean water Prevention of leakage storage plan Adequate storage Manure treatment Management of mortality
Land application plan	Proper nutrient application rates to achieve a crop nutrient balance Selection of timing and application methods to limit risk of runoff
Site management plan	Soil conservation practices that minimize movement of soil and manure components to surface and groundwater
Record keeping	Manure production, utilization, and export to off-farm users
Other utilization options	Alternative safe manure utilization strategies such as sale of manure, treatment technologies, or energy generation
Feed management plan	Alternative feed programs to minimize the nutrients in manure

Reference: USDA/EPA Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations (PDF) (34 pp, 404K)

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Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning

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