Application of Adaptive Management Principles Using USDA-NRCS Nutrient Management (590) Conservation Practice Standard.

NRCS is participating in a multi-state and multi-disciplinary coordinating committee on adaptive management to evaluate the benefits of adaptive management for nutrient management across the US.  Development of a clearly defined adaptive management process for improving nutrient management planning will further protect natural resources and be beneficial to US producers.  The USDA Nutrient Management (590) conservation practice standard provides national guidance on nutrient management principles and activities to increase nutrient use efficiencies and reduce off-site transport of nutrients. The inclusion of adaptive management concepts into the 590 conservation practice standard will improve nutrient management plans (NMPs) and result in higher nutrient use efficiencies and lower nutrient losses. More effective nutrient management will require more site-specific management and routine assessments of the NMPs. A series of recently released peer-reviewed NRCS Technical Notes will be introduced that describe how the nutrient management planning process can be augmented by the use of improved techniques that consider adaptive management. Two key components of adaptive management described are the post-mortem evaluation of a NMP, or parts of a plan, to further improve crop nutrient utilization and reduce air, surface and leaching losses of nutrients, and a group participatory learning process used to bring producers and scientists together to discuss annual assessments of NMPs.  This Symposium has two objectives: delivery of content about adaptive management and ideas about techniques to enhance learning in groups, which is an important component of adaptive management. See abstract by Bell and Morris for information about the format for the Symposium.