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Know SWET for CSP
By using a farmer’s self-reported cropland management practices, the Soil and
Water Eligibility Tool (SWET) can measure the relative conservation effort being
applied to address soil and water quality. SWET evaluates management practices
based on their contribution to each soil function or water quality concern.
The soil properties that SWET scores include organic matter, nutrient cycling,
soil habitat, physical stability, and moisture management. The water
quality properties SWET
scores are sediment, salinity, and surface and groundwater pesticides, nitrogen,
and phosphorus.
Building on the Water Quality Eligibility Tool that was used for the 2006
Conservation Security Program (CSP), SWET provides a nationally uniform and
equitable method to evaluate conservation effort. As such, SWET will be used to
determine eligibility for the 2008 CSP. The SWET aggregate score will also be
used to prioritize 2008 CSP applications into categories.
SWET is currently undergoing review to evaluate farmer ability to understand and
use the tool and to analyze equity perceptions based on crop, program use and
geographic location. Validation of the relationship between management intensity
captured in SWET and environmental outcomes for soil and water quality is also
underway.
Your contacts are National Technology Development team leaders
Susan Andrews at 336-370-3337
and Shaun McKinney at
503-273-2413.
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