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Agricultural Management Practices for Water Quality Protection
Introduction
Welcome to the Agricultural Management Practices for Water Quality
Protection module. This web-based training unit introduces eight basic
types of agricultural practices that are suitable for reducing or minimizing
water quality impacts, as part of an overall watershed approach. These practices
are often called Best Management Practices, or BMPs. We based this module on
two primary information sources:
CORE 4, an outreach program for the agriculture community, developed
by the Conservation
Technology Information Center (CTIC) for the USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service; and
EPA's National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution,
which is non-regulatory, national guidance for agriculture that is issued to help farmers
reduce non-point source pollution.
This module has two parts. Part 1 summarizes the use and value of the CORE 4 conservation
practices using training materials developed by CTIC. The CORE 4 program promotes reducing
non-point sources of pollution from croplands through integrated use of the following four
complementary practices:
Conservation Tillage - leaving crop residue (plant materials from past harvests) on the soil surface reduces runoff and soil erosion, conserves soil moisture, helps keep nutrients and pesticides on the field, and improves soil, water, and air quality;
Crop Nutrient Management - fully managing and accounting for all nutrient inputs helps ensure nutrients are available to meet crop needs while reducing nutrient movements off fields. It also helps prevent excessive buildup in soils and helps protect air quality;
Pest Management - varied methods for keeping insects, weeds, disease, and other pests below economically harmful levels while protecting soil, water, and air quality;
Conservation Buffers - from simple grassed waterways to riparian areas, buffers provide an additional barrier of protection by capturing potential pollutants that might otherwise move into surface waters.
Part 2 details four additional agricultural BMPs that can be considered for increased
protection and benefits. These supplemental agricultural BMPs are aimed at benefitting
production while protecting the environment, and are highlighted in the EPA's guidance
manual National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture:
Irrigation Water Management - reducing nonpoint source pollution of ground and surface waters caused by irrigation systems;
Grazing Management - minimizing the water quality impacts of grazing and browsing activities on pasture and range lands;
Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) Management - minimizing impacts of animal feeding operations and waste discharges through runoff controls, waste storage, waste utilization, and nutrient management;
Erosion and Sediment Control - conserving soil and reducing the mass of sediment reaching a water body, protecting both agricultural land and water quality and habitat.
If this is your first visit to a Watershed Academy Web module, it is recommended that you click on the
"How to Navigate this Module" link at the top of the next slide before beginning the training.
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