Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
This section is here to help certified agriculture and urban planners find references, documents, tables and other information useful in developing plans. The link to download NutMan 3.0 software is below. Additionally information on; verification, biosecurity, plan review, and much more are also linked below.
Hunter Landis - email: hunter.landis@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-929-6334
Nutrient Management Program Manager.
Question Topics: All inquiries relating to nutrient management not listed below.
Stephanie Dawley – email: stephanie.dawley@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-382-3911
Nutrient Management Training and Certification Coordinator.
Question topics: All inquiries about agriculture nutrient management plan development and review, agriculture trainings, review sessions and the agriculture exam.
Seth Mullins – email: seth.mullins@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-517-0726
Question Topics: Plan writing and approval for permitted and non-permitted animal operations, general crop plans, manure sampling and testing, sending manure samples to Clemson lab.
Nick Moody – email: nicholas.moody@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-305-6026
Question topics: Plans for land application of biosolids, general crop plan writing questions
Jay Marshall – email: jay.marshall@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 540-219-0794
Question topics: Support for questions using NutMan 3.0, writing plans for poultry operations and poultry litter operation transfer plans.
Susan Jones – email: susan.jones@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-824-1573
Question topics: Steps to becoming a certified nutrient management planner, applications for nutrient management certification exam, registration for nutrient management training schools (Ag and Turf & Landscape), completing and submitting activity reports, and tracking continuing education credits.
Pamela Capps – email: vanmplnr@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-586-0471
Question topics: Steps to participate in the Direct Pay program, all correspondence for Direct Pay through the email address: vanmplnr@dcr.virginia.gov, submission of consent forms for quotes, and payments for plan writing and verification of plans.
Gonzalo Ortiz – email: gonzalo.ortiz@dcr.virginia.gov; cell: 804-217-2010
Question topics: All inquiries about urban lands nutrient management plans, golf course plans, state lands nutrient management plan development and review, Turf & Landscape trainings, review sessions and the T&L exam.
The Certified Crop Advisor program is not associated with the Virginia Nutrient Management Program; however, many Virginia planners are also Certified Crop Advisors. This contact at the Madison, Wisconsin home office is listed for your convenience.
Penny Magana, Certification Representative American Society of Agronomy, Office 866-359-9161, pmagana@sciencessocieties.org
Section 4VAC50-85-140.A.2.f of the Nutrient Management Training and Certification Regulations states, "Representative soil analysis results for fields shall be determined by using standard soil sampling and analysis methods according to Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3, Chemical Methods, 1996 utilizing the Mehlich I extraction procedure for phosphorus or other methods and laboratories approved by the department and correlated to Mehlich I and utilizing correlation procedures contained in Virginia Nutrient Management Standards and Criteria, revised June 2014."
DCR maintains this list of labs that meet regulatory requirements. The list is provided for users' convenience; presence on the list does not imply endorsement by DCR. Planners using other labs may have labs added to this list by contacting DCR's nutrient management staff, who will evaluate the lab for approval.
Click here to get hydrologic unit codes. The interface allows users to search for and download data for their particular area - it is no longer necessary for users to download an entire county map.
Virginia Nutrient Management Verification form
Virginia Enhanced Nutrient Management BMPs form
This document describes how to ensure a safe and hygienic visit to farms with animal operations in order to prevent the spread of infectious material and agents.
Download the NutMan 3.0 installation files, released on Jan. 8, 2013. It has "Special Conditions" documents for VPA and VPDES-permitted animal operations.
The installation file has been compressed. Click on the link above and save the file locally to install the program.
The download needs to be run as Administrator or you will receive a “Start Up Error” on most current computers. To avoid this find the nutman.exe file, right click it and select Run as Administrator.
Getting Started Writing Plans
If you are new to writing plans, only occasionally write plans or have struggled with initial farm visits to gather the information needed to write a plan, Nutrient Management Plan Writing can help. It includes a general description of the components of a nutrient management plan and several forms to use to ensure that you obtain the information needed to write a plan. The information gathered through these forms should supply everything needed for the NutMan3.0 software used to complete data entry for writing a plan.
If you plan to use the Phosphorus Index (P-Index) as a tool to manage nutrient applications, you'll need some information that's not covered by the forms. In the NutMan software, the window for entering P-Index information is under the Farm Edit Window > Fields > P-Index tab.
The specific information NutMan needs to calculate the P-Index includes distance to stream or riparian buffer width, annual soil loss using RUSLE II, any fields in continuous no-till, and any conservation practices associated with row crop-small grain production or pasture management.
Contacts for Plan Reviews
Most plans don't need to be reviewed. They can be presented to the farmer after you've reviewed them for errors and applied the best plan-writing options allowed by regulation so your client gets the best production and well-managed application of nutrients.
In some cases, plans written for permitted animal operations and for state lands that receive nutrients must be approved before they are presented to the client. Also, there is a specific set of conditions in which plans written for bio-solid applications must be approved. The following DCR staff review plans specific to their area of responsibility. Feel free to contact them as you write plans so issues that might later require corrections can be avoided, thus expediting approval.
Permitted Confined Animal Feeding Operations
Seth Mullins
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
P.O. Box 336
Crewe, VA 23930
804-517-0726
seth.mullins@dcr.virginia.gov
Plan Reviews for Biosolids Field Applications
Nicholas "Nick" Moody
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
600 E. Main St., 4th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-305-6026
nicholas.moody@dcr.virginia.gov
State Lands, Turf and Landscape Plans
Gonzalo Ortiz
Urban Nutrient Management Specialist
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
600 East Main Street, 24th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Cell number: 804-217-2010
gonzalo.ortiz@dcr.virginia.gov
Plans Written for Cost Share Practices
Some plans cover cost-share practices with specifications that require prior approval by a Soil and Water Conservation District. Most districts employ a certified planner who reviews plans closely to make sure the plan is written to meet the practice specifications. For instance, if a farmer has signed up for a "Cover Crop Practice," the plan needs to contain cover crops in the rotation and be specific to the fields listed in the cost-share contract.
First, always make sure that your client knows when they are applying for cost-share practices that require a plan. Second, it would be wise for you to contact the SWCD where the plan will be submitted to find out who will be reviewing it. Talk to that person about issues commonly found in such plans. Be aware that there may be other requirements that need to be added into the plan to meet specifications of the practice or that are needed to ensure that the plan reviewed by the district is written so that the practice can be approved for payment. As a plan writer, it is your responsibility to meet these added requirements, as stated here: 4VAC 50-85-130-G. The nutrient management planner shall incorporate additional more restrictive plan requirements if required by other specific legislative, regulatory or incentive programs which apply to a specific operator.
New Manure Sample Forms
DCR will pay for the processing of two manure samples per client. Those needing more than two tests should contact the Clemson University lab to arrange for payment of the additional samples. Samples must be sent to the Agricultural Service Laboratory at Clemson. Visit the lab's website, where you'll find useful information about the collection and handling of manure samples, as well as the fillable form you'll need to fill out for the DCR-paid samples. Be sure to completely fill in the form.
The documents listed below were developed to address specific issues identified by planners to address those issues consistently. he documents are given to planners when they become certified and when they attend the Nutrient Management Agriculture Plan Writing schools. DCR posts the documents here, too, for the convenience of planners.
Contact Urban Nutrient Management Specialist Gonzalo Ortiz if you have any questions about the program, certification or plan-writing.
Gonzalo Ortiz
Urban Nutrient Management Specialist
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
600 East Main Street, 24th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219
Cell number: 804-217-2010
gonzalo.ortiz@dcr.virginia.gov
Turf and Landscape Nutrient Management Plan Verification form - online
Download the Turf and Landscape Nutrient Management Plan Verification form.
Presentations from DCR Continuing Education meetings
Handouts from DCR Continuing Education meetings, Standards and Criteria July 2014, July 11-17, 2014
These spreadsheets can help those writing nutrient management plans for turf and landscaped areas. The sheets are “templates.” As a certified planner, you are responsible for ensuring that the information is accurate and complies with the Virginia nutrient management training and certification regulations. When you open the spreadsheet, you'll see tabs at the bottom of the screen. Here are explanations for the tabs.
Cover Sheet – Fill in this sheet first. Information from it will automatically fill in fields on other sheets, including the Cover Page.
Narrative – This is a blank page into which you write the narrative for the particular client. See Urban Nutrient Management Handbook page 13-5.
Maps – This is a blank sheet in which maps can be inserted into the plan.
Worksheet – This contains detailed recommendations for each management area developed. See Urban Nutrient Management Handbook page 13-7.
Soil Test Summary – If you use an approved lab other than Virginia Tech, fill in that lab's result and convert that value to a Virginia Tech Fertility Rating, found in the Nutrient Management Standards and Criteria, page 39. Lab conversion information found in S&C pages 41-42.
Reference Materials and Notes – This sheet is where you may provide additional guidance to clients on the specific needs of certain management areas. You can also include on this sheet, Extension publications that further support the implementation of the nutrient management recommendations.
Record-Keeping – This sheet is for the client’s benefit. If the plan is written for “State-Owned Lands,” it must be completed to verify the implementation of that plan.
Determine how much slow-release nitrogen fertilizer to apply to your lawn.
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