Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) is the management of the amount, source, timing, and method of application (placement) of soil amendments and plant nutrients. Your NMP should help you: budget, supply, and conserve nutrients for plant production; properly utilize manure or organic byproducts as a plant nutrient source; minimize agricultural non-point source pollution of surface and groundwater resources; protect air quality by reducing nitrogen emissions and odors; and maintain or improve your soil health conditions. In Vermont, all certified small farm operations and all permitted medium and large farm operations managing manure, agricultural wastes, or fertilizer for use as nutrient sources are required to implement a field-by-field nutrient management plan that follows the USDA NRCS NMP Code 590.
Writing and Funding Your Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) brochure (PDF) will quickly explain what is an NMP and how one can be completed.
2025 Nutrient Management Planning (NMP) classes
The dates and possible in-person site locations have not yet been determined for the 2025 NMP classes, which will run for 6 consecutive weeks in January and February 2025. Class hours are 10:30am to 2:00pm and includes lecture and NMP work time. This class is being offered virtually and possibly in-person. If you are interested in taking the NMP course or receiving help to update your current NMP, please contact Susan Brouillette at susan.brouillette@uvm.edu or 802-524-6501 or 802-656-7611.
Resources and Information -
NMP Course Agenda (PDF) - including homework and class expectations
Digging in Training Manual (PDF) - NMP class follows when developing your NMP
Nutrient Recommendation for Field Crops in Vermont, Rev. Sep 2020 (PDF)
Updated 590 Standards, November 2021 (PDF)
Updated Vermont Phosphorus Index User Guide, Nov 2021 (PDF)
goCrop Data Entry Sheets for Remote Updates (PDF)
Updating your NMP in goCrop (PDF)
Summary of the RAPs, Required Agricultural Practices (PDF)
RAP Online Quiz - learn about and earn water quality credits
RECORDED VIDEOS (from 2024)
goCrop Training/Refresher session, 12/19/23, available
goCrop Tutorial: Updating a NMP, 1/30/24, available
Class 1: 1/10/24, recording available
Class 2: 1/17/24, recording available
Class 3: 1/24/24, recording available
Class 4: 1/31/24, recording available
Class 5: 2/7/24, recording available
Class 6: 2/14/24, recording available
RECORDED VIDEOS (from 2023)
goCrop Training/Refresher session 12/19/22 (YouTube)
Class 1: 1/11/23, available
Class 2: 1/18/23, available
Class 3: 1/25/23, available
Class 4: 2/1/23, available
Class 5: 2/8/23, available
Class 6: 2/15/23, available
RECORDED VIDEOS (from 2022)
goCrop Refresher session, 1/10/22
Class 1: 1/13/22 available
Class 2: 1/20/22 available
Class 3: 1/27/22 available
Class 4: 2/3/22 available
Class 5: 2/10/22 available
RECORDED VIDEOS (from 2021)
NMP Update Zoom Meeting Presentation, 2/4/21 (PDF)
NMP Update Meeting Recording, 2/4/21
Class 1: 2/11/21
Class 2: 2/18/21
Class 3: 2/25/21
Class 4: 3/11/21
Class 5: 3/18/21
Class 6: 3/25/21
Here's a goCrop refresher tutorial from 2017 for the web: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puvK5-xLDjU
goCrop Mobile Tutorial from May 8, 2020
This tutorial provides step-by-step instruction on how to download the mobile app, enter records, view field and farm information, and navigate between pages. This tutorial is Android specific. However, this tutorial is applicable for other mobile platforms because the information provided in the tutorial on how to enter records and where to access information is similar on other mobile devices (iPhones, tablets, etc.). View the YouTube video here - https://youtu.be/kzz-yIC8B4o
Measuring Healthy Soils - June 4, 2021, 1:00pm to 3:00pm EST
Part of the Northeast Healthy Soil Network Symposium. Includes Heather Darby as the moderator and panelists of farm owners, agricultural professionals, and researchers. Supported by the UVM Gund Institute for Environment. View the recorded YouTube video here. You can also view information on the Gund Institute web page, https://www.uvm.edu/gund/news/northeast-healthy-soil-network.
Ever wonder if your farm is a net importer or exporter of nutrients? Have you sat down and penciled out the math on the financial benefits of cover crops? goCrop is here to help with that! With newly integrated analysis tools and easy to interpret reports, goCrop is a one stop shop to write your NMP and calculate a Whole Farm Mass Nutrient Balance, based on software from Cornell, and Cover Crop Economics based on the NRCS calculator. Tim Magnant said, “Reports are nice because we can see the results. We are doing a good job. This report isn’t for me, it’s for the naysayers…The reports work in my favor because they show that the agronomics we are doing are working. It’s proof. We are doing as good as we can do. This shows me we are doing pretty well.” Find out more about what farmers like you had to say about these new goCrop features!
The extreme precipitation during this past summer and fall heavily impacted the volume and nutrient concentration of the stored manure slurry. To understand this impact, UVM Extension worked in partnership with custom manure applicators and farmers to collect manure samples from farms this fall. This article will share the results, which were compare to the average book value for slurry manure in Vermont.
