Helping move conservation projects from planning toward implementation.

CPA 102 — Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan

A Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan brings together the conservation planning needed to address manure, nutrients, livestock production areas, land application, and related resource concerns.

Depending on the operation and identified resource concerns, CNMP planning may address:

• Animal numbers and manure production
• Manure and bedding handling
• Waste storage
• Heavy-use and livestock concentration areas
• Nutrient management
• Manure and fertilizer application
• Production-area runoff
• Roof runoff and clean-water management
• Pastures and grazing
• Cropland and erosion concerns related to the CNMP
• Supporting conservation practices needed to make the planned system work

The conservation practices included in a CNMP depend on the conditions and resource concerns of the individual operation.

DIA 101 — CNMP Design and Implementation Activity

DIA 101 carries CNMP planning further into the technical information needed for implementation.

The activity helps connect the conservation plan with the conservation practices that will ultimately be installed or implemented. Depending on the project, this may include practice quantities, implementation requirements, supporting technical information, and coordination with engineers or other specialists.

CPA 102 and DIA 101 are commonly used together to provide the planning and implementation components of a CNMP.

CEMA 226 — Site Suitability and Feasibility for Waste Storage Facility

Before a new waste storage facility is designed, the proposed location needs to be evaluated.

CEMA 226 examines whether a site is suitable and feasible for a proposed waste storage facility. The evaluation may consider soils, subsurface conditions, water resources, site limitations, available area, setbacks, access, and other factors that could affect the location or feasibility of the facility.

The purpose is to identify important site conditions before significant engineering and design work begins.

CEMA 227 — Evaluation of Existing Waste Storage Facility Components

Not every manure-storage project starts with a new structure.

CEMA 227 evaluates existing waste storage facility components when an existing structure may continue to be used, incorporated into a conservation system, or otherwise needs to be considered as part of the project.

The evaluation helps determine the condition and suitability of the existing components and provides technical information needed for subsequent planning or implementation decisions.

CEMA 217 — Soil and Source Testing for Nutrient Management may also be added when soil testing, manure testing, or other nutrient-source testing is needed to support development of the nutrient-management plan.

CPA 199 — Conservation Plan

CPA 199 provides conservation planning for identified resource concerns on the operation.

It can be used as a stand-alone conservation planning activity or in combination with other technical services when conservation planning is needed to support them.

CPA 199 can provide the planning foundation that connects a specific technical activity to the conservation problem being addressed.

The scope of the conservation plan is driven by the identified resource concerns. It does not necessarily mean that every resource concern on the entire farm will be planned.

DIA 161 — Pest Management Conservation System Design

Pest management involves more than selecting a pesticide or other treatment. Planning considers the pest problem, the production system, available management strategies, and potential natural-resource impacts.

DIA 161 develops the technical pest-management system needed to address identified concerns using appropriate cultural, biological, mechanical, chemical, or other management strategies.

CPA 199 may be added to provide the conservation-planning component associated with the pest-management project.

This allows the resource concern and conservation alternatives to be addressed through conservation planning while DIA 161 develops the pest-management system itself.

DIA 157 — Nutrient Management Design

DIA 157 develops the technical nutrient-management system for the operation, including nutrient application rates, sources, timing, placement, and related management considerations.

CPA 199 may be added to provide the conservation-planning component associated with the nutrient-management project.

CEMA 217 — Soil and Source Testing for Nutrient Management may also be added when soil testing, manure testing, or other nutrient-source testing is needed to support development of the nutrient-management plan.

This allows the conservation plan, nutrient-management design, and supporting testing to work together as needed for the individual project.

CPA 116 — Soil Health Management Plan

CPA 116 develops a conservation plan focused on soil-health concerns and management opportunities.

Planning may consider the physical, chemical, and biological functions of the soil along with the cropping system, tillage, residue, crop diversity, living roots, soil cover, nutrient management, and other management considerations.

DIA 162 — Soil Health Management System Design

DIA 162 translates soil-health planning into a management system for implementation.

The activity considers how selected conservation practices and management changes will work together within the cropping or production system.

CEMA 216 — Soil Health Testing

CEMA 216 provides soil-health testing and evaluation to better understand existing soil conditions.

Testing can provide information about soil physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and help support management decisions, soil-health planning, and evaluation of changes over time.

Depending on the project, CPA 116, DIA 162, and CEMA 216 may complement one another by providing planning, system design, and soil-health measurements.

CEMA 217 — Soil and Source Testing for Nutrient Management may also be added when soil testing, manure testing, or other nutrient-source testing is needed to support development of the nutrient-management plan.

CPA 138 — Conservation Plan Supporting Organic Transition

Transitioning to organic production involves changes to both the production system and the conservation system.

CPA 138 develops a conservation plan supporting the transition to organic production. Planning may address resource concerns associated with changes in crop rotations, fertility, nutrient sources, tillage, pest management, soil health, livestock integration, buffers, and other aspects of the transitioning operation.

DIA 140 — Transition to Organic Design

DIA 140 develops the technical design and management information needed to implement the organic-transition conservation system.

The activity builds from the planning work and considers how the selected practices and management strategies will function within the transitioning organic operation.

Related Conservation Practices

Organic-transition projects may also involve conservation practices such as:

• Organic Management
• Conservation Crop Rotation
• Cover Crop
• Conservation Cover
• Field Border
• Nutrient Management
• Pest Management Conservation System
• Residue and Tillage Management
• Other conservation practices needed to address the resource concerns of the operation

The practices selected depend on the farm, production system, organic-transition strategy, and identified resource concerns.

CEMA 217 — Soil and Source Testing for Nutrient Management may also be added when soil testing, manure testing, or other nutrient-source testing is needed to support development of the nutrient-management plan.

Taking conservation practices from planning through completion

NRCS is expanding the use of 900-series technical-assistance codes to provide technical work associated with individual conservation practices.

This creates a more direct connection between conservation planning and the technical work necessary to put a practice on the ground.

910 — Technical Assistance: Planning

Planning establishes the conservation need, evaluates alternatives, and identifies the conservation practice or system appropriate for addressing the resource concern.

The relationship between 910 and other planning activities, including CPAs and future NRCS program delivery, may continue to evolve as NRCS expands use of the 900-series framework.

911 — Technical Assistance: Design

Design develops the technical information necessary to install or implement a planned conservation practice.

Depending on the conservation practice and KES's certified technical scope, this work may include:

• Practice layout
• Dimensions and quantities
• Technical calculations
• Specifications
• Implementation requirements
• Maps and drawings
• Engineered drawings and plans when the project and practice require them
• Supporting documentation needed for installation

KES works with licensed professional engineers when engineering authority is required. For appropriate projects, KES can coordinate and provide engineered drawings as part of the technical-service package rather than leaving the landowner to independently assemble the planning and engineering pieces.

The level of engineering and design depends on the conservation practice, site conditions, and applicable NRCS requirements.

912 — Technical Assistance: Installation Oversight

Installation oversight provides technical quality assurance while a conservation practice is being installed or implemented.

The purpose is to help ensure that the practice is installed according to the approved design, applicable conservation practice standard, specifications, and implementation requirements.

913 — Technical Assistance: Check-Out

Practice checkout documents the completed conservation practice.

The completed practice is evaluated against the applicable design and technical requirements, and supporting documentation may include measurements, maps, photographs, as-built information, and other records needed to certify completion.

Together, the 900-series services create a technical pathway from a planned conservation practice through design, installation, and final checkout.

KES is expanding its capabilities in these services as NRCS continues implementation of the 900-series TSP framework.

Good technical work starts with good information from the farm.

Depending on the service, KES may collect or develop the field information needed to evaluate the site and support conservation planning and implementation.

Technical work may include:

• Field investigations and measurements
• Site-suitability evaluations
• Soil and landscape information
• Conservation-practice quantities
• Farm, field, and project mapping
• GIS-based documentation
• Technical calculations and evaluations
• Photographs and supporting documentation
• Information needed for engineering or other specialized technical work

The specific work depends on the conservation concern, the practice being considered, and the requirements of the technical service.

Some conservation projects require expertise beyond the conservation-planning scope.

When engineering design, surveying, structural calculations, detailed site plans, or other specialized services are required, KES works with qualified engineers and technical specialists to help connect that work with the conservation plan.

KES can provide planning information, site information, conservation-practice requirements, and other supporting material needed by the specialist and help ensure that the resulting technical work remains consistent with the conservation project.

Engineering design and other professional services outside KES's certified scope are completed by the appropriately qualified professional.

Technical services often involve several related pieces.

KES helps farmers understand what a contracted technical service is intended to accomplish, what information will be needed, how it relates to the conservation project, and what additional technical work may be required before implementation.

This can be especially important when a project involves several related services or when planning, engineering, and implementation need to occur in a particular sequence.

Planning, technical services, and implementation need to remain connected.

As a project develops, new information can affect practice location, size, feasibility, cost, or the conservation alternative itself. KES helps identify those issues early and works with the farmer, NRCS, engineers, and other specialists to keep the technical pieces aligned as the project moves toward implementation.

KES's role is technical rather than construction management or general program administration. The goal is to help the farmer understand the project, make informed decisions, and have the technical information needed for the next step.