Q: Are there any regulations regarding fertilizing and periods of high rainfall?
A: First off no manure (on SFOs and LFOs) or manure or fertilizer (on MFOs) may be spread during the winter spreading ban which runs from December 15 to April 1st of each year.
According to the 590 standard for fields within the floodplain (excluding grass and no till cropland) manure must be incorporated within 24hours.
Farm fields that have been identified as high in Nitrate leaching Index (part of 590 NMP)must also adhere to additional rules as follows;
**** 10 Inches (HIGH) - Requires intense nitrogen management to minimize nitrate movement, including: careful management of applied nitrogen, avoidance of fall spreading on bare ground or dormant crop, precise timing to match crop utilization, conservation practices that restrict water percolation and leaching, and cover crops that capture and retain nutrients in the upper soil profile. Additional nitrogen management requirements include the following actions:
• For row and cereal crops, including corn, maintain starter fertilizer nitrogen rates below 50 lbs/acre actual nitrogen under normal conditions.
• Evaluate the need for sidedress nitrogen applications on corn based on PSNT or other soil nitrate-nitrogen tests.
• Do not incorporate sod crops in the Fall and chemical herbicide treatment of sod shall not be carried out until soil temperatures at 4 inches are below 45OF (October 1st or later).**** Additionally, all field applications of manure and fertilizer should be in accordance with the results of soil tests taken for all fields.
Q: What steps are taken to reduce fertilizer runoff into streams such as the Winooski?
A:In addition to the requirements described above used to restrict application on high risk fields, the VT regulations require buffers on fields that border surface water, please read over the AAP?MFO/LFO rules for specifics, however generally speaking a minimum of 10 feet is required on SFOs and 25 feet required on larger farms.
The links Abbi provided are list below:
http://www.vermontagriculture.com/ARMES/awq/AAPs.htm
http://www.vermontagriculture.com/ARMES/awq/MFO_Rule_000.htm
http://www.vermontagriculture.com/ARMES/awq/LFO.html
http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/references/public/VT
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