Statewide Farmer Assessment to Identify Barriers and Develop Recommendations to Expand Participation in Virginia's Nutrient Management Planning Program

The Virginia Nutrient Management Leadership Team (VNMLT) is a collaborative effort comprised of 18 agricultural and conservation organizations and state agencies working to strengthen nutrient management planning efforts on farms throughout Virginia.

The VNMLT is asking farmers and ag industry professionals to provide feedback about nutrient management plans (NMPs) through this short assessment and through one-on-one conversations with team members. This version of the assessment is designed for farmers. Completion of the assessment should take about 10 minutes.

Results from this assessment will be used by the VNMLT to recommend strategies designed to encourage more farmers to develop and implement nutrient management plans (NMPs). Your feedback is critical to informing these recommendations.

Virginia's Nutrient Management Program is a voluntary program that supports development of NMPs by a certified nutrient management planner. An NMP recommends how nutrients should be managed on farm fields to support crop yield goals and protect groundwater and surface water from excessive nutrient enrichment.

Assessment responses are confidential and will inform the development of VNMLT recommendations. The final report Results will be shared in Spring 2017 in a public report that will be available online at www.susches.org.

Members of the Virginia Nutrient Management Leadership Team include:
Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Matt Kowalski
Headwaters LLC - Kristen Saacke-Blunk
James River Association - Adrienne Kotula

James Riverkeeper - Pat Calvert

Sustainable Chesapeake - Kristen Hughes Evans and Dale Gardner

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - Chris Lawrence
Virginia Agribusiness Council - Katie Frazier
Virginia Association of Conservation Districts - Kendall Tyree
Virginia Biosolids Council - Robert Crockett
Virginia Cattlemen’s Association - Jason Carter
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Darrell Marshall
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation - Darryl Glover and David Kindig
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality - Neil Zahradka
Virginia Farm Bureau - Wilmer Stoneman III
Virginia Grain Producers Association - Katie Hellebush and Ben Rowe

Virginia Poultry Federation - Hobey Bauhan
Virginia State Dairymen’s Association - Eric Paulson
Virginia Tech - Dr. Rory Maguire
Virginia Conservation Network, former Executive Director - Jacob Powell
Assessment Support: UVA Institute for Environmental Negotiation - Tanya Denckla Cobb, Judie Talbot and Dorothy Baker.

Funding for the VNMLT is provided by the Virginia Environmental Endowment.

Thank you for your time!

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact: Kristen Hughes Evans at (415) 730-7503 (cell) or kristen@susches.org.

Question Title

* 1. Do you have a nutrient management plan for your farm?

Yes, I have a current plan for my farm.

I had a plan in the past, but it is not up to date.

I have never had a plan.

Not sure.

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* 2. Which category best describes your operation? Please check all that apply.

Agronomic crop production (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton)

Specialty crop production (vegetables, fruit, flowers)

Poultry

Dairy

Beef

Swine

Sheep

Goats

Certified organic/organic production

Other (please specify)

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* 3. Approximately how many acres do you farm? (Please estimate total acreage owned or leased in Virginia.)

**** If you have never developed a nutrient management plan for your farm, please skip to question 9. ****

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* 4. If you have (or previously had) an NMP developed by a certified nutrient management planner, what motivated you to develop it? Check all that apply:

I initiated an NMP because it was required by regulation for a permit.

I initiated an NMP because it was required to participate in a cost-share program.

I initiated an NMP because it is a good planning tool.

Question Title

* 5. What aspects of an NMP do you find valuable for your operation?

	Very valuable	Somewhat valuable	Not valuable	No opinion or not sure
Saves money on fertilizer	Saves money on fertilizer Very valuable	Saves money on fertilizer Somewhat valuable	Saves money on fertilizer Not valuable	Saves money on fertilizer No opinion or not sure
Promotes good yields	Promotes good yields Very valuable	Promotes good yields Somewhat valuable	Promotes good yields Not valuable	Promotes good yields No opinion or not sure
Provides agronomic benefits (efficient use of nutrients)	Provides agronomic benefits (efficient use of nutrients) Very valuable	Provides agronomic benefits (efficient use of nutrients) Somewhat valuable	Provides agronomic benefits (efficient use of nutrients) Not valuable	Provides agronomic benefits (efficient use of nutrients) No opinion or not sure
Supports regulatory requirements	Supports regulatory requirements Very valuable	Supports regulatory requirements Somewhat valuable	Supports regulatory requirements Not valuable	Supports regulatory requirements No opinion or not sure
Provides environmental benefits (improves water quality, soil health)	Provides environmental benefits (improves water quality, soil health) Very valuable	Provides environmental benefits (improves water quality, soil health) Somewhat valuable	Provides environmental benefits (improves water quality, soil health) Not valuable	Provides environmental benefits (improves water quality, soil health) No opinion or not sure

Are there other benefits from having an NMP for your operation? If so, please list them here.

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* 6. If you have a current NMP, was it developed by a certified nutrient management planner?

Yes

Not sure

Not applicable - I do not have a current nutrient management plan

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* 7. How helpful is your nutrient management planner in assisting you IMPLEMENT the plan?

Very helpful

Somewhat helpful

Not helpful

I don't have an opinion on this question

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* 8. What services provided by the nutrient management planner are more (or less) helpful?

	Very helpful	Somewhat helpful	Not helpful	No opinion or not sure
Expertise in agronomy and crop production	Expertise in agronomy and crop production Very helpful	Expertise in agronomy and crop production Somewhat helpful	Expertise in agronomy and crop production Not helpful	Expertise in agronomy and crop production No opinion or not sure
Follow-up visits and phone, text or email communication that support plan implementation	Follow-up visits and phone, text or email communication that support plan implementation Very helpful	Follow-up visits and phone, text or email communication that support plan implementation Somewhat helpful	Follow-up visits and phone, text or email communication that support plan implementation Not helpful	Follow-up visits and phone, text or email communication that support plan implementation No opinion or not sure
Assistance in collecting in-field data (e.g., soil and plant tissue tests)	Assistance in collecting in-field data (e.g., soil and plant tissue tests) Very helpful	Assistance in collecting in-field data (e.g., soil and plant tissue tests) Somewhat helpful	Assistance in collecting in-field data (e.g., soil and plant tissue tests) Not helpful	Assistance in collecting in-field data (e.g., soil and plant tissue tests) No opinion or not sure
Information on how nutrient management plans can help save money	Information on how nutrient management plans can help save money Very helpful	Information on how nutrient management plans can help save money Somewhat helpful	Information on how nutrient management plans can help save money Not helpful	Information on how nutrient management plans can help save money No opinion or not sure
Support for record keeping	Support for record keeping Very helpful	Support for record keeping Somewhat helpful	Support for record keeping Not helpful	Support for record keeping No opinion or not sure
Actively involved in keeping the plan updated	Actively involved in keeping the plan updated Very helpful	Actively involved in keeping the plan updated Somewhat helpful	Actively involved in keeping the plan updated Not helpful	Actively involved in keeping the plan updated No opinion or not sure
Clear explanations on how to implement the plan	Clear explanations on how to implement the plan Very helpful	Clear explanations on how to implement the plan Somewhat helpful	Clear explanations on how to implement the plan Not helpful	Clear explanations on how to implement the plan No opinion or not sure

What other services are provided by the nutrient management planner that you find helpful?

Question Title

* 9. If you do not have an NMP, what factors influenced your decision to not have or implement an NMP developed by a certified planner?

If you do have an NMP, what challenges have you encountered in developing and implementing the plan?

If you have additional comments or recommendations to improve the NMP program, please list them here.

Question Title

* 10. If you do not have an NMP, what would encourage you to work with a certified management planner to develop and implement an NMP?

If you do have an NMP, what would make it easier for you to develop and implement your plan?

	Very helpful	Somewhat helpful	Not helpful	No opinion or not sure
Make it easier and quicker to change and update the plan	Make it easier and quicker to change and update the plan Very helpful	Make it easier and quicker to change and update the plan Somewhat helpful	Make it easier and quicker to change and update the plan Not helpful	Make it easier and quicker to change and update the plan No opinion or not sure
Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Very helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Somewhat helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Not helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand No opinion or not sure
Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners to support plan WRITING	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners to support plan WRITING Very helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners to support plan WRITING Somewhat helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners to support plan WRITING Not helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners to support plan WRITING No opinion or not sure
Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners/agronomists to support plan IMPLEMENTATION	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners/agronomists to support plan IMPLEMENTATION Very helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners/agronomists to support plan IMPLEMENTATION Somewhat helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners/agronomists to support plan IMPLEMENTATION Not helpful	Increasing the number of certified nutrient management planners/agronomists to support plan IMPLEMENTATION No opinion or not sure
Providing more cost-share funding for plan WRITING (developing the plan)	Providing more cost-share funding for plan WRITING (developing the plan) Very helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan WRITING (developing the plan) Somewhat helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan WRITING (developing the plan) Not helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan WRITING (developing the plan) No opinion or not sure
Providing more cost-share funding for plan IMPLEMENTATION (executing the plan)	Providing more cost-share funding for plan IMPLEMENTATION (executing the plan) Very helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan IMPLEMENTATION (executing the plan) Somewhat helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan IMPLEMENTATION (executing the plan) Not helpful	Providing more cost-share funding for plan IMPLEMENTATION (executing the plan) No opinion or not sure
Providing more information about how nutrient management plans can help grow better crops	Providing more information about how nutrient management plans can help grow better crops Very helpful	Providing more information about how nutrient management plans can help grow better crops Somewhat helpful	Providing more information about how nutrient management plans can help grow better crops Not helpful	Providing more information about how nutrient management plans can help grow better crops No opinion or not sure
Providing resources that demonstrate the financial impacts of nutrient management planning	Providing resources that demonstrate the financial impacts of nutrient management planning Very helpful	Providing resources that demonstrate the financial impacts of nutrient management planning Somewhat helpful	Providing resources that demonstrate the financial impacts of nutrient management planning Not helpful	Providing resources that demonstrate the financial impacts of nutrient management planning No opinion or not sure
Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Very helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Somewhat helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand Not helpful	Simplifying plan documents so that recommendations are easier to understand No opinion or not sure
Better use of technology (software, apps, etc.) to support plan implementation	Better use of technology (software, apps, etc.) to support plan implementation Very helpful	Better use of technology (software, apps, etc.) to support plan implementation Somewhat helpful	Better use of technology (software, apps, etc.) to support plan implementation Not helpful	Better use of technology (software, apps, etc.) to support plan implementation No opinion or not sure

Do you have other ideas for encouraging farmers to develop and implement nutrient management plans? Please provide them here - or leave your name and contact information here to have a Team member talk with you.

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* 11. Optional: Do you have ideas that you would be willing to share with Virginia Nutrient Management Leadership Team members? If so please leave your name and contact information. If you have a preference on who you would like to speak with, please indicate that as well. Discussions with VNMLT members will be confidential.

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100% of survey complete.

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important	No opinion or not sure
The process seems too time consuming	The process seems too time consuming Very important	The process seems too time consuming Somewhat important	The process seems too time consuming Not important	The process seems too time consuming No opinion or not sure
Lack of familiarity with the nutrient management planning program	Lack of familiarity with the nutrient management planning program Very important	Lack of familiarity with the nutrient management planning program Somewhat important	Lack of familiarity with the nutrient management planning program Not important	Lack of familiarity with the nutrient management planning program No opinion or not sure
Concerns about the cost to implement the plan	Concerns about the cost to implement the plan Very important	Concerns about the cost to implement the plan Somewhat important	Concerns about the cost to implement the plan Not important	Concerns about the cost to implement the plan No opinion or not sure
Not aware of cost-share funding	Not aware of cost-share funding Very important	Not aware of cost-share funding Somewhat important	Not aware of cost-share funding Not important	Not aware of cost-share funding No opinion or not sure
Certified nutrient management plans seem too technical	Certified nutrient management plans seem too technical Very important	Certified nutrient management plans seem too technical Somewhat important	Certified nutrient management plans seem too technical Not important	Certified nutrient management plans seem too technical No opinion or not sure
Concerns that nutrient management planning is overly complicated	Concerns that nutrient management planning is overly complicated Very important	Concerns that nutrient management planning is overly complicated Somewhat important	Concerns that nutrient management planning is overly complicated Not important	Concerns that nutrient management planning is overly complicated No opinion or not sure
Concerns that certified nutrient management plans are inflexible	Concerns that certified nutrient management plans are inflexible Very important	Concerns that certified nutrient management plans are inflexible Somewhat important	Concerns that certified nutrient management plans are inflexible Not important	Concerns that certified nutrient management plans are inflexible No opinion or not sure
Cost-share funding not available	Cost-share funding not available Very important	Cost-share funding not available Somewhat important	Cost-share funding not available Not important	Cost-share funding not available No opinion or not sure
Nutrient management practices are already in place (such as calibrating fertilizer application based on soil test recommendations), so don't see the value in having a nutrient management plan	Nutrient management practices are already in place (such as calibrating fertilizer application based on soil test recommendations), so don't see the value in having a nutrient management plan Very important	Nutrient management practices are already in place (such as calibrating fertilizer application based on soil test recommendations), so don't see the value in having a nutrient management plan Somewhat important	Nutrient management practices are already in place (such as calibrating fertilizer application based on soil test recommendations), so don't see the value in having a nutrient management plan Not important	Nutrient management practices are already in place (such as calibrating fertilizer application based on soil test recommendations), so don't see the value in having a nutrient management plan No opinion or not sure
Recommendations on fertilizer are already obtained from a source other than a certified nutrient management planner	Recommendations on fertilizer are already obtained from a source other than a certified nutrient management planner Very important	Recommendations on fertilizer are already obtained from a source other than a certified nutrient management planner Somewhat important	Recommendations on fertilizer are already obtained from a source other than a certified nutrient management planner Not important	Recommendations on fertilizer are already obtained from a source other than a certified nutrient management planner No opinion or not sure
Unsure of impact of high soil phosphorus levels on ability to apply manure or organic amendments	Unsure of impact of high soil phosphorus levels on ability to apply manure or organic amendments Very important	Unsure of impact of high soil phosphorus levels on ability to apply manure or organic amendments Somewhat important	Unsure of impact of high soil phosphorus levels on ability to apply manure or organic amendments Not important	Unsure of impact of high soil phosphorus levels on ability to apply manure or organic amendments No opinion or not sure
Concern that having a plan may eventually result in regulatory requirements	Concern that having a plan may eventually result in regulatory requirements Very important	Concern that having a plan may eventually result in regulatory requirements Somewhat important	Concern that having a plan may eventually result in regulatory requirements Not important	Concern that having a plan may eventually result in regulatory requirements No opinion or not sure
Lack of interest	Lack of interest Very important	Lack of interest Somewhat important	Lack of interest Not important	Lack of interest No opinion or not sure
Developing a nutrient management plan is not recommended by trusted sources	Developing a nutrient management plan is not recommended by trusted sources Very important	Developing a nutrient management plan is not recommended by trusted sources Somewhat important	Developing a nutrient management plan is not recommended by trusted sources Not important	Developing a nutrient management plan is not recommended by trusted sources No opinion or not sure

Question Title

* 1. Do you have a nutrient management plan for your farm?

Question Title

* 2. Which category best describes your operation? Please check all that apply.

Question Title

* 3. Approximately how many acres do you farm? (Please estimate total acreage owned or leased in Virginia.)

Question Title

* 4. If you have (or previously had) an NMP developed by a certified nutrient management planner, what motivated you to develop it? Check all that apply:

Question Title

* 5. What aspects of an NMP do you find valuable for your operation?

Question Title

* 6. If you have a current NMP, was it developed by a certified nutrient management planner?

Question Title

* 7. How helpful is your nutrient management planner in assisting you IMPLEMENT the plan?

Question Title

* 8. What services provided by the nutrient management planner are more (or less) helpful?

Question Title

* 9. If you do not have an NMP, what factors influenced your decision to not have or implement an NMP developed by a certified planner?If you do have an NMP, what challenges have you encountered in developing and implementing the plan?

Question Title

* 10. If you do not have an NMP, what would encourage you to work with a certified management planner to develop and implement an NMP?If you do have an NMP, what would make it easier for you to develop and implement your plan?

Question Title

* 9. If you do not have an NMP, what factors influenced your decision to not have or implement an NMP developed by a certified planner?

If you do have an NMP, what challenges have you encountered in developing and implementing the plan?

* 10. If you do not have an NMP, what would encourage you to work with a certified management planner to develop and implement an NMP?

If you do have an NMP, what would make it easier for you to develop and implement your plan?