Northeast Region Certified Crop Adviser (NRCCA) Study Resources

In This Section

• Introduction
• PO 44 Setting a realistic goal
• PO 45 Determining crop nutrient needs
• PO 46 Environmental effects of nutrient loss
• PO 47 NRCS 590 nutrient management standard
• PO 48 Mass nutrient balance
• PO 49 P-based vs. N-based manure application
• PO 50 Surface application and immediate incorporation of manure
• PO 51 Precision feeding
• PO 52 Environmentally sensitive areas
• PO 53 Nutrient management plans
• PO 54 Calculate total manure production
• PO 55 Capacity factors in manure storage
• PO 56 Three option for P management
• PO 57 The P index
• PO 58 Impacts of practice on P index
• PO 59 Calculate crop P removal
• PO 60 Nitrate leaching index (LI)
• PO 61 Practices to reduce nitrate leaching
• PO 62 Manure odor issues
• PO 63 Agricultural air quality
• PO 64 Reducing pathogen concerns from manure
• Summary

Competency Area 6: Nutrient Management and Planning

PO 52. Define environmentally-sensitive area.

Environmentally-sensitive areas are areas that have the largest potential to lose nutrients and cause offsite environmental impacts.  These areas should be managed carefully to minimize such offsite environmental impacts.  Impacts include things like loss of plant and animal species, growth of undesirable plant and animal species, poor drinking water quality (taste, odor), loss of a fishery, etc.

Examples of environmentally-sensitive areas include:

• Highly-erodible land
• Floodplains
• Wellheads
• Steep slopes
• Sinkholes