Nutrient Management Direct Pay
DCR’s Nutrient Management Direct Pay Program engages private, Virginia-certified nutrient management planners to help meet Virginia’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) III objectives. It is critical to increase planned nutrient management acres across the Chesapeake Bay (Bay) watershed to achieve Virginia’s agricultural nutrient reduction goal established by the current WIP III.
The Nutrient Management Direct Pay Program is also available to planners writing acres outside the Bay if those acres are attached to DCR’s Resource Management Planning Program and/or Litter Transport Program.
The Direct Pay program increases funding availability for private nutrient management planners. The two components of the program are payment for plan writing, and payment for verification of plan implementation.
Eligibility and Requirements
Planner Eligibility
For a planner to be eligible for the Nutrient Management Direct Pay Program:
- The planner must be currently certified in Virginia for nutrient management plan development.
NOTE: State and federal employees are not eligible to participate in this program as plan writers.
- The planner must not be receiving plan writing compensation from any other funding source (county/state/federal/private) through participating clients signed/committed for this program.
Plan Eligibility
For a nutrient management plan to be eligible for the Nutrient Management Direct Pay Program:
- The participating farmer cannot currently be receiving funding for plan writing from any other program (for example, Virginia Cost Share NM-1A, or NRCS Conservation Activity Plan, codes 102 and 104).
- The farmer may participate in cost-share funding with acres enrolled in Nutrient Management Direct Pay if funding is not for plan writing compensation.
- Farmland with an active nutrient management plan will not be eligible for participation in this program until that plan has expired. At that time, those plan acres will be eligible as revised acres only.
- Plans must be written for a 3-year period. This includes revised plans as well as new plan acres.
- Plans must be written to meet all requirements as set forth in the Nutrient Management Training and Certification Regulations, 4VAC50-85.
- When acres are added to a plan, it is defined as a “Modified Plan,” and the added acres will be classified as new acres unless the planner is confident the acres are currently planned.
- During either year two (2) or three (3) of the plan, a verification form must be completed on all written plan acres.
- Plans that contain “Enhanced Practice” acres shall be reported annually, after implementation of these practices, using the Unique Identifier Number (see definition of Enhanced Practice acre and form) to link the Enhanced Practice form to the proper nutrient management plan.
- All plan writing activity must be reported using the Annual Activity Report Excel spreadsheet.
- The Unique Identifier Number from Activity Report-Acreage tab must be entered on all plans and forms submitted for payment in the Direct Pay program for tracking of planner payment requests and approval.
- Manure transfer plans do NOT qualify for payment in this program.
- Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) must be shown on all on forms submitted for payment.
- Participating farmers must have some type of record keeping for nutrient applications and crop yields, to show implementation of the plan.
- To participate in any part the Nutrient Management Direct Pay Program, a planner must meet all Program Eligibility requirements and Program Specification requirements.
- No payments will be authorized without timely submission and approval of the related request forms.
- No payment will be made for plan writing, updating of plans or verification of plans until those documents have been submitted and approved.
- The reporting period for the Direct Pay program is July 1 through June 30 of the following year.
Plan Requirements
Each nutrient management plan will be written to meet the requirements of the “Nutrient Management Training and Certification Regulations,” (4VAC50-85.)
Where applicable, the following report information must be included in each plan:
- Plan narrative, (4VAC50-85-130.F.6-7.0).
- Field maps, (4VAC50-85-130.C.1.).
- Showing any environmentally sensitive areas.
- Showing any setback areas (4VAC50-85-130.C.1.d,e,f.).
- Balance sheets, (4VAC50-85-130.D Summary of nutrient management plan recommendations.)
- Productivity report showing:
- Field identification.
- Acres.
- Predominate soil.
- Soil productivity.
- Yield.
- Environmental Sensitivity for each field, (4VAC50-85-130.D,2-3:F.1,8; 4VAC50-85-140.A.e.(1).)
- Soil test summary report- all farm fields in the plan, (4VAC50-85-140.A.2.f.).
- Manure production.
- a. Showing manure analysis and total manure generated annually, (4VAC50-85-130.F.2.)
- Spreading summary report-showing application rate and timing of manure produced annually, 4VAC50-85-130.F.3.
- Farm summary report for plan to include soils, crops and erosion.
Plans submitted as hard copies should be compiled in a clear-front report cover or a 3-ring presentation/view notebook.
Plans submitted electronically should be one PDF file containing all plan information.
How to Apply
- Register as a vendor in the eVA purchasing system:
You must be a registered vendor with eVA, the state’s purchasing system, to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you are not currently an eVA-registered vendor, you can become one through an online sign-up process using the following link:
https://eva.virginia.gov/register-now.html
*a 1% service fee is applied
For registration help, call 1-866-289-7367.
- Submit Farmer Consent form.
Email the form to vanmplnr@dcr.virginia.gov. The Farmer Consent form must be submitted within 10 days of farmer signature. You will receive an email that your submission has been accepted and funds have been allocated to pay for the plan.
- Completed plans are expected to be submitted within 45 days.
- If the plan will not be submitted within the 45-day window, contact vanmplnr@dcr.virginia.gov. If contact is not made, funding can be withdrawn, and you will need to resubmit another Farmer Consent form to request funding.
- Plans that are submitted to the Animal Waste Coordinator for review due to permitting that are also in the Direct Pay Program must be cc’d to vanmplnr@dcr.virginia.gov as well.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
