Maryland EQIP - Tiered Nutrient Management System Checklist - 2006
Participant Name: ________________________________ No./Tract No.: ______________________
NRCS in Maryland wants to reward producers who implement nutrient management techniques that go
beyond the minimum requirements of the Nutrient Management standard (590). For all tiers, the
participant must have a current nutrient management plan that was developed by a certified
nutrient management consultant in accordance with Maryland State law. The plan must also meet
the minimum requirements of the Maryland NRCS 590 Nutrient Management standard and will be
reviewed annually by a certified nutrient management planner.
Check (9) the practices for which the producer is requesting EQIP incentive payments. Producers are
not eligible for payments for practices or activities that they (or persons working for them) have
already implemented on fields proposed for enrollment. File the completed checklist in the producer’s
case file.
A field cannot be enrolled for Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III payments in the same calendar year.
Producers may transition from lower to higher tiers in successive years. Nutrient Management
incentive payments are limited to no more than three years of a contract.
Tier I - Basic Nutrient Management
- Tier I
$2/ac __________ acres
The producer must implement at least two of the following:
- Precision soil sampling or “smart sampling”
Smart sampling uses the knowledge of field conditions, such as soils and topography. As the
knowledge of within-field variability is gained from yield maps and other layers of information that
has been collected using precision agricultural technologies, soil sampling sites can be refined.
Smart sampling is usually not grid sampling because it takes fewer soil samples. A consultant can
use aerial maps and photographs, topographical maps, and yield monitors (if available) to divide
the field into natural areas that have similar soil characteri