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NCDA&CS
2019 Annual Progress Report (Crop
Year 2018) on the Tar-Pamlico
Agricultural Rule
(15A NCAC 02B .0256)
A Report to the Environmental Management Commission from the Tar-Pamlico
Basin Oversight Committee: Crop Year 2018
2
3
Tar-Pamlico NSW Strategy
The Environmental Management Commission
(EMC) adopted the Tar-Pamlico nutrient strategy in
2000. The management strategy built upon the
precedent-setting Neuse River Basin effort
established three years earlier, which for the first
time set regulatory reduction measures for
nutrients on cropland acres in the state. The NSW
strategy goal is to reduce the average annual load
of nitrogen to the Pamlico estuary by 30% from
1991 levels and to limit phosphorus loading to
1991 levels. Mandatory controls were applied to
address non-point source pollution in agriculture,
urban stormwater, nutrient management, and
riparian buffer protection. As of 2016, the Pamlico
estuary is still classified as impaired and is not
meeting its 30 percent nitrogen loading reduction
goals.
Summary
The Tar-Pamlico Basin Oversight Committee (BOC) received and approved crop year1 (CY) 2018
annual reports from the fourteen Local Advisory Committees (LACs) operating under the Tar-
Pamlico Agriculture Rule as part of the Tar-Pamlico Basin Nutrient Management Strategy. The
report demonstrates agriculture’s ongoing collective compliance with the Tar-Pamlico
Agriculture Rule and estimates further progress in decreasing nutrient losses. In CY2018,
agriculture collectively achieved an estimated 58% reduction in nitrogen loss compared to the
1991 baseline, continuing to exceed the rule-mandated 30% reduction. All fourteen LAC’s
exceeded the 30% reduction goal established by the BOC. Phosphorus tracking in the basin
indicates less risk of phosphorus loss during CY2018 than in the baseline year for 7 of the 9
qualitative indicators.
Rule Requirements and Compliance History
Effective September 2001, the Tar-Pamlico
Nutrient Sensitive Waters Management
Strategy (NSW) provides for a collective
strategy for farmers to meet the 30% nitrogen
loss reduction and no-increase phosphorus
goals within five years. A BOC and fourteen
LACs were established to implement the rule
and to assist farmers with complying with the
rule.
All fourteen Local Advisory Committees (LACs)
submitted their first annual report to the BOC
in November 2003, which collectively
estimated a 39% nitrogen loss reduction, and
10 of 14 LACs exceeded the 30% individually.
Collective reductions gradually increased in
succeeding years, and by CY2007 only one LAC
did not meet the 30% goal. Since CY2016 all
LACs have exceeded the 30% reduction.
Division of Soil and Water Conservation staff uses input from the LACs to calculate their annual
reductions using the Nitrogen Loss Estimation Worksheet (NLEW). All fourteen LACs met as
required in 2019, and based on their input the collective reduction of 58% exceeded the
mandated 30% in CY2018.
1 The 2018 crop year began in October 2017 and ended in September 2018.
4
Scope of Report and Methodology
The estimates provided in this report represent whole-county scale calculations of nitrogen loss
from cropland agriculture adjusted for acreage in the basin. These estimates were made by
Division of Soil and Water Conservation staff using the ‘aggregate’ version of NLEW, an
accounting tool developed to meet the specifications of the Neuse Rule and approved by the
EMC for use in the Tar-Pamlico Basin. The development team included interagency technical
representatives of the NC Division of Water Resources (DWR), NC Division of Soil and Water
Conservation (DSWC), USDA-NRCS and was led by NC State University Soil Science Department
faculty. NLEW captures application of both inorganic and animal waste sources of fertilizer to
cropland. It is an “edge-of-management unit” accounting tool that estimates changes in
nitrogen loss from croplands, but does not estimate changes in nitrogen loading to surface
waters. An assessment method was developed for phosphorus, approved by the EMC, and is
described later in the report.
Annual Estimates of N Loss and the Effect of NLEW Refinements
The NLEW software is periodically revised to incorporate new knowledge gained through
research and improvements to data. These changes have incorporated the best available data,
but changes to NLEW must be considered when comparing nitrogen loss reduction in different
versions of NLEW. Further updates in soil management units are expected as NRCS produces
updated electronic soils data. The small changes in soil management units are unlikely to
produce significant effects on nitrogen loss reductions. Figure 1 represents the annual percent
nitrogen loss reduction from the baseline for 2001 to 2018.
Figure 1. Collective Cropland Nitrogen Loss Reduction Percent 2001 to 2018, Tar Pamlico River
Basin.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
%
R
e
d
u
c
t
i
o
n
Year
NLEW v5.02 NLEW v5.51 NLEW v5.52
NLEW v5.53a NLEW v5.53b NLEW v6.0
30% Reduction Goal
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The first NLEW reports were run in 2001, and agriculture has continued to exceed its collective
30% nitrogen reduction goal since that time. The first NLEW revision (v5.51) updated soil
management units and marked a significant change in the nitrogen reduction efficiencies of
buffers, so both the baseline and CY2005 were re-calculated based on the best available
information. The second (v5.52) and third (v5.53a) revisions were administrative and included
minor updates to soil mapping units and realistic yields. In April of 2011 the NLEW Committee
established further reductions (v5.53b) in nitrogen removal efficiencies for buffers based on
additional research. In 2016 NLEW software was updated (v6.0) from outdated software and
transferred to a web-based platform on NCDA&CS servers. Revised realistic yield and nitrogen
use efficiency data from NCSU was incorporated, and some minor calculation errors were
corrected for corn and sweet potatoes. Table 1 lists the changes in buffer nitrogen reduction
efficiencies over time.
Table 1. Changes in Buffer Width Options and Nitrogen Reduction Efficiencies in NLEW
Buffer
Width
NLEW v5.02*
% N Reduction
2001-2005
NLEW v5.51, v5.52, v5.53a
% N Reduction
2006-2010
NLEW v5.53b, v6.0
% N Reduction
2011-Current
20' 40% (grass) 30% 20%
75% (trees & shrubs)
30' 65% 40% 25%
50' 85% 50% 30%
70' 85% 55% 30%
100' 85% 60% 35%
*NLEW v5.02 - the vegetation type (i.e. trees, shrubs, grass) within 20' and 50' buffers determined reduction values.
Based on research results, this distinction was dropped from subsequent NLEW versions.
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Current Status
Nitrogen Reduction from Baseline for CY2018
All fourteen LACs submitted their eighteenth annual report to the BOC in July 2019. For the
entire basin, in CY2018 agriculture achieved a 58% reduction in nitrogen loss compared to the
1991 baseline. This year all 14 LACs achieved the at-least 30% nitrogen loss reduction goal set
by the BOC. Table 2 lists each county’s baseline, CY2017 and CY2018 nitrogen (lbs/yr) loss
values, and nitrogen loss percent reductions from the baseline in CY2017 and CY2018.
Table 2. Estimated Reductions in Agricultural Nitrogen Loss from Baseline (1991) for CY2017 and
CY2018, Tar-Pamlico River Basin*
County
Baseline N
Loss (lb)*
CY2017 N
Loss (lb)*
CY2017 N
Reduction (%)
CY2018 N
Loss (lb)*
CY2018 N
Reduction (%)
Beaufort 9,178,262 4,152,675 55% 4,416,924 52%
Edgecombe 5,037,742 2,633,613 48% 2,813,349 44%
Franklin 2,183,680 463,912 79% 415,705 81%
Granville 890,371 124,084 86% 129,478 85%
Halifax 2,902,105 1,376,232 53% 1,387,694 52%
Hyde 5,501,161 1,708,389 69% 2,033,956 63%
Martin 782,152 497,333 36% 532,175 32%
Nash 4,693,868 1,376,101 71% 1,382,451 71%
Person 153,228 66,340 57% 60,010 61%
Pitt 6,229,921 2,778,063 55% 2,676,430 57%
Vance 419,485 81,709 81% 76,637 82%
Warren 535,517 113,036 79% 226,197 58%
Washington 939,912 407,955 57% 446,782 52%
Wilson 890,691 405,996 54% 408,325 54%
Total 40,338,095 16,185,438 60% 17,006,114 58%
*Nitrogen loss values are for comparative purposes. They represent nitrogen that was applied to agricultural lands in the basin
and neither used by crops nor intercepted by BMPs in a Soil Management Unit, based on NLEW calculations. This is not an in-
stream loading value.
Nitrogen loss reductions were achieved through the combination of fertilization rate decreases,
cropping shifts, BMP implementation, and cropland acreage fluctuation. The most significant
factor is shifts from crops which require high nitrogen inputs to crops which require little or no
nitrogen. Overall, NLEW estimates the following factors contributed to the total nitrogen loss
reduction according to the percentages shown in Table 3.
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Table 3. Factors that Influence Nitrogen Reduction by Percentage on Agricultural Lands, Tar-
Pamlico River Basin*
Factor CY2015 CY2016 CY2017 CY2018
BMP implementation 14% 14% 14% 15%
Fertilization Management 15% 17% 17% 15%
Cropping shift 17% 14% 17% 15%
Cropland converted to
grass/trees 5% 5% 5% 5%
Cropland lost to idle land 6% 5% 6% 7%
Cropland lost to development 1% 1% 1% 1%
TOTAL 58% 56% 60% 58%
*Percentages are based on a total of the reduction, not a year-to-year comparison.
BMP Implementation
As illustrated in Figure 2, CY2018 yielded an increase of 8 acres of nutrient scavenger crops
from CY2017 and an increase of 460 acres affected by water control structures, while buffer
acres remained the same.
The Division of Soil and Water Conservation, Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Natural
Resources Conservation Service staff continue to make refinements to the NLEW accounting
process as opportunities arise. LAC members estimate annual nutrient scavenger crop acres
based on crop rotations, producer cropping history, state and federal incentive programs,
weather patterns, and seed prices. Buffer and water control structure BMP data is collected
from state and federal cost share program active contracts, and in some cases (especially
nutrient scavenger crops) BMPs that were installed without cost share funding. While there is
some opportunity for variability in the data reported, LACs are including data that is the best
information currently available. As additional sound data sources become available, the LACs
will review these sources and update their methodology for reporting if warranted.
Every effort is being made to ensure that BMPs currently being reported continue to function
as designed. Verification of this functionality requires site visits to individual farm owners who
may or may not be under active contract. Coastal counties have reported that despite contract
expirations, the water control structures which have been checked and which are no longer
covered by an operation and maintenance agreement are still being actively managed by
producers. Before next year’s progress report the Division of Soil and Water Conservation
intends to add an option for producers with older contracts to re-enter an operation and
maintenance agreement in exchange for a discounted payment and whatever repair funds are
necessary to restore structure functionality. The Division plans to coordinate outreach to
Districts to determine how many producers are still farming who may need structure repairs or
riser replacements. Future availability of this offer is dependent on the identification and
procurement of additional funding. Contracts which are re-enrolled in the Agriculture Cost
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Share Program or structures which are field-verified as still functioning will be retained in future
accounting, but other expired contracts will be removed.
Overall, the total acres of implementation of BMPs have increased since the baseline, as
illustrated in Figure 2. When actual acres of BMPs installed through federal, state and local cost
share programs are compared to the total cropland (588,233 acres), over half of all reported
cropland receives some kind of BMP treatment; this does not include farmer-installed BMPs
that are not funded by cost share programs except in some cases where SWCD staff is made
aware of work that has been completed. Additionally, the treatment estimate is probably
greater because it does not take into account the entire drainage area treated by buffers in the
piedmont, which is generally 5 to 10 times higher than the actual acres of the buffer shown in
Figure 2.2
From 2001 through 2006, the NLEW program captured buffers 50’ and wider as one category.
After the 2007 update, categories for 70’ and 100’ buffers were added. In CY2006 the buffers
larger than 50’ were redistributed into these new categories. In CY2011 50’ and 70’ buffers
were combined into a single category for everything larger than 50’ but less than 100’.
Figure 2: Nutrient Reducing BMPs Present on Agricultural Lands for Baseline (1991) and
Installed from 2015-2018, Tar-Pamlico River Basin*
*The acres of buffers listed represent actual acres. Acres affected by the buffer could be 5 to 10 times larger in the
Piedmont than the acreage shown above.2
2 Bruton, Jeffrey Griffin. 2004. Headwater Catchments: Estimating Surface Drainage Extent Across North Carolina and
Correlations Between Landuse, Near Stream, and Water Quality Indicators in the Piedmont Physiographic Region. Ph.D.
Dissertation. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
27606.http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-03282004-174056/
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
Scavenger
Crop
20' Buffer 30' Buffer 50' Buffer 100' Buffer Water Control
Structure
Ac
r
e
s
BMPs
Baseline 2015 2016 2017 2018
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Additional Nutrient BMPs
At the field level, a number of BMPs contribute to nutrient reduction and subsequent water
quality improvement. Not all BMP types are tracked by NLEW. These include: livestock-related
nitrogen and phosphorus reducing BMPs, BMPs that reduce soil and phosphorus loss, and BMPs
that do not have enough scientific research to support estimating a nitrogen benefit. The BOC
believes it is worthwhile to recognize these practices. Table 4 identifies BMPs not accounted
for in NLEW and tracks their implementation in the basin since CY2015.
Increased implementation numbers are evident in CY2018 across all BMP types since the
baseline. Some of these BMPs will yield reductions in nitrogen loss that are not reflected in the
NLEW accounting in this report but will benefit the estuary.
Table 4: Nutrient-Reducing Best Management Practices Not Accounted for in NLEW, 2015-2018,
Tar-Pamlico River Basin*
BMP Units 2015 2016 2017 2018
Diversion Feet 433,166 440,614 441,962 441,962
Fencing (USDA Programs) Feet 261,884 262,519 262,519 262,519
Field Border Acres 1,297 1,303 1,306 1,308
Grassed Waterway Acres 2,569 2,587 2,602 2,634
Livestock Exclusion Feet 239,281 239,868 239,868 239,868
Sod Based Rotation Acres 80,836 90,911 98,681 101,150
Tillage Management Acres 55,878 62,151 67,899 1,493
Terraces Feet 371,936 371,936 371,936 371,936
*Values represent active contracts in State and Federal cost share programs.
Fertilization Management
Better nutrient management has resulted in farmers in
the Tar-Pamlico River Basin reducing their nitrogen
application from baseline levels. Figure 3 indicates
that nitrogen rates for the major crops in the basin
have reduced from the baseline period.
In CY2018 nitrogen rates increased by 5 lbs/acre on
corn, decreased by 26 lbs/acre on bermuda, decreased
by 5 lbs/acre on fescue, and remained stable for
cotton, soybeans, tobacco, and wheat compared to
CY2017. Most pastures are under-fertilized
throughout the Tar-Pamlico basin. Pasture and
hayland are typically not supplemented with inorganic
fertilizers.
Over time there has been an economic incentive for
producers to improve nitrogen management.
Factors Identified by LACs Contributing to
Reduced Nitrogen Rates since the Baseline
Year
➢ Economic decisions and fluctuating farm
incomes.
➢ Increased education & outreach on
nutrient management (NC Cooperative
Extension held nutrient management
training sessions and since 2004
approximately 2,000 farmers and
applicators received training)
➢ Mandatory waste management plans
➢ The federal government tobacco quota
buy-out reducing tobacco acreage.
➢ Neuse & Tar-Pamlico Nutrient Strategies.
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Fertilizer rates and standard application practices are revisited annually by LACs using data from
farmers, commercial applicators and state and federal agencies’ professional estimates.
Figure 3. Average Annual Nitrogen Fertilization Rate (lb/ac) for the Major Agricultural Crops for
the Baseline (1991) and 2015-2018, Tar-Pamlico River Basin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Bermuda Corn Cotton Fescue Soybeans Tobacco Wheat
Ni
t
r
o
g
e
n
R
a
t
e
(
l
b
s
/
a
c
r
e
)
Crops
Baseline 2015 2016 2017 2018
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Cropping Shifts
The LACs calculated the cropland acreage by utilizing crop data reported by farmers to the
USDA-Farm Service Agency. Each crop requires different amounts of nitrogen and utilizes the
nitrogen applied with different efficiency rates. Changes in the mix of crops grown can have a
significant impact on the cumulative yearly nitrogen loss reduction. The BOC anticipates that
the basin will see additional crop shifts in the upcoming year based on changing commodity
prices and wet weather.
Figure 4 shows crop acres and shifts for the last four years compared to the baseline. Some
crops have remained relatively stable, while others show more volatility. Cotton prices were
stable in CY2018, so cotton cultivation increased by 20,700 acres from CY2017. Due to a small
price increase in CY2018 corn increased by approximately 2,782 acres in CY2018. Falling
soybean prices resulted in a decrease of 10,444 soybean acres from CY2017 to CY2018. A
return to wet conditions during the winter planting season resulted in an overall decrease of
2,946 wheat acres between CY2017 and CY2018. A host of factors from individual to global
determine crop choices.
Figure 4. Acreage of Major Crops for the Baseline (1991) and 2015-2018, Tar-Pamlico River
Basin
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
Hay Corn Cotton Soybeans Tobacco Wheat
Ac
r
e
s
Crops
Baseline 2015 2016 2017 2018
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Land Use Change to Development, Idle Land and Cropland Conversion
The number of cropland acres fluctuates every year in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin due to
cropland conversion, idle land and development. Each year, some cropland is permanently lost
to development or converted to grass or trees and likely to be ultimately lost from agricultural
production. Idle land is agricultural land that is currently out of production but could be
brought back into production at any time. Currently it is estimated that over 12,000 acres have
been permanently lost to development in the basin and more than 47,328 acres have been
converted to grass or trees since the 1991 baseline. For CY2018 it is estimated that there are
approximately 68,706 idle acres. There is a total of 588,233 NLEW-accountable acres of
cropland (see Fig. 5). In addition to these changes, LACs have noted that over 2,500 cropland
acres have been converted to newly leased and constructed solar facilities. All of the above
estimates come from the LAC members’ best professional judgment, USDA-FSA records and
county planning department data. The total crop acres are obtained from USDA-FSA and NC
Agricultural Statistics annual reports. Cropland acres have continued to decrease from the
baseline period (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. NLEW-Accounted Cropland Acres in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin, Baseline (1991) - 2018
*Some of the acres represented here are acres counted twice due to double-cropping on the same field.
Some acreage reduction represents double-cropped wheat-soybeans converted to a full-season soybean
crop.
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
Baseline 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Ac
r
e
s
Years
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Phosphorus
Phosphorus Indicators for CY2018: The
qualitative indicators included in Table 5 show
the relative changes in land use and management
parameters and their relative effect on
phosphorus loss risk in the basin. This approach
was recommended by the Phosphorus Technical
Advisory Committee (PTAC) in 2005 due to the
difficulty of developing an aggregate phosphorus
tool parallel to the nitrogen NLEW tool and was
approved by the EMC. Table 5 builds upon the
data provided in the 2005 PTAC report, which
included all available data at the time ending
with data from 2003. This report adds
phosphorus indicator data for CY2015 through
CY2018. With the exception of animal waste P
and soil test P, all other parameters indicate less
risk of phosphorus loss than in the baseline year.
Contributing to the reduced risk of phosphorus
loss is the increase of nutrient reducing BMPs in
the basin. As indicated in Table 5, the acres
affected in the basin by water control structures have steadily increased over the past three
years. It should also be noted that the soil test phosphorus median number reported for the
basin fluctuates each year due to the nature of how the data is collected and compiled. The soil
test phosphorus median numbers shown in Table 5 are generated by using North Carolina
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) soil test laboratory results from
voluntary soil testing and the data is reported by the NCDA&CS. The number of samples
collected each year varies. The data only includes samples submitted for cropland. It does not
include soil tests that were submitted to private laboratories. The soil test results from the
NCDA&CS database represent data from entire counties in the basin, and have not been
adjusted to include only those samples collected in the river basin area.
Phosphorous Technical Assistance
Committee (PTAC)
The PTAC’s overall purpose was to establish a
phosphorus accounting method for agriculture in
the basin. It determined that a defensible,
aggregated, county-scale accounting method for
estimating phosphorus losses from agricultural
lands is not currently feasible due to “the
complexity of phosphorus behavior and transport
within a watershed, the lack of suitable data
required to adequately quantify the various
mechanisms of phosphorus loss and retention
within watersheds of the basin, and the problem
with not being able to capture agricultural
conditions as they existed in 1991”. The PTAC
instead developed recommendations for
qualitatively tracking relative changes in practices
in land use and management related to
agricultural activity that either increase or
decrease the risk of phosphorus loss from
agricultural lands in the basin on an annual basis.
.
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Table 5. Relative Changes in Land Use and Management Parameters and their Relative Effect on
Phosphorus Loss Risk in the Tar-Pamlico
Parameter Units Source
1991
Baseline CY2015 CY2016 CY2017 CY2018
1991 -
2018
Change
CY2018
P Loss
Risk +/-
Agricultural
land Acres FSA 807,026 614,715 593,530 597,066 588,233 -27% -
Cropland
conversion (to
grass & trees)
Acres
USDA-
NRCS &
NCACSP
660 47,007 47,134 47,269 47,328 7,071% -
CRP / WRP
(cumulative) Acres USDA-
NRCS 19,241 41,833 41,833 41,833 41,833 117% -
Conservation
Tillage *
(cumulative)
Acres
USDA-
NRCS &
NCACSP
41,415 55,878 62,151 62,151 62,492 51% -
Vegetated
buffers
(cumulative)
Acres
USDA-
NRCS &
NCACSP
50,836 218,440 218,440 218,440 218,440 330% -
Water control
structures
(cumulative)
Acres
Affected
USDA-
NRCS &
NCACSP
52,984 91,308 92,208 92,208 92,668 75% -
Scavenger crop Acres LAC 13,272 85,380 86,109 83,312 83,382 528% -
Animal waste P lbs of P/ yr NC Ag
Statistics 13,597,734 15,011,136 14,805,403 14,855,289 14,654,365 8% +
Soil test P
median P Index NCDA&
CS 83 79 84 85 93 12% +
* Conservation tillage is being practiced on additional acres but this number only reflects active cost share contract
acres, not acres where contracts have expired or where farmers have implemented conservation tillage without
cost share assistance. According to the 2012 Ag Census, conservation tillage (including no-till) was practiced on
420,550 crop acres in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.3
Based on the these findings, the BOC recommends that no additional management actions be
required of agricultural operations in the basin at this time to comply with the “no net increase
above the 1991 levels” phosphorus goal of the agriculture rule. The BOC will continue to track
and report the identified set of qualitative phosphorus indicators to the EMC annually, and to
bring any concerns raised by the results of this effort to the EMC’s attention as they arise, along
with recommendations for any appropriate action. The BOC expects that BMP implementation
will continue to increase throughout the basin in future years, and notes that BMPs installed for
nitrogen, pathogen and sediment control often provide significant phosphorus benefits as well.
3 USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture, Census by Watershed (HUC 030201). Available at:
www.agcensus.usda.gov/ Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Watersheds/sag03.pdf
15
Looking Forward
The Tar-Pamlico BOC will continue to report on rule implementation, relying heavily on Soil and
Water Conservation District staff to compile crop reports. The BOC continues to encourage
counties to implement additional BMPs to further reduce nutrient losses.
Because cropping shifts are susceptible to various
pressures, the BOC is working with LACs in all
counties to continue BMP implementation that
provides lasting reduction in nitrogen loss in the
basin.
Funding
Ongoing agriculture rule reporting has
incorporated data processing efficiencies and
improvements in recent years. NLEW upgrades
have allowed LAC members to more actively
participate in the compilation of data and analysis
of nitrogen loss trends, and a new Division of Soil
and Water Conservation contracting system has
helped optimize BMP documentation efforts.
In CY2018 soil and water conservation districts
spent over $322,000 through the Agriculture Cost Share Program in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin,
and the Natural Resources Conservation Service spent over $1,609,100 through the
Environmental Quality Assistance Program in the counties of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.
These programs have all helped fund erosion and nutrient reducing BMPs in the Tar-Pamlico
basin.
The EPA 319(h) grant program, which is administered by the Department of Environmental
Quality, has approximately $1.4 million in competitive grant funds available statewide for
implementation of approved nonpoint source management programs. Grant funds from the
319(h) program can be used to supplement technical assistance, match cost share funding, and
support BMP implementation. The Division of Soil and Water Conservation, funded through an
EPA 319(h) grant, expends approximately $50,000 on agricultural reporting staff support
annually.
Over 150 farmers, local staff, and agency personnel with other responsibilities serve on the
Neuse and Tar-Pamlico LACs in a voluntary capacity. Basin Oversight Committee members
meet at least once per year to review and approve this annual progress report, which includes
time spent outside of that annual meeting to review draft documents and approve
methodology changes. Participation by so many members of the local agricultural community
demonstrates a commitment toward achieving the nutrient strategy’s long-term goals.
Basin Oversight Committee recognizes the
dynamic nature of agricultural business.
➢ Changes in the world economies, energy
or trade policies.
➢ Changes in government programs (i.e.,
commodity support or environmental
regulations)
➢ Weather (i.e., long periods of drought or
rain)
➢ Scientific advances in agronomics (i.e.,
production of new types of crops or
improvements in crop sustainability)
➢ Plant disease or pest problems (i.e.,
viruses or foreign pests)
➢ Urban encroachment (i.e., crop selection
shifts as fields become smaller)
➢ Age of farmer (i.e., as retirement
approaches farmers may move from row
crops to cattle)
16
Watershed technicians are no longer eligible for state and federal funding, so the annual local
progress reports fall on the LACs without local technical assistance to compile the data for the
annual reports. Few currently serving LAC members were active during the stakeholder process
for the Agriculture Rule, so some institutional knowledge about annual reporting requirements
has been lost. As a result, training of new Soil and Water Conservation District staff and LAC
members regarding rule requirements and reporting is ongoing.
Funding is an integral part in the success of reaching and maintaining the goal through technical
assistance and BMP implementation. It is also important for data collection and reporting.
At the present time there is also no funding for a basin coordinator. Part of the responsibilities
of the technicians and basin coordinators was to assist with the reporting requirements for the
Neuse and Tar-Pamlico Agriculture Rules. In addition to other duties, the NCDA&CS Division of
Soil and Water Conservation Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator has been assigned the data
collection, compilation and reporting duties for the Agriculture Rules for all existing Nutrient
Sensitive Waters Strategies.
Now that watershed technician funding has been eliminated, a more centralized approach to
data collection and verification is necessary. This evolving approach will involve GIS analysis
and more streamlined FSA acreage documentation. The LACs will be trained to handle the new
workload to the best of their ability. Because district staff has neither the time nor financial
resources to synthesize county level data, this centralized approach will come at the expense of
local knowledge. Annual agricultural reporting is required by the rules; therefore continued
funding for the Division’s remaining Nonpoint Source Planning Coordinator position is essential
for compliance.
The BOC will consider data from relevant studies as they are completed and become available
and will consider the results as they relate to nutrient loadings from land based sources and
uses. Previously, funding was available for research on conservation practice effectiveness,
realistic yields, and nitrogen use efficiencies. Due to eligibility changes and other funding
constraints, it is unlikely that new data will be developed. Prior funding sources for such
research, which provided much of the scientific information on which NLEW was based, are no
longer available. Should new funding be made available, additional North Carolina-specific
research information could be incorporated into future NLEW updates.
Conclusion
Significant progress has been made in agricultural nitrogen loss reduction, and the agricultural
community consistently reaches its 30% nitrogen reduction and no net increase in phosphorus
goals. However, the measurable effects of these BMPs on overall in-stream nutrient reduction
may take years to develop due to the nature of non-point source pollution. The BOC supports
new funding for research and implementation to further improve reductions and enhance
agricultural nutrient reporting, including identification of additional sources. Nitrogen
reduction values presented in this annual summary of agricultural reductions reflect “edge-of-
management unit” calculations that contribute to achieving the overall 30% nitrogen loss
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reduction goal. Significant quantities of agricultural BMPs have been installed since the
adoption and implementation of the nutrient management strategy, and agriculture continues
to do its part towards achieving the overall goal of a 30% reduction of nitrogen and no net
increase of phosphorus delivered to the Pamlico estuary.