RD324 - Development of a Strategy to Collect Data Pertaining to Voluntary Agricultural and Forestry Best Management Practices


Executive Summary:
The 2010 Virginia General Assembly charged the Secretary of Natural Resources (SNR) to submit a report by November 1, 2010 to the Governor and the chairmen of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee on the approach and costs of establishing and maintaining a database of the voluntary agricultural and forestry best management practices (BMPs) implemented by the state’s agricultural and silvicultural producers (see Senate Bill 346). Under the direction of SNR Douglas Domenech, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) established an ad-hoc advisory committee comprised of diverse representation of agricultural groups, organizations and agencies (see Preface for membership).

DCR staff and members of the advisory committee reached consensus on fix criteria for collection and reporting of the voluntary agricultural and forestry BMPs:

1. The data to be collected will be limited to the list of BMPs that are recognized and accepted by EPA for Chesapeake Bay and other impaired waters with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). (See Table 1 of this report)

2. All voluntary agricultural BMPs must meet the required USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) standards and specifications, for agricultural BMPs or Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) standards and specifications for Forest Harvesting BMPs and their existence must be field verified, to be reported for modeling purposes.

3. The staff of Virginia’s 47 soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) will be the primary mechanism for collection and entry of voluntary agricultural BMP data. VDOF will collect and report voluntary forestry BMP data through a cooperative agreement with DCR in a format that will be mutually agreed upon to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN).

4. DCR’s web based Agricultural BMP Tracking Program (Tracking Program) currently used by all SWCDs will be the data entry and storage system for voluntary agricultural BMPs.

5. VDOF is currently in the process of automating the forest harvesting BMP monitoring database and this system will be developed in a format compatible with the DCR Agricultural BMP Tracking Program for reporting consistency.

DCR staff and members of the advisory committee also reached consensus on a multi-phased approach to implementation of a system to collect, store and report voluntary agricultural and forestry BMPs. The success of this strategy is not only dependent upon support for the identified resource needs, it is also dependent upon collaboration and support by the agencies and organizations that participated in the study and shaped the path that is being taken.

Preliminary actions (Prior to July 1, 2011): To the extent time and resources allow, DCR staff will:

• Continue to pursue collection of agricultural BMP data through the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA) and data collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for possible reporting purposes

• Work with SWCDs and others, to resolve the six pilot districts that will collect and enter voluntary BMP data in FY12, ready those selected SWCDs to prepare to employ a dedicated resource to advance data collection and data reporting

• Draft protocols to address topics that include data collection, BMP verification, land owner approval for collection/reporting, spot check procedures, data entry, and other needed guidance

• In consultation with experts in data collection and data management, determine the needed revisions to the Agricultural BMP Tracking Program to streamline and accelerate data entry by SWCDs

• Convene one or more meetings of the SWCD Tracking Program “user’s group” to ensure revisions to the Tracking Program are aligned with the needs of program users

Phase 1 (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012): Resources are detailed through this report to enable revisions to the Tracking Program for accommodation of voluntary BMP data; the establishment of an employee or contract position at DCR dedicated to data management and support of voluntary BMP data; and the support for additional agricultural conservation specialists capacity at six SWCDs to pilot data collection, entry and reporting. Provision of resources on or before July 1, 2011 will enable these actions to be achieved during the 2012 fiscal year (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012). Reportable data will be collected during this phase.

Phase 2 (July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013): DCR, in consultation with SWCDs, the Virginia Association of SWCDs, VDOF and others, will assess the needs for additional funding. Priority will be given to the collection of data that will enable Virginia to address Chesapeake Bay TMDL needs. In the Southern Rivers portion of the state, priority will be placed on data that will help address impaired TMDL targeted waters. Given these priorities, consideration will be given to the needs for technical assistance capacity at districts across the state. In addition, the costs associated with a marketing/outreach plan that will target agricultural producers with appropriate messages pertaining to the reporting of voluntary agricultural and forestry BMPs will be determined along with other critical expenses that are necessary to the effective implementation of agricultural and forestry data collection.

On or before November 1, 2011, DCR will report these funding needs to the Governor and the chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources. Funds made available for these purposes will make possible the full implementation of this statewide approach for the collection, data entry and reporting of voluntary BMP data by all SWCDs during the 2013 fiscal year (July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013).

Phase 3 (July 1, 2013 and beyond): There is considerable interest in the treatment of BMPs that may fall short of the NRCS and VDOF standards and specifications, and yet provide significant water quality benefit. EPA and others are beginning to explore how such data may be reported and credited for nutrient and sediment reductions in the Chesapeake Bay Model. DCR staff will continue to pursue how such data may be collected and reported as the first and second phases of implementation are carried out with a goal of fully implementing all data collection and reporting effective July 1, 2013.