Document Category: Whole Farm Planning
Planning Tools & Timeline
Step-by-step guide to Farm Planning
A Whole Farming Plan (WFP) is what is utilized by the program to identify and prioritize water quality resource concerns on a farm. These WFPs are developed to solve specific issues on farms to protect the NYC drinking water supply that serves 9 million people. As a part of the WFP, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are prescribed to solve the resource issues and are implemented following a prioritized methodology. BMPs are placed within 11 pollutant categories which include animal waste storage, concentrated feeding areas, pathogens, erosion, nutrient management, and other farm related resource concerns (Guideline for BMP Prioritization).
Nutrient Management and Precision Feed Management are specific BMPs within a WFP that require specialized planning and dedicated team to implement.
How Does It Work?
Creating and Implementing a Whole Farm Plan:
- Each participating farm (landowner and/or producer) will be assigned its own Conservation Planner. The planner visits the farm to identify and assess potential sources of pollutants, using the NYS AEM Process (https://agriculture.ny.gov/soil-and-water/agricultural-environmental-management).
- The planner and participant(s) evaluate all alternatives to address the resource concerns and the BMPs to solve them. Final BMPs are selected based on the technical and financial impacts to both the program and the farm.
- The WFP is vetted to check for adherence to program policy and standards. It is presented through several groups that include other program planners, managers with final approval completed by the Agricultural Program Committee.
- After the WFP has been approved the BMPs within the plan are placed into the annually developed prioritized workload and implemented as funding is available. (link to Implementation tab?)
- Program staff provides continued support to the participant(s) to ensure the Plan’s long-term success through farm visits such as the Annual Status Review (ASR). WFPs are updated through the revision process as needed.
If you want more information or have any questions contact the Whole Farm Planning Coordinator, Nate Townsend (natetownsend@nycwatershed.org) (607) 865-7090 ext. 240
Implementation and Review
WFP revisions occur when the farm’s water quality issues are not sufficiently addressed by the existing WFP. These shortcomings may be due to:
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changes in the farm business (like the addition of livestock),
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the physical nature of the farm (like erosion caused by a 100-year flood event), or
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a failure of an existing BMP to adequately address an original issue.
The revision process is similar to that of the original WFP approval and implementation and may take time to execute. But ultimately, the planner and landowner work together to establish and maintain a flexible Whole Farm Plan, reviewed annually, that meets the growing and changing needs of the farm operation.
The Watershed Agricultural Program values its relationship with farmer/landowner and visits the farm each year. A staff planner conducts an annual evaluation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), their functionality and effectiveness, with a tool called an Annual Status Review (ASR). An Annual Status Review of a Whole Farm Plan (WFP) includes:
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A Whole Farm Plan follow-up where the farmer/landowner and the WAC planner discuss how the Plan worked over the past year (or didn’t) and identify changes made on the farm since last year that may impact the WFP in the coming year.
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BMP inspections to verify that the practice is withstanding the farm’s demands and daily wear-and–tear;
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Ensuring the landowner understands and is following the O&M Agreement, by making repairs and conducting routine maintenance.
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Scheduling outstanding BMPs that may be pending.
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Measuring landowner satisfaction with the Whole Farm Plan and its overall impact on farm operations.
Whole Farm Planning
Whole Farm Planning
A Whole Farming Plan (WFP) is what is utilized by the program to identify and prioritize water quality resource concerns on a farm. These WFPs are developed to solve specific issues on farms to protect the NYC drinking water supply that serves 9 million people. As a part of the WFP, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are prescribed to solve the resource issues and are implemented following a prioritized methodology. BMPs are placed within 11 pollutant categories which include animal waste storage, concentrated feeding areas, pathogens, erosion, nutrient management, and other farm related resource concerns (Guideline for BMP Prioritization).
Nutrient Management and Precision Feed Management are specific BMPs within a WFP that require specialized planning and dedicated team to implement.
How Does It Work?
Creating and Implementing a Whole Farm Plan:
-
Each participating farm (landowner and/or producer) will be assigned its own Conservation Planner. The planner visits the farm to identify and assess potential sources of pollutants, using the NYS AEM Process (https://agriculture.ny.gov/soil-and-water/agricultural-environmental-management).
-
The planner and participant(s) evaluate all alternatives to address the resource concerns and the BMPs to solve them. Final BMPs are selected based on the technical and financial impacts to both the program and the farm.
-
The WFP is vetted to check for adherence to program policy and standards. It is presented through several groups that include other program planners, managers with final approval completed by the Agricultural Program Committee.
-
After the WFP has been approved the BMPs within the plan are placed into the annually developed prioritized workload and implemented as funding is available. (link to Implementation tab?)
-
Program staff provides continued support to the participant(s) to ensure the Plan’s long-term success through farm visits such as the Annual Status Review (ASR). WFPs are updated through the revision process as needed.
Want more information on Whole Farm Planning?
Nate Townsend
Whole Farm Planning Coordinator
Phone: 607-865-7090
E-mail: ntownsend@nycwatershed.org