The Iowa office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nat­ural Resources Conservation Serv­ice (NRCS) last week rolled out a new standard for implementing nutrient management plans that are typically required for participation in federal conservation cost-share programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

The updated standard, called the 590 Standard, treats commercial fertilizer and manure more similarly than in the previous plan. The new NRCS standard calls for delaying fall manure applications until soil temperatures are 50 degrees and trending lower. The standard is the same for fall applications of commercial ammonia-based fertilizer.

The standard also adds tile intakes to sensitive areas that should be protected with filter strips or other practices for...