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Fall 2005
PNWWATER 069
The OnePlan:

Supporting Agriculture, Protecting Water

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OnePlan logo The OnePlan is a web based user-friendly suite of conservation planning tools for use by farmers, ranchers, and professional planners. This tool was developed in Idaho over the past six years and is set to expand into Oregon next year. The goal is to provide producers with a “one stop shopping” place for information, guidelines, and regulations from all local, state, and federal agencies, to assist in the protection of natural resources. Concerns about the role of agricultural operations as a source of non-point pollution have prompted federal and state government agencies to offer financial incentives to producers to put in place more sustainable agricultural practices. In order for producers to be eligible for financial incentives, a Conservation Plan needs to be in place.

The OnePlan began as an effort by state and federal agencies, working in collaboration, to encourage producers to adopt a conservation planning approach in order to voluntarily comply with regulations and protection of natural resources. Agencies including the EPA, NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Idaho State Departments of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Commission, Environmental Quality, Water Resources, Lands, Fish and Game, University of Idaho, and the Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts have participated in the development and continuation of the OnePlan. The concept has now expanded to include specific planning tools for topics including nutrient management, integrated pest management, and rangeland management which are all interactive with the basic planning tool, the Conservation Planner.

Wayne Newbill, OnePlan Coordinator in Idaho.The nutrient management planning tool has been utilized by the state of Idaho to fulfill a state mandated requirement that all dairies must have a nutrient management plan in order to sell milk. The OnePlan Project worked diligently with the dairy industry, university specialists, NRCS personnel, and regulatory agencies to complete the nutrient management planning module for use with this new requirement. This planner consists of customized software employing downloadable spatial data to develop detailed plans for the field application of animal waste according the Idaho Nutrient Management Standard.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) planner is currently being developed by a multi-state design team. This planning tool will allow for site-specific IPM decision making. The “expert system” concept of the IPM planner will utilize university experts and publications on IPM, beneficial organisms, biological and cultural control, and pesticide applications. Pesticide information will be provided and the planner will utilize the NRCS Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (Win-PST) to select an effective pesticide with the least impact on water quality.



Wayne Newbill, OnePlan Coordinator in Idaho.
Washington State University logo University of Idaho logo Oregon State University logo University of Alaska Fairbanks logo Northwest Indian College logo Environmental Protection Agency logo USDA-NIFA logo

Pacific Northwest Regional Water
Quality Coordination Project
Partners

Land Grant Universities
Alaska
Cooperative Extension Service
Contact Fred Sorensen:
907-786-6311
http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/
University Publications:
http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/

Idaho
University of Idaho
Cooperative Extension System
Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025
http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html
University Publications:
http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html

Oregon
Oregon State University
Extension Service
Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/
University Publications:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/

Washington
Washington State University
WSU Extension
Contact Bob Simmons:
360-427-9670 ext. 690
http://wawater.wsu.edu/
University Publications:
http://pubs.wsu.edu/

Northwest Indian College
Contact Charlotte Clausing:
360-392-4319
cclausing@nwic.edu or
http://www.nwic.edu/

Water Resource Research Institutes
Water and Environmental Research
Center (Alaska)
http://www.uaf.edu/water/

Idaho Water Resources
Research Institute
http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/

Institute for Water and Watersheds
(Oregon)
http://water.oregonstate.edu/

State of Washington
Water Research Center
http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/

Environmental Protection Agency
EPA, Region 10
The Pacific Northwest
http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/

Office of Research and Development,
Corvallis Laboratory
http://www.epa.gov/wed/

For more information contact
Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or
seago.jan@epa.gov

The Project
Land Grant Universities, Water Research Institutes and EPA Region 10 have formed a partnership to provide research and education to communities about protecting or restoring the quality of water resources. This partnership is being supported in part by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Our Goal and Approach
The goal of this Project is to provide leadership for water resources research, education and outreach to help people, industry and governments to prevent and solve current and emerging water quality and quantity problems. The approach to achieving this goal is for the Partners to develop a coordinated regional water quality effort based on, and strengthening, individual state programs.

Our Strengths
The Project promotes regional collaboration by acknowledging existing programs and successful efforts; assessing program gaps; identifying potential issues for cross-agency and private sector collaboration; and developing a clearinghouse of expertise and programs. In addition, the Project establishes or enhances partnerships with federal, state and local environmental and water resource management agencies, such as by placing a University Liaison within the offices of EPA Region 10.

The OnePlan, with it’s roots in Idaho, is expanding to other states. Oregon has been working with the Idaho OnePlan team to incorporate the computer code and techniques for conservation and nutrient management planning in their state. Other states in the east and Midwest have also been working with the Idaho OnePlan team.

The OnePlan Conservation Planner and complimentary planning tools will:

  • Provide valuable tools to help farmers and ranchers make informed site-specific resource based decisions.
  • Save time and resources. Producers will complete as much of their plans as possible before seeking technical and/or financial assistance.
  • Improve producer understanding of natural resource and environmental requirements.
  • Eliminate multiple planning efforts between various agencies.
  • Provide a focal point for planning. The OnePlan emphasizes planning to solve natural resource problems rather than to meet program requirements.
  • Provide a mechanism to achieve Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) goals, Endangered Species Act protection, safe drinking water, and other resource goals necessary for regulatory certainty.

Efforts are underway to incorporate OnePlan technology into the national NRCS Information Technology framework. This online planning approach will be supported by NRCS resource management system guidelines and will fully encompass all conservation planning needs and resources.

For additional information contact Ronda Hirnyck, Pesticide Program Coordinator at 208-364-4046 or rhirnyck@uidaho.edu.

National Water Quality Program Areas

The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

  1. Animal Waste Management
  2. Drinking Water and Human Health
  3. Environmental Restoration
  4. Nutrient and Pesticide Management
  5. Pollution Assessment and Prevention
  6. Watershed Management
  7. Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management
  8. Water Policy and Economics
This material is based upon work supported by the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture,
under Agreement No 2008-51130-4734.

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Download the informational PDF flyer here

A cooperative program consisting of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
and
the Land Grant Colleges and Universities.

- a Regionally-Based National Network -

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USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
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NIFA National Water Quality Program

This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2008-51130-04734.

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page last modified on August 27, 2006

NIFA PNW Regional Water Quality Program