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Agricultural BMPs for Groundwater Protection: Conduct a comprehensive inventory of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce loss of nitrogen to groundwater. The inventory can either be a reorganization of the current 2017 MDA document titled “The Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota” to differentiate between groundwater and surface water benefits, or the addition of a new chapter dedicated to groundwater. Key considerations for each cited BMP include nitrogen loss reduction efficiency, installation cost, and knowledge gaps in the context of Minnesota climate, soils and crop production systems. The inventory must consider regional differences in the effectiveness of each BMP based on differences in geology and groundwater susceptibility to contamination.

Develop Protocols for Evaluating Groundwater Quality Impacts of Precision Agriculture: Coordinate the development of protocols for the evaluation of precision agriculture systems including software decision support tools, optical sensor-based systems and other variable rate technologies, for their ability to precisely estimate crop nitrogen demand. The protocols must be developed with input from agricultural organizations and companies and the MDA and should be completed in a one year time frame.

Economics of Cover Crops: Develop a comprehensive guide on the economics of common cover crop species (those not covered by the Forever Green Initiative) in the state. The guide should focus primarily on regional studies to evaluate costs associated with the establishment of cover crop species used in Minnesota (single and mixes) and discuss their winter survival ability (risk management). The guide must consider costs associated with seeding, maintenance and termination, and it should also discuss the potential impact of cover crop practices on the yield of the cash crop, and water quality related to the different agricultural contaminants.

Innovative Nutrient Management Strategies: Develop and test innovative on-farm methods or technologies for agricultural nutrient management to improve nutrient utilization and reduce negative impacts on agricultural surface and/or ground water. The methods or technologies can be a new, or already used elsewhere and be adapted for use with Minnesota’s agricultural production systems. The State prefers to use methods or technologies with potential for high cost efficiency (cost-effective), that are applicable to large areas of the state or are effective within drinking water supply management areas (DWSMAs).