Soil and Water Quality

How can the United States meet demands for agricultural production while solving the broader range of environmental problems attributed to farming practices? National policymakers who try to answer this question confront difficult trade-offs. This book offers four specific strategies that can serve as the basis for a national policy to protect soil and water quality while maintaining U.S. agricultural productivity and competitiveness. Timely and comprehensive, the volume has important implications for the Clean Air Act and the 1995 farm bill. Advocating a systems approach, the committee recommends specific farm practices and new approaches to prevention of soil degradation and water pollution for environmental agencies. The volume details methods of evaluating soil management systems and offers a wealth of information on improved management of nitrogen, phosphorus, manure, pesticides, sediments, salt, and trace elements. Landscape analysis of nonpoint source pollution is also detailed. Drawing together research findings, survey results, and case examples, the volume will be of interest to federal, state, and local policymakers; state and local environmental and agricultural officials and other environmental and agricultural specialists; scientists involved in soil and water issues; researchers; and agricultural producers. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary PART ONE 1 Soil and Water Quality: New Problems, New Solutions 2 Opportunities to Improve Soil and Water Quality 3 A Systems Approach to Soil and Water Quality Management 4 Policies to Protect Soil and Water Quality PART TWO INTRODUCTION Soil, Water, and Farming Systems 5 Monitoring and Managing Soil Quality 6 Nitrogen in the Soil-Crop System 7 Phosphorus in the Soil-Crop System 8 Fate and Transport of Pesticides 9 Fate and Transport of Sediments 10 Salts and Trace Elements 11 Manure and Nutrient Management 12 A Landscape Approach to Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution APPENDIX NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS MASS BALANCES: METHODS AND INTERPRETATION References GLOSSARY About the Authors Index RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE BOARD ON AGRICULTURE