Downloads
Farm Level Assessment and Continuous Improvement Programs
Click here for an example of a Continuous Improvement Program plan
Ecosystem Service Verification for Water Quality Trading Credits
Farm Level Assessment and Continuous Improvement Programs
Water Stewardship has a proven approach and farmer-accepted protocols for both whole-farm assessment and verification of conservation practices and the development of Continuous Improvement Programs (CIPs). What makes the Water Stewardship approach unique is the incorporation of numerical loads specific for each farm operation. Coincident with the CIP, WSI provides each farm with a quantitative estimate of their nutrient loss load using our Nutrient Load Estimator (NLE © WSI 2009). The NLE was created by Water Stewardship to calculate estimated nutrient and sediment loads for agricultural and urban tracts and the impact that a Best Management Practice (BMP) or combination of BMPs will have on those loads. When used in Water Stewardship's farm assessment and verification process, NLE estimates each farm's nutrient load before any BMPs were applied, that farm's current load with existing BMPs, and what reductions could occur on the farm if additional BMPs were implemented. To learn more about the Water Stewardship farm assessment approach click here. To see an example of a farm Continuous Improvement Program plan click here.
Ecosystem Service Verification for Water Quality Trading Credits
Water Stewardship has been preparing investors and farmers for participation in nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) trading markets using outreach, demonstrations, and on-farm assessments to better understand baseline requirements to be able to enter trading markets and the obligations and opportunities for revenue generation associated with trading. For more information click here.
Water Stewards - Support Farms That Have Met Their Water Quality Standards!
Products carrying the Water Stewards logo are produced on farms that have fulfilled their commitment to restore local and coastal waters. Water Steward Certification provides market recognition to farms for their significant investment in environmental sustainability.
Please click here to go to the WSI Water Stewards site: www.waterstewards.net
Nutrient Load Estimator (© WSI 2009) - A Web-Based Tool
The Nutrient Load Estimator (NLE) is a web-based tool that was created by Water Stewardship, Inc. (WSI). It is designed to calculate the estimated nutrient and sediment loads for agricultural and urban tracts at a community-level and the impact that a best management practice (BMP) or combination of BMPs will have on those loads. The methodology and the numbers used in NLE are adapted from the Chesapeake Bay Program's Phase 5 Watershed Model.
NLE is a proprietary tool and a WSI-issued username and password is required for access. If you are interested in using NLE, please contact Sally Bradley at 410-353-0329 or sallyb@waterstewardshipinc.org
If you have an account for NLE you can access the website by clicking here: http://www.verifybmp.net/
Click here to see an example of the NLE calculations for a 400 acre, 150 cow dairy farm.