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Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) are required to meet both USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and regulatory requirements. Workload constraints have led to the need for tools to be developed to assist in the development of these plans. Through a partnership, the Earth Sciences and Resource Institute at the University of South Carolina (ESRIUSC) and the NRCS in South Carolina (NRCS-SC), have developed a suite of tools that work within the universe of the NRCS Customer Service Toolkit (CST) (USDA-NRCS, 1997, Eckblad et al., 1998). These tools include the use of ArcView GIS for geospatial data; (2) AFOWizard, an Excel workbook with imported GIS data for nutrient budgeting and allocation; and (3) a template document in Microsoft Word. This document brings together all of the required criteria as given in the Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning Technical Guidance (USDANRCS, 2000a).

AFOWizard incorporates all of the form, source, amount, timing, and method of application required by NRCS Policy (USDA-NRCS, 1999) and conservation practice standards (CPS) (USDA-NRCS-SC, 2001b). It is the centerpiece of the nutrient management portion of a CNMP. Data is incorporated from the animal production operation, manure treatment and/or storage systems, soils, fields, cropping sequence(s), and the phosphorus risk assessment (USDA-NRCSSC, 2001a) in determining the nutrient budget, field allocation and risk exceedence levels.

AFOPro is the next generation of nutrient management planning software. The process behind AFOPro is adapted from the NRCS Agricultural Waste Management Handbook, Chapter 11, Nutrient Management (USDA-NRCS, 1994). As well as the items listed for AFOWizard, AFOPro better handles manure and fertilizer allocation timing and nitrogen volatilization and mineralization. Data from the Animal Waste Management (AWM) structural design software as well as data from the National Soils Information System (NASIS) database can be imported.

NRCS-SC is effectively using AFOWizard and the complete suite of tools to develop CNMPs. AFOPro is being tested as the future nutrient management tool.