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The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standard Code 590 Nutrient Management (Code 590) deals with managing the application of nutrients and soil amendments for agricultural production. It establishes the NRCS criteria for developing comprehensive nutrient management plans for nutrient application. The intent of NRCS Code 590 is to minimize nutrient loads to receiving water bodies while maintaining optimal agricultural production. Specifying acceptable nutrient loads to surface and ground water sources is very complex, and should be tied to each states water quality standards and thus be water body specific. The challenges in linking NRCS Code 590 to water quality standards are daunting. For example: How are edge-of-field nutrient losses translated into loads to receiving water bodies? Should the endpoint be edge of field loads or concentrations? How are edge-of-field loads tied to water quality impact (i.e. water quality standards)? How do you integrate agricultural management into application recommendations? How are other nutrient sources in the watershed addressed, etc.? Another complicating factor is very few states have numeric water quality standards. This paper presents the issues and challenges associated with specifying nutrient application rates in NRCS Code 590 that are based on state water quality standards.